Basic Kit for Your Cat

The basic equipment includes the most necessary purchases for your cat. We tell you what you need.

Getting a cat? Then you’ll need a few things to make sure that your new family member is comfortable and can start to settle in straight away.

A starter set with litter tray, bowls, blanket and cat tree can cost around 86 dollar. Things will break from time to time, so will have to be replaced. You will definitely have to buy cat litter regularly.

Basic Kit Includes:

Equipment	Costs
Cat bed, cat cave	from $18
Cat blanket/cushion	from $10
Scratching post, scratching board	from $22
Litter tray	from $10
Cat litter	from $10
Transport box	from $10
Tick tong (for outdoor cats)	from $2
Brush/comb (for long-haired cats)	from $4
Total	from $86

(Valid: June 2023)

Cat in a transport box Photo: Oleg Batrak/stock.adobe.com

Litter Box

Cats are very demanding when it comes to the litter box and litter. There are toilets with and without a hood.

The advantage of hooded models is that they offer privacy. They are particularly recommended if the toilet is (or has to be) in a clearly visible place in the home. So you don't have to watch your cat go about its business. However, the smells also collect under the hood. This is an advantage for us humans, as the smells do not spread throughout the room, but not for the cat with its sensitive nose. By the way, there are also models with a low entry for kittens.

Whether with or without a hood, size and shape - what you personally like better or not is ultimately not decisive. The cat must like it. Otherwise it won't use the litter box and... finds another place for it. Somewhere in the apartment.

Cat Litter

The same applies to cat litter: the cat must feel comfortable. Litter can smell very different. To a cat's sensitive nose, certain brands can have an unpleasant odor that can cause them to refuse the toilet. Before the cat moves in, it is best to find out which cat litter the cat already knows and likes.

Cat litter Photo: Mikhail Ulyannikov/stock.adobe.com

Scratching Post

A scratching post is important so that your cat doesn’t think about sharpening its claws on your furniture. You can buy scratching posts for as little as $22 dollar but they aren’t top quality. Normally, you should be prepared to spend $70-90.

Scratching Board

You can even make a scratching board yourself by having a small piece of wood cut at the hardware store and simply attaching sisal rope (sisal is a plant fiber). With a bit of skill, you could even make a cat tree with little hidey holes. The benefit: your imagination is the only limit. But in the end, the cat is the one that has to decide if it likes them ...

Cuddle Cave

With a little skill you can also make your own cuddly caves. The pro: there are no limits to your imagination. But in the end the cat decides whether it likes the cave too...

Cat scratching post Photo: ztranger/stock.adobe.comk

Collar vs Chip

Collars can be dangerous for outdoor cats. They can get caught on fences while they’re roaming outdoors and even cause life-threatening injuries. So, most cats don’t wear collars.

Most people have their cats microchipped. This means that the veterinarian places a microchip under their skin. This doesn’t hurt much, and it doesn’t affect the cat as it moves around. If your cat runs away or gets lost, the chip will help to identify them and find the owner.

A scanner will display the contact details saved on the chip. The chip contains a 15-digit number that isn’t on any other chip in the world. This guarantees there won’t be a mix-up.