10 First Time Cat Owner Essentials 2021 Leave a comment

Before you get a cat, training yourself to be a good parent is essential. Once you feel you are ready to have one, you need to get all the first-time cat owner essentials that your cat may need after coming into your house as a family member.

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We have made it easy for you by doing research by ourselves and came up with a list of essentials you must have before owning a cat. We assure you that by making sure you have all the products from our composed list, you’ll not require anything else unless there’s any special case with your cat.

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1.Food Bowl

Once you are ready to have a cat, the first thing to arrange would be cat food. The tool you’ll require to serve the food or water is a food bowl.

Not all pets drink from every bowl, and that’s why they need their own bowls. The pets have the sense of recognizing their own used bowls and love to eat from them.

Also, pouring food in a single bowl and on a regular basis can make your cat more disciplined, which is good for physical health and the digestive system. That’s why getting a food bowl is necessary and can be the first tool of first-time cat owner essentials.

2.Litter Box

The first thing a cat would do is eat and drink; the second thing that you can expect is littering. Getting a litter box is as important as having a food bowl because the cat is going to litter as well besides eating and drinking, which is a normal system.

So, another reason to buy the litter box is to save your entire house from the smelly litter that can make your house smell bad and spread germs that are specifically not good if you have a toddler who crawls on the floor.

You need to train the cat to get used to lit in the litter box only. Otherwise, you may face problems and won’t like your cat.

3.Cat Toys

After dealing with food and litter, you have to deal with boredom which is common among all the cats. You need to provide entertainment by giving toys to play with.

Cats love to play with toys but make sure to buy the one that cats love as there are many pet toys out there. You can leave the cat alone for some time with these toys and let them play, which helps improve mental and physical health.

Unlike dogs, cats can play and stare at a single thing for a long time before getting bored. In that case, you won’t be spending much money.

4.Grooming Tools

Keeping your cat clean and fresh is another important thing to do on a regular basis. That’s why parenting a pet is not that easy because it takes everything to do like you do for your kid.

Keeping the cat neat, clean, and fresh requires grooming tools which include scissors, shampoo, comb, and trimmer. It will not only help your cat to look good but also small good which in results help improve physical and mental health.

Keeping the skin clean can prevent many diseases which may cause severe issues in the future. That’s why we highly recommend having grooming tools in your list of first-time cat owner essentials.

5.Cozy Bed

Cats love to take naps, and there are some cats that spend most of their time taking naps. That’s why a cozy bed that is comfortable and warm enough to give your cat a good sleep is very important.

Like dogs, cats don’t take naps on hard and rough floors in most cases. Besides, giving your pet their own bed is a nice thing to do for them as a parent, and it also helps in providing a private place to get rest.

The cozy bed should be wide enough to let the cat stretch, which is necessary for their physical health. Make sure to get the bed as per your cat’s weight and size.

6.Scratching Post

Unlike dogs, cats need a place to scratch their paws and entire body, which is necessary to keep the paws healthy. Since you have to care about the physical health of the cat, getting a scratching post would be necessary.

Otherwise, the cat would scratch anyway and ruin your carpet and furniture, which you would not like. So, it’s another way to provide your cat a physical activity and save your expensive furniture from getting ruined.

Make sure to get the one that has a sleeping place as the cats love to rest near the place where they scratch, or you can say they lay down while scratching.

7.Collar and Tag ID

Collar and tag ID are also some of the most important first-time cat owner essentials. It not only gives your cat a beautiful look but also makes them feel like a pet to keep them inside the house.

You don’t tie your cat unless required, but it looks good and feels good. Sometimes it helps them to realize not to leave home. The tag ID is important when you know there’s a slight chance of getting lost outside the house.

You can’t keep the cat inside the house as there’s always a way to leave the house, and cats find that quite easily. In that case, if someone finds your cat, tag ID details will help them to reach out to you.

8.Cat Carrier

 Consider the situations when you would need to travel across different places and have to take the cat with you. It happens a lot, and you have to be prepared for those situations as well.

You would need a cat carrier because you can’t just take the cat in your hands and ask her to walk with you. That’s why a cat carrier is a very helpful tool that can carry your cat and has a door as well to avoid escaping.

All you need to do is enter the cat inside the carrier and take it anywhere you want as it contains a handle for easy portability and comes in a perfect size as per your cat.

9.Cat Tree

The cat tree is the most played toy for a cat as it has different shelves at various heights along with sleeping areas.

A beautiful cat tree is not only comfortable to sleep in but also offers multiple heights because cats love to sleep in different heightened places.

Besides, cats get a place to stare at others as well, and a cat tree can be the perfect spot. If you think your cat is getting bored most of the time and not having fun because of the limited resources, you can get a nice tree for them.

10.Water Fountain

Feeding is the essential part when parenting a cat, and providing correct feeding tools is important. Not all cats drink water from a bowl, and most love to drink from the water fountain.

Water falling from a certain height is the most playful thing for the cats, which attracts them a lot, and in the end, they drink water as well. The water fountain can be a very helpful tool in fetching your cat water to keep them hydrated 24/7.

Otherwise, cats may not drink water all day and lead to digestive issues. But these playful objects help the cat fetch water properly the entire day.

FAQs

What Should A First Time Cat Owner Know?

A cat owner should know how to make the cat feel home and secure because most cats get afraid and run away from a new person. Second, you need to have some medical knowledge about cat diseases. If not, you should know a good vet to whom you can consult anytime. Rest are the things that you can learn with time.

What Is The First Thing To Do When You Bring A Cat Home?

You need to have cat food and a bowl in your room so you can start with feeding the cat and letting them feel at home. Second, there should be a litter box that would be required after feeding the cat. Third, you can have some toys to keep the cat engaged in physical activities.

How Long Does It Take For A Cat To Adjust To A New Owner?

Well, it entirely depends upon the nature of a cat, but a small kitten of around 6 months of age takes only 2 to 4 days to adjust with the owner. The bigger cats may take less or more time which entirely depends on the situations and atmosphere you provide and the food you feed.

Is It OK To Leave Cats Alone For 3 Days?

No, it is not a good idea as it may cause some serious trouble. First, your cat may get scared when not seeing you for a long time. Second, they may turn your home into a huge mess because of the home-alone situation. Last, you can monitor the cat through a pet monitoring camera, but you better leave them at your friend or neighbor’s home.

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Final Thoughts

To be a good parent, you need to learn how to take good care of a cat, and it is not possible without getting first-time cat owner essentials. These are the tools that your cat may frequently require, which increases its importance. We recommend all the equipment from the checklist, but you can start with the most important ones and then buy one by one.