So you’ve decided you want to be a proud kitten owner- congratulations! Deciding to own a kitten can be exciting, but overwhelming. Not only do you have to buy all the kitten essentials like food, toys, and a litter box, but you’ll also have to properly kitten-proof your home. Although your tiny feline may seem too little and cute to do any real damage to your home, you would be surprised. Kittens can easily destroy valuable furniture, curtains, and other high-value items in your home.
That’s why in this article you’ll learn the top kitten essentials you’ll need and how to properly prepare your home for your new beloved feline.
Why You Need To Be Prepared For A Kitten
Yes, kittens may seem too tiny and little to do any damage to your home, but you may be surprised about a cat’s ability to climb, jump, leap, and scratch into any and everything in your home. Therefore, this makes it easy for your kitten to easily damage and get into things they’re not supposed to in your home. This also presents a major safety risk for your kitten if you don’t properly close and put away any potential safety hazards like cleaning supplies, certain human foods, and more.
Likewise, although kittens are relatively easy to care for, you still have to buy all the kitten essentials like proper kitten food, kitten toys, and more to ensure your kitten is both entertained and has quality food and shelter. A kitten starter pack is a great way to kickstart a healthy and wholesome diet for your kitten.
You’ll also want to prepare as a family for your kitten. Make sure everyone in your family is “on board” with having a kitten in your home. Discuss who will be responsible for caring for the kitten in terms of feeding, cleaning the litter box, and taking them to the vet and grooming appointments so as a family you are prepared to welcome a kitten into your home.
Kitten Essentials To Buy
There are so many things to consider purchasing before owning a kitten. Below is a basic list of kitten essentials you should buy before welcoming a kitten into your home.
- Kitten Food
- Kitten Toys
- Kitten Collar
- Kitten Carrier/Crate
- Litter Box
- Cat Litter
- Pet Food Bowls
- Kitten Treats
- Cat Scratching Post
- Pet Brush
- Small Pet Nail Clippers
- Cat Bed
- Pet Cleaning Supplies
Kitten Products: Set Up And Where To Place In Your Home
When it comes to kitten products, you’ll surely have to set up certain products/ decide where to place these particular kitten essentials. This includes setting up a litter box. You should consider placing your kitten’s litter box in a place that isn’t the main living space or a dark corner or closet of your home. Consider placing the litter box in a bathroom, laundry room, or spare bedroom.
Another kitten essential is deciding where to place a kitten bed. Cats love a bit of elevation and a quiet spot for sleeping. Therefore, consider putting the kitten bed in a corner of your bedroom or kitchen for a cute little cat nap or to get a restful night’s sleep.
A kitten scratching post is another product you’ll have to find a good place for in your home. Cats unfortunately love to scratch. However, having a kitten scratching post and placing it in a practical location will help reduce their scratching on you and your home items. Place a scratching post where you find your cat scratching the most, where your cat frequents the most, or near a valuable item you don’t want them to scratch (i.e. furniture). This way, your cat will choose to scratch the post instead of the furniture.
How To Kitten-Proof Your Home
As previously discussed, cats are notorious scratchers. That’s why you’ll want to protect anything valuable beforehand so your new kitten doesn’t destroy your home.
Important things to protect your home from your cat include furniture, any loose electrical wiring that may be hazardous, openings in floorboards, rocking chairs that may crush your kitten if unnoticed down below, pest traps, open windows or screens, and any spare knitting/sewing supplies that are not properly put away.
A great way to protect your furniture from your kitten is by putting a furniture cover over the furniture you want to protect, investing in some cat scratching posts to keep your cat entertained, or putting a furniture guard around your furniture to protect it from any scratching.
With regards to maintaining your cat’s safety in your home, ensure that all wires are properly tucked away or taped to the wall. Also, properly store and put away any dangerous items like small sharp sewing needles or chemicals that a kitten can easily ingest and get hurt.
Kitten Food Essentials
Having the right kitten food is arguably one of the most important kitten essential items. You want your kitten to grow up strong, healthy, and happy. That’s why you need high-quality kitten food that your cat enjoys. There are many different food options to consider for you cat like dry kitten food, wet kitten food, and even feeding a raw cat food diet.
A raw food kitten diet sometimes can get a bad wrap and can confuse many pet owners. However, a raw food diet is not only safe for your kitten to eat, but it is arguably a more healthy alternative than either wet or dry kitten food. This is because, as long as the raw food is hygienically prepared, a raw food diet has lots of protein for your cat to grow up strong and healthy. Additionally, there are no strange/processed ingredients that may be harmful to your cat, unlike many other dry or wet pet food brands.
Some other benefits of feeding your kitten a raw food diet include:
- Healthy Coat.
- Higher Energy Levels.
- Weight Loss/ Weight Maintenance.
- Improved Dental and Urinary Health.
- Better digestion.
Therefore, if you are about to bring a new kitten into your home, consider feeding them a raw food diet so they can grow up strong, happy, and healthy!
Melissa Smith is a passionate dog lover, part time pet-sitter and writes for Raw and Fresh on all things pet-related. A former dog trainer and walker, she’s spent over a decade professionally learning a thing or two about our canine buddies.
