Initial cat equipment: What you need

Soon your velvet-pawed family member will be moving in and you certainly already have an idea of how you will decorate and design your home in a species-appropriate way for your cat or cats. You may already be thinking about the size and colour of the cat tree and whether you want to coordinate the cosy cat bed with your furnishings? But what do you actually need so that the little tiger can curiously explore its new home and quickly feel at home with you?

We tell you what should be part of the initial equipment and what you can offer a kitten, domestic tiger or free roamer so that you can optimally meet the individual needs of the velvet paws.

Basic equipment: Checklist for initial equipment for cats

You're probably looking forward to picking up your cat and settling into its new home. Take advantage of this exciting time and make your home cat-friendly. We'll show you the best way to do this with our checklist for initial equipment for cats:

• Bowls: Buy a water bowl and a food bowl or use a practical double bowl consisting of two bowls. If you want to offer your kitty dry and wet food, it's better to buy two bowls. Bowls with non-slip undersides are ideal: if your kitten is very hungry, you can prevent the bowl from sliding around the kitchen in the heat of the moment. A bowl base can also be of great help here.

• Cat food: It's best to think about what kind of food you want to offer your cat before it moves in. In addition to commercial dry and wet food, you can choose soft-moist food, barf or even cook it yourself.

• Cat toilet: Not only the location of the toilet is significant for many cats - some velvet paws prefer to do their business undisturbed under a lid and behind a closed flap. And then there are the freedom-loving tigers who like to enter the open toilet from all sides, without any obstacles. Since you don't know your cat's preferences, we recommend a litter tray with a loosely attached flap and removable lid.

• Cat litter: Here you can choose between different options - whether it's clumping litter, plant fibre such as corn or litter with a baby powder scent, try out a few alternatives. Your cat will show you what it feels comfortable with.

• Transport box: Not only do you need a safe box for transporting your kitten for the first time, but it is also best to put it in a safe box or transport basket for visits to the vet.

• Cat basket: Offer your cat sufficient resting and sleeping places. For example, how about a combination of a soft cat cave and a cosy cat bed?

• Scratching furniture: Here you can be creative. If you prefer fixed scratching trees, you have many colours and sizes to choose from. Does your home have little space? Then individual wall elements, consisting of lying plates, caves and steps, are just right so that your cat can romp around to his heart's content. As an alternative to the cat scratching tree, you can also use scratching boards, which you can attach to the wall to save space.

• Cat toys: To make sure your little tiger doesn't get bored, provide him with a few different cat toys. A small cuddly toy or a teaser awakens the hunting instinct, a fun board encourages dexterity and intelligence.

• Grooming articles: Support your pet's coat care with cat brushes and grooming brushes. A massage brush and a coat brush are a must-have in your cat kit to pamper your kitty and keep their coat shiny and healthy.

• Safety accessories (optional): If you want to share your balcony with your cat, a cat net prevents possible falls or unwanted access. If you also install special protective wedges on tilted windows, your cat cannot climb out and you prevent it from getting stuck in the window frame.

Kittens: Special equipment for kittens

Basically, you need the same basic equipment for your kitten as for an adult cat. However, these 3 small but fine details make the difference:

1. Food: Your kitten needs special kitten food, the composition of which is highly digestible and adapted to the kitten's special needs.
2. Scratching furniture: Your kitten will learn to sharpen its claws on a small scratching column or scratching trunk. They can also let off steam to their heart's content on a flat scratching tree (max. height 120 cm) and carefully try out climbing.
3. Sleeping place: Fluffy, round cushions (donuts) with raised edges or cosy caves offer your kitten special nest warmth and protection. So it can slumber peacefully.

Outdoor cats: Starter kit for outdoor cats

If you want to house an outdoor cat, you can include the following cat accessories in your considerations in order to offer your velvet paw sufficient freedom:

• Tracker: Via GPS, cat trackers send signals to a corresponding app on your mobile phone. This way you always know where your kitty is exploring the area and can follow it quickly in an emergency.

• Cat flap: If you want to give your little hunter a lot of freedom, install a practical cat flap. This way, your four-legged friend can decide for itself when it wants to enjoy fresh air. Special systems even allow you to program in your tiger's chip or tracker - so you can prevent foreign animals from entering. You can also conveniently activate and lock controllable cat flaps via your mobile phone if you don't want your cat to leave the house in the evening.

• Cat harness: Cats are bound to a certain place - so first get your cat used to its new surroundings. On joint forays with a cat harness and leash, it can curiously explore the neighbourhood.

• Collar: If you plan to equip your cat with a tracker or address tag, you must attach it to a collar. When choosing a collar, make sure that it fits snugly around the neck, but that it can be slipped off loosely over the head in an emergency, should your four-legged friend get caught in the undergrowth. A collar with a "safety closure" that opens automatically in the event of strong resistance is particularly practical.

• Address tag: Should your cat ever stray into someone else's house or property, its finder can find your address with the help of an address sleeve on the collar and quickly bring it back to you.

Checklist for initial cat equipment

Have you thought of everything? Here you can see everything you need at a glance: