🐱 How to Set Up Your Home for a New Cat
Cats settle in fastest when the home is ready before they arrive. Start with one quiet "base camp" room — a spare room or bathroom — with food, water, a litter box, a scratching post, and a hiding spot. A new cat can decompress there for a few days before exploring the whole house.
Litter boxes: the rule is one box per cat plus one extra, kept in quiet, easy-to-reach spots and scooped daily. Keep food and water bowls well away from the litter — cats dislike eating next to the bathroom. Most cats prefer a large, uncovered box and plain unscented clumping litter.
Scratching and climbing are needs, not extras. Give a sturdy post taller than your cat stretched full-length (so it will not tip over), plus a cat tree or window perch — vertical space makes indoor cats feel safe and saves your furniture. Add a few toys for daily play, and see our guides on adopting from a shelter and allergy-friendly pets.
🛒 Recommended supplies
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🧽 Cleaning & maintenance
Scoop the litter box daily — most litter-box problems start with a dirty box — and fully change the litter and wash the box with mild, unscented soap every week or two. Wash food and water bowls daily, vacuum up litter and hair, and clean the scratching areas and bedding regularly. Keep an enzymatic cleaner on hand for the occasional accident or hairball; it removes the odor so your cat is not tempted back to the spot. Avoid strong-smelling cleaners near the box, since a perfumed box can put a cat off using it.
Cleaning supplies for this habitat. Affiliate links — we may earn a commission. The $/$$/$$$ badges are a rough budget guide, not live prices.