You will want to make preparations in your house before bringing home your new cat or kitten. If you have several plants in your house, you will want to make sure that they will not be harmful to your cat. There are some plants that are very poisonous to cats and you do not want your new cat to try to eat one that could be very harmful. You can go to http://www.cfainc.org/articles/plants.html for a list of plants that are harmful to your cat. If you have any of the plants listed, it would be better to remove them from your home or to an area that your cat would not be able to get into contact with the plant.

Something else to watch for are small items that will peak their curiosity and encourage them to play with and then possibly swallow – such as string, rubber bands, or any other item that would be small enough for them to swallow. Swallowing these small items could cause an obstruction in their digestive system and could cause death. It is sometimes difficult to think of every small item that your cat might want to play with and try to swallow. I have gone through my house several times looking for string, rubber bands, or anything else that I think may be harmful to my cats. But they are sometimes smarter than I think they are and will find that one item that they are not supposed to play with. I have on many occasions had to retrieve a rubber band, string, or a leaf that was brought in from outside from Tiggy as she is choking on it. It is the scariest thing to watch at first not knowing why they are choking, but instinct to help takes over and I can get the string, or whatever she swallowed. I have not had to retrieve anything from her in a very long time; I have learned to hide things so that she cannot find them or put them where she cannot get to them.

You will also want to get all of the necessary accessories to take care of your cat; food and water dishes, and a litter box. Placement of these items are also important, a good place for the food dish is up where other animals in the house cannot get to it especially if you have a dog, but where your cat can. I have my food dish for the cats up on a storage tub where our dog, Polar Bear, cannot get to but they can jump on it and eat whenever they want. I would not recommend putting their food dish on the counter as this gives them permission to get up on counters. I do have and highly recommend a pet water fountain that all the cats and the dog drink out of. The water fountain keeps their water fresh and they drink more, which is a great health benefit. The Pet Water fountain does come in different sizes so you can choose the one that will meet your needs. The litter box should be kept away from the food and water dish, your cat does not want to eat or drink near the litter box. If you have a dog it would be good if you could have the litter box in an area where they cannot get to it. If you do not have an area where the dog cannot get to it, that is fine, I do not either. Just keep it scooped out so that they have nothing to get out of it when they do inspect it. As far as the type of litter box to use or how many will depend on how many cats you have. I have read a few articles that say that you should have one litter box for every cat. We have three cats, but I only have two litter boxes. I use the large hooded boxes. It gives them privacy and it also keeps them smell down. There are several different types and sizes of litter boxes that can be chosen. Usually it will depend on your preference and how many cats have in the house.

A few more things that you will want to get for your new kitty is fun stuff. A scratching post is not just a fun toy for them but could also save your furniture from their scratching. And lots of toys that will keep them occupied and will give you lots of laughs. It is fun to watch them discover a new toy and to find out which ones they like the best. It is also fun when you get toys that allow you to interact with your cat. It is good for bonding and for just having fun.

With these few tips on preparing your house, you will be able to bring your new kitty home and have fun with it.