New Kitten Checklist UK 2026: What You Actually Need (and What to Skip)

Buy these before your kitten arrives, and nothing else:

1. Carrier — top-loading, hard-sided. You'll use it for 15 years.
2. Two litter trays — the rule is one per cat plus one, even for a single kitten.
3. Food and water bowls — shallow and wide, placed away from the trays.
4. The same food the breeder or rescue was feeding — change it gradually over 7–10 days, never on day one.
5. A bed — kittens sleep 16–20 hours a day and want somewhere enclosed.
6. A scratching post — taller than the kitten can stretch, and sisal, not carpet.

Everything else is optional and better bought once you know your kitten.

Shop the categories on That Cat Picks: beds, litter, food, toys and grooming.

Our hand-checked Amazon picks with current UK prices — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

• Carrier: Amazon Basics hard-sided top-load (£20–£28) or the Catit Cabrio (£38–£48)
• Litter: Cat's Best Original clumping (£12–£22) or Sanicat unscented (£6–£12)
• Bed: Bedsure calming bed (£10–£21) or the Bedsure cat cave igloo (£17–£22)
• Scratching and climbing: Amazon Basics cat tree with hammock (£20–£25)
• Toys: Yeowww! catnip banana (£5–£8) and KONG Kickeroo (£6–£10)
• Grooming: aumuca cat brush with release button and safety-guard nail clippers

When the kitten is old enough for a flap, start with our cat flap starter kit.

Realistic first-year total: £900–£1,200, plus the setup kit. Microchipping is a legal requirement for cats in England from 20 weeks old — and it's also what makes a microchip cat flap possible later.

• Automatic laser toys — cats disengage within days and lasers can cause frustration with no "catch" at the end.
• Plastic bowls — the single most common cause of feline chin acne.
• Cheap carpet-covered scratching posts — they teach your kitten that carpet is for scratching.
• Tiny litter trays — kittens grow fast; buy the adult size now.
• A cat flap bought before the door is assessed — wall kits bought for glass doors, or standard flaps bought for a cat that grows large, are the two purchases we see wasted most often.

If you're unsure what fits your door, our Will It Fit tool answers it in under a minute.

Set up one quiet room with the tray, bed, food and water — not the whole house. Kittens overwhelmed on day one hide for a week; kittens given one small room usually emerge within hours.

• Keep the litter tray as far from the food as the room allows.
• Don't bath, groom or introduce other pets yet.
• Book the first vet check within a week and get the vaccination schedule started.
• Register the microchip in your name — a huge number of rescue cats are still registered to the previous keeper.

Wait until your kitten is:

• Fully vaccinated (usually 13–14 weeks, plus one to two weeks for immunity)
• Neutered — vets typically advise from around four months
• Microchipped and registered to you
• Settled indoors for at least four weeks so the house is clearly home

Then fit the flap at the kitten's adult belly height where possible, or accept that a very small kitten may need a step for a few months. We fit into uPVC, composite, wooden, aluminium and glass doors — see cat flap installation or get a free quote.