Bringing home your new feline friends can be a rewarding and enriching experience for both you and your cats. However, living with cats requires careful planning and preparation to ensure your cats are comfortable, safe, and happy in their new home. This guide covers all the essential items for living with cats, offering valuable cat tips and must-have cat essentials recommendations.
Whether you’re living with cats full-time or just preparing to babysit, adopt, or foster a little furball for a weekend our cat-friendly advice will help you master living with cats in your life. From cat safety tips to keeping your cat comfortable, discover useful cat tips to make your journey smooth and enjoyable. Here’s your comprehensive guide with everything you’ll need if you plan on living with cats.
Must-Have Essentials for Living with Cats
1. Safe Space or Crate
A safe space is essential for your Cat to feel secure in their new house! Either a designated area in your home where they know they can roam, rest, eat, poop, and pee. Also, consider not just giving them a bed but a case to feel secure. Our cat has both a cat carry case and he has a portable pet house, plus many more feline-friendly items to keep him comfy!
- Safe Space
- Carry Case / Crate
- Pet House / Bed
If you plan to travel: A secure carrier or travel crate is essential for your cat’s safety, especially during transit on road trips or vet appointments. Ensure the carrier is spacious enough for your cat to stand, turn around, and lie down comfortably. It should also be well-ventilated and secure to prevent any escapes.
2. Litter + Box
If you didn’t know cats naturally know to go in a litter box when they potty from birth! Or at least they don’t need to be potty trained for the most part if you give them a clean box full of kitty litter they’ll go potty without any help. All you have to do is keep it cleaned out! Plus, we use Pretty Litter!
If you plan to travel: A portable litter box is a must-have for cat travel. Choose a compact, covered litter box to contain odors and prevent litter from scattering during travel. Don’t forget to bring a scooper and plenty of litter to keep the box clean and fresh.
3. Food & Water Bowls
Make sure your cat has their own food and water bowls. We leave a bowl of water down for the dogs and cat to share (which the vet told us was okay to do). However, we never leave food out or down unless feeding. So that’s the only time we get any bowls out. TDH we use some cheap cat bowls we got at the Dollar Tree!
If you plan to travel: Invest in spill-proof food and water bowls to prevent messes while driving. Consider collapsible bowls for easy storage and convenience.
4. Cat Food & Treats
Make sure to feed your cat a healthy balanced diet both cat food and cat treats included. Spend a little extra to give your feline friend the food they deserve! We usually stick to Blue Buffalo Cat Food and Treats!
If you plan to travel: Bring your cat’s regular food and enough supply to last the entire trip. Sudden changes in diet can upset their stomachs. Pack some of their favorite treats to reward them and keep them happy.
5. Scratching Post or Pad
Cats need to scratch to keep their claws healthy and to mark their territory. Every time our cat wakes up from a nap he immediately starts to scratch his claws! That could be on the carpet or furniture but we aim to prevent this by keeping a cat scratching post everywhere he sleeps or likes to frequent!
If you plan to travel: A portable scratching post or pad will help prevent them from scratching yours or anyone else’s furniture!
6. Comfort Items
Keep your cat comfy with a bed, blanket, toys, etc… Just like you they want to feel comfortable too!
If you plan to travel: Bring along your cat’s favorite blanket, bed, or toys to provide comfort and a sense of familiarity. These items can help reduce stress and make them always feel a sense of home.
7. Collar, Harness and Leash
Our cat doesn’t venture outdoors often and if so not alone. But, we do like to keep track of him whether we are in the RV or at the Condo at home, a hotel — no matter where we roam! One thing we like is to make sure Johnny has a bell on his Cat Collar so we can always hear where he’s at.
If you plan to travel: A harness and leash are essential for letting your cat explore the outdoors safely. Make sure the harness fits securely and practice using it before your trip to ensure your cat is comfortable.
8. First Aid Kit
A pet-specific first aid kit can be a lifesaver in emergencies. Include items such as bandages, antiseptic wipes, tweezers, and any medications your cat might need.
9. Sink cover, Closed & Lockable Containers
We have a sink cover that is used for drying dishes, but it also works to keep Johnny our Cat out of the sink! We try to keep the dishes clean, but our cat loves to check out the sink! But, what I love about the sink covers is that we always try to buy roll-up or easily storable ones.
We also have lockable containers and never leave anything on the counter even a bag of chips. Our cat has a crazy nose and he eats through every bag of food, treats, bread, sauce packets, — if you leave it out for him to be able to get his nose will find it! So everything stays in containers or cabinets. For the counter in the travel trailer we have tested a “bread box” which is actually only for us to store quick snacks but so that Johhny can’t get to them and eat them first!
And we have a double-decker clear rolling container we use to store dry cat food and treats in. Thankfully it has locking latches on the handles to keep the cat out, but he loves to smack them in an attempt to get in. I also think he likes the sound it makes every time he hits the handles on them. 🤦♀️
>> Get our Double-decker stacked rolling storage bin (for cats)* online!
Conclusion:
In conclusion, living with your feline friends can be a rewarding and enriching experience for both you and your cats. However, it requires careful planning and preparation to ensure your cats are comfortable, safe, and happy at home or traveling on the road. By using this guide, you can cover all the essential items for living with cats and benefit from valuable cat tips and cat gear recommendations.
Whether you’re living with cats full-time or just planning a cat visit, maybe just looking for cat advice this will help you master living with cats in your life. From cat safety to cat comfort, these cat tips will make your journey smooth and enjoyable.
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