10 Things You Need for your Cat or Kitten
ADOPTING A QUARANTINE KITTEN was not on our to do list in 2020. First, we had lost our kitty Frank, suddenly, at just 10 years old to cancer in 2019. We were not ready. Second, as a former licensed veterinary technician, I know how important socializing pets is, and how do you do that during a global pandemic? So, naturally, we adopted a kitten! Ha. The products below helped us with this new adventure. Some are items everyone needs, and these ones below worked very well for us. Others are items that have been great at helping with boredom, mental stimulation and physical exercise. All good for indoor cats, period, but especially good for 2020.
Click on each photo below to go to the website to view/purchase. Please note I do not receive any compensation for the products I list below. This list is based on my own personal, good experience with each product. As such, no guarantees can be made as to your own satisfaction with any product mentioned below. And, as is my recommendation for all toys for cats and dogs, always, always supervise your pets.
1. Cat Bowls: These cat bowls from Amazon are the cat's meow. They are unbreakable melamine, slightly shallow and oval in shape to prevent whisker fatigue, dishwasher safe, have non skid bottoms, AND they are adorable! They come in sets of 2 or 3 bowls, in nice, neutral colors.
2. Pet Food Mat: This silicone mat is a great find. It is the purrfect size for 2 cat bowls. It has a smooth finish so kitty doesn't freak out over texture, along with a small rim to contain spills. This mat is actually meant for a baby's highchair, but we found it to be exactly what we needed. We love it for a cat mat!
3. These pet food lids are a top pick, which sounds weird since they are, well, pet food lids, but we searched high and low for the perfect lids to fit multiple can sizes. These not only fit our small 3oz kitten food cans, they will also fit a 5oz can, and they fit on our dogs 15oz cans as well. They are BPA free silicone, clean up easily, and are also dishwasher safe.
4. This cat puzzle by Nina Ottosson is a great way for kitty to use his brain and his brawn. Known for her dog toys and interactive puzzles, she brings this cat puzzle to the table for kitty exercise and mental stimulation. Use it for food or treats. Great for indoor cats to play and hunt.
5. The Alligator Cat Scratcher is a small scratching mat for the floor or to hang. I am recommending this for kittens due to the size and the attached toy, our kitten LOVES it, and he will drag it around and kick at it while its in his clutches. Depending on your cats size and personality, adult cats may like it too! If you have seen my blog post for the Kitty Wall Condo here, we hung this on the condo wall for added kitty fun!
6. These hilarious little critters are stuff-less and the perfect size for an array of kitty fun. Our kitten goes completely bananas for these guys. Made by Ethical Pets, Skinneeez Forest Creatures are great for cats who try to destroy their toys or whose toys "accidentally" end up in the water bowl. Our CFO drowns his toys - on purpose - on a regular basis. When these guys take a swim, a quick ring out and they are back in action ha! Each toy measures about 5 - 6" long.
7. Wool Cat Cave Bed from Etsy. This is a custom bed made by Feltnyarn on Etsy. This bed was custom made for our kitten. I chose the design, size, and colors myself, and it was custom made in Nepal using Fair Trade practices. How amazing is that? They also have a nice selection of other designs, from a pumpkin, to an owl, to an artichoke!! They are a popular Etsy boutique with over 10,000 sales and reviews. The only downside is the shipping time since it is custom made in, and shipped from, Nepal. That said, for me, it was well worth the wait and they are very upfront about the timeline to create and ship your bed. A Market 22 Top Pick for sure!
8. The Meowy Jane Cat Kicker toy from Etsy is another winner. Hand made by Fredoverheels on Etsy, these are well made, solid, and fully stuffed catnip toy. The Meowy Jane is a pretty large size, so be aware of that when ordering. Also note that this maker has other kitty toys worth checking out as well!
9. The PetStages Tower of Tracks interactive cat toy is the BOMB. Our kitten is now 10 months old and still loves it. When he was tiny we called this "the kitty sitter" because it entertained him for hours! While he can no longer shove his little body in the center hole - ha! - he does still love to play with the ball and attack it after popping out of his kitty tunnel! Highly recommended.
10. While this litter box is not the exact one we have, it is the same size and concept - larger box, high sides, low entrance. Great for kittens to easily get in, and great to prevent the kicking of litter all over everywhere! A larger box like this is also great because your kitten can grow into it. Do make sure if you have a small kitten that the entrance is low and easily accessible like this Nature's Miracle box shown above. When learning litter box etiquette, ease of access and privacy are extremely important to get your kitten to comply.
