This new cat shopping list is for anyone about to bring a cat or a kitten home to an apartment. Answer four questions and it lists what to buy before day one, each product taken from a guide we have published, with Amazon’s current price, a running total and a single button that puts the whole lot in an Amazon cart.
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Your new cat shopping list
14 lines for one adult cat in a studio or small one-bedroom, middle budget; 6 have a pick to buy. Total and cart
Shown here: the list for a single grown cat, a small home and the middle budget. Turn on JavaScript to change the answers, tick what you own and see the total.
- Litter boxes (2)IRIS XL Open-Top Litter Box, 30.2 by 20 in (77 by 51 cm), which suits a cat up to 20 in (51 cm) long, nose to the root of the tail. Give each box its own spot. Large litter boxes.$39.99 Price as of Nov 3, 2026, 04:24 UTCCheck price at Amazon
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. - Litter boxes (2)KittyGoHere Jumbo, open on top with a 3 in (7.6 cm) step, since kittens need low sides. At 28 by 22 in (71 by 56 cm) by its listing, it fits the cat grown to 18 in (46 cm). Large litter boxes.$75.00 Price as of Nov 3, 2026, 04:24 UTCCheck price at Amazon
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. - ScoopNo pick yet, as our scoop guide is still to come. A slotted scoop lifts out the clumps and lets the clean litter fall back.
- ScoopComes with the sealed pail further down, which Litter Genie ships with a scoop and a holder for it.
- Cat litterCat’s Pride Max Power Unscented, unscented clumping clay in a jug of 15 lb (6.8 kg), 25% lighter than regular scoopable clay by its maker’s count. If the shelter names the cat’s current litter, start with that. Types of cat litter.$13.78 Price as of Nov 3, 2026, 04:24 UTCCheck price at Amazon
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. - Cat litterCat’s Pride Max Power Unscented, our litter guide’s pick for a first bag. On clumping litter for kittens the sources split: Kitten Lady holds off until a kitten is 2 to 3 months old, while VCA names no age. Types of cat litter.$13.78 Price as of Nov 3, 2026, 04:24 UTCCheck price at Amazon
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. - Litter matDrymate Original XL, 29 by 36 in (74 by 91 cm) and only 0.13 in (3 mm) thick, so a bathroom door clears it. Drymate says you can trim it to fit and put it in the washer. Litter mats.$15.20 Price as of Nov 3, 2026, 04:24 UTCCheck price at Amazon
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. - Sealed pailLitter Genie Standard, which Litter Genie says holds up to 14 days of one cat’s used litter; a first refill and a scoop come with it. Litter disposal.$24.99 Price as of Nov 3, 2026, 04:24 UTCCheck price at Amazon
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. - Sealed pailLitter Genie XL+, the bigger pail Litter Genie sells for homes with more than one cat; its support page says it takes up to 50% more than the Standard. Litter disposal.$34.99 Price as of Nov 3, 2026, 04:24 UTCCheck price at Amazon
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. - FoodThe brand your shelter, breeder or vet has the cat on, to start. Food and medicine are outside what this site covers, so this line names no product.
- Bowls for food and waterNo pick yet. One of each for every cat, the two set apart and both well away from the litter box, as the AAFP and ISFM guidelines put it.
- Bowl for foodNo pick yet. One for every cat, set apart from the fountain and well clear of the litter box.
- Water fountainPETLIBRO Dockstream 2, a cordless 3 L (101 oz) fountain, so it can stand where no outlet reaches; PETLIBRO says its steel tray goes in the dishwasher. Cordless fountains.$89.99 Price as of Nov 3, 2026, 04:24 UTCCheck price at Amazon
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. - Water fountainFEELNEEDY FN-W17, 3.2 L (108 oz) in stainless steel, the biggest tank of the cordless fountains we compared. Two cats set it running more often, so expect to charge it sooner. Cordless fountains.$35.99 Price as of Nov 3, 2026, 04:24 UTCCheck price at Amazon
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. - CarrierNo pick yet. Cat Friendly Homes suggests a sturdy carrier that opens at the top and the front, with a top half that lifts off, and one cat per carrier.
- Scratching postKONELCARE 50 in (127 cm), a sisal column taller than every other post we compared, standing on a square wooden base 21.6 in (55 cm) across. Scratching posts.$189.00 Price as of Nov 3, 2026, 04:24 UTCCheck price at Amazon
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. - Raised spotThe cat tree waits at this budget. Until then, clear the top of a dresser or a tall bookcase; the AAFP and ISFM guidelines ask for raised spots long enough for a full stretch.
- Narrow cat treeFeandrea 44.1 in (112 cm), on a base 17.7 in (45 cm) wide and only 13.8 in (35 cm) deep. Its listing allows cats of up to 11 lb (5 kg) each and includes a wall strap. Small cat trees.$39.99 Price as of Nov 3, 2026, 04:24 UTCCheck price at Amazon
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. - Cat treeFeandrea 37.8 in (96 cm), on a square base 18.9 in (48 cm) across. Feandrea gives 15.4 lb (7 kg) per cat, two cats in its Q&A, and packs an anti-tip kit. Small cat trees.$40.34 Price as of Nov 3, 2026, 04:24 UTCCheck price at Amazon
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. - Low cat treeYaheetech 23.5 in (60 cm), a condo and a top perch on a 16 in (41 cm) square base, which Yaheetech recommends for small cats. The tall post above covers full stretches. Small cat trees.$29.99 Price as of Nov 3, 2026, 04:24 UTCCheck price at Amazon
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. - BedNo pick yet, since our bed guides are still to come. In the first room, put a bed or a folded blanket near the bowls, at the far end from the litter box.
- ToysMake the first ones from a paper bag, a box or a cardboard tube with our DIY cat toys, and turn a box into a food puzzle with the DIY puzzle steps.
- Food puzzleKADTC Cat Wheel, eight sliding pods around a 10 in (25 cm) track, the easiest level on KADTC’s own scale. International Cat Care starts kittens on simple puzzle feeding at about 12 weeks. Puzzle feeders.$18.90 Price as of Nov 3, 2026, 04:24 UTCCheck price at Amazon
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. - Food puzzleTRIXIE 5-in-1 Fun Board, five different puzzle games side by side on one board with rubber feet, so a cat can move from game to game in a single spot. Puzzle feeders.$15.89 Price as of Nov 3, 2026, 04:24 UTCCheck price at Amazon
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. - Nail clippersNo pick yet. Regular trims limit the damage while a cat learns where it may scratch, as the Feline Veterinary Medical Association and Cornell both say.
- BrushNo pick yet. VCA suggests a bristle brush for a short coat and a metal comb with long teeth for medium or long fur, and the ASPCA adds a rubber brush for short coats.
- Enzyme cleanerNo pick yet. It is for accidents outside the box in the first weeks; the AAHA and AAFP guidelines have you wash the box itself with hot water and mild dish soap only, not bleach or ammonia.
Total for the 7 items still to buy $0.00
Prices as of the time on each line.
Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.Lines with no pick yet, and anything you tick, stay out of the total.
Add these 7 items to an Amazon cartOpens Amazon in a new tab, so this list stays here. Amazon may ask you to sign in first, and nothing is bought until you check out there.
How this list was put together
Each product on the list is the pick of a guide we have published, where we compared makers’ specs, sizes and stock. We read about these products; we have not used them. A line shows a product only when its guide is live and Amazon had it in stock when we last checked, so the scoop, bowls, carrier, bed, clippers, brush and cleaner have no pick yet. Those lines say what to look for, and each gets a product once its guide is out.
Your answers change the list in four ways:
- Two cats: three litter boxes instead of two, as AAHA and AAFP count one per cat plus one, which is a rule of thumb rather than a tested number. Two carriers too, since Cat Friendly Homes and International Cat Care both say one cat per carrier.
- A kitten: the box with a low step and the low tree, plus the split between sources on clumping litter. Two adult cats get the tree whose maker publishes a limit per cat.
- A studio: the tree with the narrower base and the smaller puzzle.
- Budget: spending less leaves out the tree and the mat and points you to toys you can make; spending more adds a fountain and a sealed litter pail. The picks themselves stay in their guides’ order of merit.
Food and medicine are left off on purpose: the shelter, breeder or vet knows what the cat eats now, and a sudden change is not ours to suggest. The prices are Amazon’s at the time shown on each line, and the total multiplies each by the count on its line, for everything you have not ticked. Amazon’s price at checkout is the one you pay. The cart button sends every unticked pick in one go, using the add-to-cart link Amazon offers its Associates.
Vet note. Once the cat is home, hiding that comes with not eating for more than a day or two calls for the vet, and so does a kitten that is listless instead of playful.
Before you shop, the new cat checklist has the first room and the cat-proofing on two printable pages, and the cat cost calculator adds the monthly costs to these one-time buys.
Sources
- AAHA and AAFP, general litter box considerations from the 2021 Feline Life Stage Guidelines. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- Cornell Feline Health Center, Feline behavior problems: house soiling. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- VCA Animal Hospitals, How to litter train a kitten, and Kitten Lady, litter. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- Cat Friendly Homes (AAFP), cat carriers and getting your cat to the veterinarian. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- International Cat Care, traveling with your cat and Playing with your cat. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- AAFP and ISFM, Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2013. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- San Diego Humane Society, Adopting a cat: confinement in a new home. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- VCA Animal Hospitals, Grooming and coat care for your cat, and ASPCA, cat grooming tips. Read Oct 16, 2026.
- Feline Veterinary Medical Association, alternatives to declawing (PDF). Read Oct 16, 2026.
Related: all our tools, the care hub, the new cat checklist and the space-fit planner.