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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

1st time cat owner - recommend me some things

102 replies

CaptainBarnacles1 · 07/02/2026 09:28

I’m super excited to have put in an application to our local cat shelter to adopt a cat. I’m starting to plan what we need. I’ve never had a cat and I’m completely lost on the Pets at Home website looking at all the different products. I am very cautious of accepting any advice from Pets at home as they have a terrible reputation for recommending and selling inappropriate items for Hamsters (my previous pet) and so I’m looking for advice on

  • where do you buy the cat basics (are the things sold at Pets at Home generally safe for cats - I know this might sound odd, but some of the hamster products they sell aren’t safe for hamsters - cages too small, dangerous chew toys etc).
  • and any recommendations for any of the below (what do you have that your cat loves)
  • litter trays
  • cat tree
  • scratching post
  • Toys
Thanks in advance for any advice
OP posts:
Thread gallery
9
Catwalking · 07/02/2026 18:44

These are a few extra I believe are important points;
A gentle aside, cats are highly sensitive to some odd things, like chocolate, onions & pollen from lilly flowers (even just washing a little pollen off their coat after walking past a flower arrangement can poison a cat).
Also even tho you want to give your cat freedom of being an outdoor feline, it’s probably safer to try to always have her indoors at night. They easily get used to the routine.

GlobalTravellerbutespeciallyBognor · 07/02/2026 18:45

Breakable collars ie collars that have your details on them but which snap open if they get caught on something.

We also use Apple tags (£30 each I think) and had made many local friends by going round with the phone locator to try to locate the tags/collar.

dementedpixie · 07/02/2026 19:20

I don't recommend a collar as they can be dangerous. Mine are microchipped with no collar

Highlandgal · 07/02/2026 20:05

WhoStoleAllTheUserNames · 07/02/2026 09:34

I recommend a second cat

Not unless it can live with other cats. Some cats need to be the only cat in the home.

Highlandgal · 07/02/2026 20:12

All good suggestions. I’d get a cat flap that is microchip activated. Stops unwanted visitors.

GlobalTravellerbutespeciallyBognor · 07/02/2026 22:04

dementedpixie · 07/02/2026 19:20

I don't recommend a collar as they can be dangerous. Mine are microchipped with no collar

Agreed - hence why I suggest breakable ones that separate on the application of very little force.

Many a happy hour can then be spent searching neighbours’ gardens with a phone locator.

minipie · 07/02/2026 22:54

Our cat doesn’t wear a collar as the easy open ones last about a day on her! However, I do think it’s worth putting an (easy open) collar on any cat for the first few weeks you let them out, so that the neighbours know they aren’t a stray.

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 07/02/2026 23:22

We don’t have a collar on our cat - I’d be too scared he got injured by it. (He is obviously chipped.) When we started letting him out we did it in short bursts, accompanied, and there was one memorable day when I was clambering over garden walls after him, but he very quickly got the hang of knowing where he lived. I put used (wee) litter round our garden boundaries to mark his territory and I don’t know if that helped or not.

Our previous cat was a beautiful pure white girl and I thought she would look super cute in a pink collar. I bought her a quick release one to try. She went from gentle to mental in about 0.5 seconds and the collar went straight in the bin!

TalulahJP · 08/02/2026 00:28

just as an aside, cats play by grabbing things with their claws. toys, your hand, your foot. If you pull away they will dig the claw in deeper. It’s instinct. They cannot help it.

so if your cat claws you, freeze and shout “no” at him. he should then jump back. releasing your hand or toe etc!

it’s human to pull away from pain so you will no doubt experience this a few times before you get the hang of it! If stroking my cat and i to move away she will grab my hand to pull it back for more strokes. if i try and
ignore it, being clawed hurts, so best to let her win and then carefully extract my hand before it’s shredded…!

Contrarymary30 · 08/02/2026 00:36

CaptainBarnacles1 · 07/02/2026 09:41

Sorry, I’m new to all this cat stuff, I meant it will live in the house but have free access to the garden (and the woods next to the house)

You definitely need to keep puss in for several weeks or he she will get lost . Cars are fab , I've got three and they are totally different in what they like .

Jamba0 · 08/02/2026 16:03

You're literally inviting an angel into your house...

I had one that I picked up from the shelter and we had daily 'talking' interactions, and always communicated with each other. Tell him/her if you're leaving for work, when you're coming back, what food you bought, how their day was.... If you go on vacaction, you should explain to them that it's only temporarily and you will return (they get distressed, not knowing what could have happened to you). They like it and it makes you more than just an object who brings the food bowls and nothing else. It becomes a very social and loving relationship if you talk and interact with them like a mini-human.

He was such a divine, loving little god-like creature! He passed away 26 years ago and I still think about him every single day.

WonderingWanda · 08/02/2026 16:09

I recommend holding the hand rail when going up and down stairs, my cat has made it his life long mission to trip me up....it's short sighted of him because dh would never tolerate him (and all his shenanigans) if I was gone!

BiscoffCheesecakes · 08/02/2026 16:11

You do not need to get 2 cats. I've had 2 sibling cats before, twice, and as they get older they tend to ignore each other. Cats are solitary animals (but mine live attention on their terms!). And you don't need to keep them in for 6 weeks! Cats have a really good sense of direction & keeping them in doesn't help when they do go outside

Iamthemoom · 08/02/2026 16:41

I’ve had cats my whole life but my own for 33 years and I have three currently. I’ve spent a fortune over the years on cat beds, radiator bed, laser toys, remote toys, catnip toys - every possible permutation!

There are two things which they have loved more than anything else.

A cardboard cat house from amazon https://amzn.eu/d/087Wef5x

and this specific toy. https://amzn.eu/d/00GxRaze

They all absolutely thrive on KatKin fresh cat food more than any other.

BAM American catnip toys are their favourite catnip but it is almost too strong and they go wild!

Puppylucky · 08/02/2026 16:42

Jamba0 · 08/02/2026 16:03

You're literally inviting an angel into your house...

I had one that I picked up from the shelter and we had daily 'talking' interactions, and always communicated with each other. Tell him/her if you're leaving for work, when you're coming back, what food you bought, how their day was.... If you go on vacaction, you should explain to them that it's only temporarily and you will return (they get distressed, not knowing what could have happened to you). They like it and it makes you more than just an object who brings the food bowls and nothing else. It becomes a very social and loving relationship if you talk and interact with them like a mini-human.

He was such a divine, loving little god-like creature! He passed away 26 years ago and I still think about him every single day.

What a lovely post @Jamba0 . I shall tell Marvin he is indeed an angel - despite behaviour to the contrary!

CatWithThreeLegs · 08/02/2026 19:16

Jamba0 · 08/02/2026 16:03

You're literally inviting an angel into your house...

I had one that I picked up from the shelter and we had daily 'talking' interactions, and always communicated with each other. Tell him/her if you're leaving for work, when you're coming back, what food you bought, how their day was.... If you go on vacaction, you should explain to them that it's only temporarily and you will return (they get distressed, not knowing what could have happened to you). They like it and it makes you more than just an object who brings the food bowls and nothing else. It becomes a very social and loving relationship if you talk and interact with them like a mini-human.

He was such a divine, loving little god-like creature! He passed away 26 years ago and I still think about him every single day.

Mine is my best pal. We're very close, spend a lot of time together. I talk to him a lot, always ask his opinion about things and tell him when I'm going out, asking him to look after the house for me. I'm sure DH thinks I'm a bit bonkers at times but I love having him around. He's very special.

BiscoffCheesecakes · 08/02/2026 19:29

I'd never get a kitten/young cat again as, despite them being all cute & lovely in the house, they're little psychos outside and nothing smaller than them is safe. Breaks my heart when they bring in baby animals just about clinging on to life

AltitudeCheck · 11/02/2026 10:32

@BiscoffCheesecakes they don't always ignore each other. We have older siblings and (especially when it's cold) they pretend to love each other

1st time cat owner - recommend me some things
Gettingbysomehow · 11/02/2026 13:01

Catsan cat litter - non clumping.

TimeForATerf · 11/02/2026 13:05

My cats have wrecked carpets and sofas over the years scratching. This ugly monstrosity is the only thing they will use as a scratching post and worth every penny

⬇️

IAmUsingTheApplauseReactionSarcastically · 11/02/2026 13:14

Ping pong balls!

idrinkandiknowthings · 11/02/2026 13:24

I adore cats and have had them all my adult life. They are not the pets for you if you are house-proud though.

Scratch posts and mats: ignored
Brand new stair and landing carpet: scratched to fuck, ditto the sofa.

Same story with the vast majority of toys. Mine perk up their ears when I slowly tear newspaper and ball it up.

Aaaaaaand, same story with beds. They much prefer forcing me to bend myself into unnatural shapes on the armchair to accommodate them!

Good luck 😊

Wingingit247 · 11/02/2026 13:39

I’ve owned lots of cats (and bred for a while) and they’re actually pretty simple creatures 😁 my recommendations as follows:

Hooded litter tray with swingy door for privacy and stopping litter flying everywhere

Van Cat cat litter, this stuff is amazing, the clumps are like concrete, you just get a litter scoop (I find one of those big kitchen spoons with holes in actually does a better job, wee clumps don’t roll off it) so as long as you pick out the poo and wee every day, you hardly ever have to do a full litter change.

https://www.vancatuk.com/

Cat beds - have never had a single cat sleep in one

Cat trees - cats largely ignore

Scratching posts - largely ignore, but have one from Amazon that current cat actually uses! Keep it simple

Dishes - ceramic or metal, plastic harbours bacteria. Ours has a water fountain but the filters are costly and I sometimes wonder why I bother when I catch him whiskers deep in the depths of the toilet bowl…

Dry food is better for their teeth depending on brand etc, be wary of sugary wet food

Toys - ours does enjoy catnip mice with proper catnip, but nowhere near as much as pipe cleaners, ear buds and twisty ties off cables… does love his laser pointer - cats adore these, don’t shine it in their eyes and don’t go on for too long, cats only have short burst energy and can get too tired

Collar - make sure it has a quick release and/or elastic so that your cat can twist itself out if it gets caught, this happens more often than people think 😭 reflective strips and a bell to try to limit sad squashed bits of wildlife around the house!

With an outdoor cat, I’d always advise keeping them in at night before it gets dark, and only letting them out once it’s light. Seems harsh given that their favourite playtime is dusk and early morning, but these are also the most likely time for them to get knocked down, even on the quietest roads 😢

VanCatUK | Award-winning Clumping Cat Litter & Accessories

Game-changing natural cat litter. 94% say VanCatUK is better for value & odour. Cuts waste, cost & cleaning time. Award-winning and vet-approved.

https://www.vancatuk.com/

SandAndSea · 11/02/2026 13:49

You don't need much really.

Wet food is better than dry for health reasons.

Raised bowls are better than floor level. Ceramic is best.

A laser pointer is the best toy. Followed by throwing a small ball into a carrier bag.

I've found the best cat litter tray is quite big with the opening at the top. (Less spillage.)

I think I got our scratching posts from Argos. Just a simple post is fine. One upstairs, one downstairs.

You'll need a good sized carrier. Solid ones give the most protection. Plastic is easy to clean. I line ours with a rubber backed mat (reduces slipping) and an old towel or blanket.

A wet rubber glove can be good for getter hair off furniture. A lint remover is useful too.

If you're buying a collar, get one which can undo easily if caught on something. You'll need a bell too, for the birds. Some cats freak out with a bell but are OK with a kitten bell.

For flea treatment, lots of cats get ill from the chemical treatments. Look into diatomaceous earth which is natural.

For cleaning the floor and litter tray, I use diluted vinegar with a little ecover washing-up liquid.

You'll also need nail clippers and a flea comb.