The Complete New Kitten Checklist

Bringing a kitten home is one of life's great joys — and one of those moments where a bit of preparation goes a very long way. I've made the mistakes so you don't have to: the litter tray plonked next to the food bowl, the "sociable" first evening that left a tiny cat hiding under the sofa for two days. This is the checklist I wish I'd had. It's practical, it reflects how we actually do things here in the UK, and it's grounded in advice from the people who know cats best — Cats Protection, PDSA, Blue Cross and the RSPCA.

Quick but important note: this is lived-experience guidance, not veterinary advice. Your vet knows your kitten; when in doubt, ring them.

Essentials before they arrive

Get everything set up *before* your kitten walks through the door. A new arrival is much calmer when their kit is already in place and smelling of nothing alarming.

• ☐ Litter tray and litter — at least one tray (the rule of thumb is one per cat plus one spare). Place it somewhere private and, crucially, well away from food and water. Kittens are fussy about this and won't thank you for an en-suite dining arrangement. Start with whatever litter the breeder or rescue was using to avoid putting them off.
• ☐ Kitten food — buy the *same* food they've been eating. Sudden changes upset little tummies. You can transition to your preferred brand gradually over a week or two once they're settled.
• ☐ Food and water bowls — separate, shallow, and positioned apart from each other. Cats naturally prefer their water away from their food, and a water bowl a little distance from the bowl encourages them to drink more.
• ☐ A cosy bed — somewhere soft, warm and tucked into a quiet corner. Don't be offended if they sleep in the box it came in instead.
• ☐ A scratcher or cat tree — non-negotiable. Scratching is a need, not a vice. Give them an acceptable target from day one and you protect your sofa. A tree adds height, which cats love for feeling safe.
• ☐ A sturdy carrier — you'll need it for the journey home and every vet trip after. A top-opening or front-and-top-opening carrier makes loading a reluctant kitten far easier.
• ☐ Toys — wand toys, balls, little mice. Play is how kittens learn, burn energy and bond with you.
• ☐ Grooming basics — a soft brush gets them used to handling early, even short-haired kittens.
• ☐ A calming pheromone diffuser — a synthetic feline pheromone plug-in can help take the edge off those first nervy days. Set it up in the safe room before they arrive so it's already working.

Kitten-proofing your home

Kittens are curious, fast, and astonishingly good at finding the one hazard you forgot about. Before they explore, do a sweep:

• ☐ Tuck away or cover trailing cables and blind cords.
• ☐ Move houseplants out of reach — lilies in particular are extremely toxic to cats and even a small amount can be fatal.
• ☐ Shut washing machine and tumble-dryer doors and check inside before every cycle.
• ☐ Stash away small swallowable items: hair ties, string, rubber bands, needles and thread.
• ☐ Secure cleaning products, medicines and antifreeze.
• ☐ Block off gaps behind appliances and any spot a tiny cat could wedge into.
• ☐ Get into the habit of checking before you close doors, drawers and the oven.

The first few days: the safe room

Resist the urge to give your kitten the run of the house. It's overwhelming. Instead, set up one quiet room — a spare bedroom or a calm corner — as their base.

Put everything in there: bed, litter tray (well away from food), bowls, a scratcher and a couple of toys. This lets them get confident in one space before tackling the rest of the house. For the first few days, limit them to just a room or two; expand their territory as their confidence grows.

When you bring them home, let them come out of the carrier in their own time and explore at their own pace. If they hide — and many do, it's completely natural in a strange new place — don't drag them out. Sit on the floor, talk softly, and let curiosity do the work. Keep the pheromone diffuser running, keep visitors and excited children to a minimum, and let those first 48 hours be boring in the best possible way.

Health admin: the grown-up bit

This is the part people put off — don't. Sort it early and you'll save yourself stress (and money) later.

• ☐ Register with a vet and book a first health check soon after your kitten arrives.
• ☐ Vaccinations. Kittens need a primary course of two injections, usually given at around 9 and 12 weeks of age and roughly 3–4 weeks apart, protecting against cat flu and feline enteritis. Keep them indoors and away from other cats until about a week after the second jab, when protection kicks in. A booster follows a year later.
• ☐ Microchipping — now the law. Since 10 June 2024, it has been a legal requirement in England to microchip your cat by the time it reaches 20 weeks old, with details registered and kept up to date on a compliant database. Owners who don't comply can be given 21 days to fix it or face a fine of up to £500. Many kittens are already chipped by the breeder or rescue — just make sure the registered details are transferred to you.
• ☐ Neutering. Cats Protection recommends neutering at four months of age or younger, before a kitten reaches puberty. Female cats can fall pregnant from around this age, so don't leave it. Recovery at this age is quick.
• ☐ Flea and worm treatment. Use regular, vet-recommended products and follow your vet's schedule, which depends on your kitten's age and lifestyle. Worming is frequent in young kittens; many flea treatments only suit kittens over eight weeks old, so always check the product and dose with your vet.
• ☐ Insurance. Take out a policy early, ideally before any problems arise, so pre-existing conditions don't catch you out. Compare lifetime versus annual cover.

Feeding basics

Kittens have tiny stomachs and big energy demands, so feed them little and often. When yours first arrives, offer food and check and refresh it around four times a day, alongside constant access to fresh water. Use a complete kitten food (not adult cat food — the nutritional balance is different), and keep to the brand they already know at first, changing it only gradually.

Skip the cow's milk, too — most cats are lactose intolerant and it tends to cause upset tummies. Water is all they need to drink.

Play and socialisation

The window for gentle, positive socialisation in kittens is early and short, so make the most of it. Daily play with wand toys and chase games burns energy, builds confidence and strengthens your bond — and a well-exercised kitten is far less likely to redecorate your curtains at 3am.

• ☐ Handle them gently and often so vet visits and grooming feel normal.
• ☐ Introduce everyday sounds — the hoover, the doorbell, visitors — calmly and positively.
• ☐ Always play *with* toys, never your hands; biting fingers is cute now and painful later.
• ☐ Give them places to climb and hide so they can choose to retreat when they've had enough.

When to see a vet

Kittens can go downhill quickly because they're small and dehydrate fast, so trust your instincts and don't wait it out. Contact your vet promptly if you notice:

• Diarrhoea that lasts more than a day or two, or any diarrhoea in an unvaccinated kitten.
• Repeated vomiting, especially alongside other symptoms.
• Not eating, or a sudden change in appetite or thirst.
• Lethargy, weakness or unusual sleepiness.
• Blood or mucus in their poo, or a painful, swollen tummy.
• Difficulty breathing, persistent sneezing or runny, gummed-up eyes.
• Straining in the litter tray, or no wee or poo at all.

If your kitten is very young and you spot fleas, ring your vet urgently rather than reaching for a shop-bought treatment — blood loss from a heavy flea burden can be dangerous in tiny kittens. When something feels off, a quick phone call to your vet is always the right move.

Get the kit ready, take the first few days slowly, and stay on top of the health admin — do that, and you and your new kitten are off to a brilliant start.

Sources

• Cats Protection — Bringing a new kitten home and Kitten neutering
• GOV.UK — Treasured pets now safer as microchipping for cats becomes compulsory
• PDSA — Cat and kitten vaccinations
• Blue Cross — Cat and kitten flea treatment advice
• International Cat Care — Diarrhoea in cats