Some products we recommend or use ourselves! 

All Tiny Kitten Coven cats and kittens are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, microchipped, and Felv tested. 

Don’t forget to register your cat’s chip at FreePetChipRegistry.com!

Disclaimer: As a participant in the Amazon Affiliate program, we earn from qualifying purchases. All links to amazon products in this page are affiliate links for Tiny Kitten Coven. Of course you are under no obligation to purchase through these links for anything you do wish to purchase, but know that if you do purchase amazon products through the links in this guide, Tiny Kitten Coven will get a small percentage back to put towards helping more kitties!

Most products are not linked through Chewy, but if you are a new customer to Chewy, feel free to use Tiny Kitten Coven’s partner link to make your first order and earn money back for our rescue. Tiny Kitten Coven recommends Chewy for all pet owners- they have a large selection of great products, including prescription foods and medications, and fast shipping. 

Safety and References:

Introductions of a cat to a new household should always be done slowly. There is generally a 3-3-3 rule of adoption cats that states that it takes a new cat 3 days to decompress, 3 weeks to learn your routine, and 3 months to start to feel at home. Kittens adjust faster than adults, but it is true for both. It is best to start your new kitty off in one room of the house where they can settle in and feel safe, and then introduce them to other animals or children in the household slowly. 

It should take at least a week or two of supervised interaction to get your new cat and existing pets used to each other, especially if your existing pet feels the new cat is encroaching on their territory.

Best Friends guide to a new cat

Tiny Kitten Coven adopts cats to indoor only homes. Be aware that many former stray cats may try to get out. Secure screens on windows or doors, or only allow a cat in a room with an open window with supervision, even if the window is screened. Be careful when opening doors around your new kitty. Secure catios are fine. 

Don’t feed your cats any table food or let them lick your plates. Know that cats are lactose intolerant and can only have milk or cream in cartoons. Especially no chocolate, garlic, onion, or any other foods that are poisonous to cats. 

Beware of poisonous plants. Never, ever have lilies in the house with a cat as even a tiny amount of pollen can cause them to go into renal failure. Find the list of toxic and non-toxic plants from the ASPCA. For information on other toxic household items, check this page from the AAHA.

Be careful of electrical wires in your house as kittens (and sometimes adult cats) do not know better, and can chew through wires and hurt themselves. Whenever possible remove access to electrical wires, especially live ones. Otherwise, consider purchasing cord protectors designed to protect pets and wires, or coat wires in something like bitter apple spray. 

Food-

Tiny Kitten Coven generally feeds Iams Kitten Dry, and Royal Canin wet food. We use other brands depending on the situation, and will let you know what your cat has been eating and/or provide a bag of the food to use while transitioning them if you choose to feed something else. 

You can feed your cat or kitten any food brand you’re comfortable with or that your veterinarian recommends. You must feed your kitten either kitten or all ages specific food for the first 8 - 12 months of life, as they will need extra calories while growing. 

If you don’t have a brand you already like, a few brands we like for various budgets are Tiki, Wellness / Wellness CORE, Acana Regionals, Ziwi Peak, Purina Pro, Purina One. 

When shopping for cat food brands, check the guaranteed analysis and ingredients. Generally, you want guaranteed analysis for dry food (if fed as a staple) to show complete amino acids required for cats, as well as taurine, and 30-40% protein. Chicken is a good standard protein to start with, and you want to be careful not to add too many proteins to a kitten’s diet right away as this can lead to problems later. 

Young kittens especially, but most Tiny Kitten Coven adoptees will be used to free feeding. If you prefer to feed meals, you will likely have to transition slowly towards it, such as feeding 3-4 meals a day and gradually transitioning down to 2. Cats should generally get at least 2 meals a day if not free fed. Microchip feeders or automatic feeders may be useful depending on your situation, such as in multicat households. Water should be available at all times no matter what feeding schedule your cat is on. 

Tiny Kitten Coven follows the AVMA guidelines, which recommend against raw food for cats of all ages. If you would like to feed a less processed diet, we recommend discussing home cooked meals for your cat with your veterinarian. Consulting with a veterinarian is very important with these diets because they are difficult to balance to make nutritionally complete for your cat.

Treats-

Churu is the best way to a cats’ heart! They make churu in a variety of flavors and quantities, and have a specific one for kittens. There are other brands of squeeze treats as well. 

Temptations are a classic a classic, Wellness treats are usually really popular with cats. Fancy Feast has popular treats as well. 

Litter Box- 

For a multicat household, you will need one litter box per cat plus one extra litter box. So for 2 cats, you will need 3 boxes. Ideally, they should be in separate areas of the home. Litter boxes should also be in low traffic areas, and cats prefer not to eat, drink, and use the litter box all in the same small area. Some cats will mind this less than others. 

Litter:

There are so many kinds of litter, and which one is best mostly depends on personal preference for you and your cat. 

Pellet or clumping litter can be a good choice for your cat depending what you and they prefer, but generally cats do like unscented litters. 

World’s Best: corn litter, clumping, lower tracking than clay

Walnut: Another low tracking litter

Tofu Litter: Recently very popular, one of the lowest tracking and lowest allergen

Pretty Litter: Silica litter, great for monitoring health, not the best for limited mobility cats, pricey for multi-cat households

Feline Pine: Pellet litter, non-clumping, lower tracking than clay

Dr. Elseys: Clay clumping 

Fresh Step: Clay clumping 

Cats Pride: Clay clumping 

Ignore any litter that says it is flushable, as in California it is illegal to flush any litter due to the risk it poses to marine life. 

A product like litter attract may help a kitten or cat in a new place figure out the litter box for the first time. 

The Litter Genie can help keep kitty waste contained, and keep curious kitten out of it!

Toys:

With kittens, it is recommended to play with them for at least 15 minutes twice a day, ideally at the same time each day. Cats will naturally get the “zoomies” at sunrise and sunset, so depending on your schedule, one or both of these might be a good time to play with your cat. 

All cats and kittens should have a good kicker toy to encourage their natural hunting instincts! Especially for kittens or cats that can be a little bitey, you may want to use a quality kicker toy (amazon, amazon, DIY) so that you can redirect them to bite and kick the toy any time they attempt to nip your hands or arms. Local organization Feral Cat Coalition often has some for sale to help support their great cause.

Wand toys are great for cats that like to chase things, and often really good for introducing cats to playing together, and cat dancers are always popular. 

Laser pointers are great but make sure you are aware of basic cat behaviors with play. You should always end a play session with a cat on allowing them to catch something, so laser pointers are a better choice for earlier in a session. 

Cheap springs, crinkle balls, rolling balls, little fabric mice, and DIY toys are also great options. You can spend a lot of money on toys, but you certainly don’t have to to keep your cat, or especially kitten, entertained!

If your kitten or cat is getting bitey with you, always try to redirect their attention to a toy so they catch on to what they are supposed to be biting. 

Furniture & Scratchers:

Cat scratchers are great to allow cats to use their natural instinct to scratch, and preferably on something that is not your personal furniture! 

Basic cat post, cute kitten scratcher, full cat tree
Circular cat scratcher, 

Bowls:

We recommend that you use metal, ceramic, or glass bowls whenever possible. Plastic bowls can harbor bacteria, so if you use these you must clean them extra thoroughly and often to avoid causing irritation to the foster cat’s skin.

Metal Bowl set, Elevated bowl set, basic bowl

Bedding:

Not all cats will use bedding. Especially if you allow cats on your own furniture, they may prefer that. Some simply like cardboard boxes with a towel or blanket lining it. If your cat does like bedding, here are some options:

Crate pad, cozy box, round bed cute kitten bed

Nail Trimers:

Human nail clippers work too, but the pet specific ones can be easier to use. This is the sort of thing you want to look for, any brand will do. 

We recommend you trim your cat’s nails every 2-4 weeks. Usually, only the front nails are necessary to clip as the back claws wear down naturally. Senior cats may need their nails trimmed more often.

How to trim your kitten’s nails or cat’s nails 

Other Grooming Supplies:

Nothing beats the furminator for de-shedding your cat! They come in long and short hair versions depending on your cats’ coat. 

Simple metal or plastic combs work fine too, depending on your cats’ preference. 

Most cats do not like wire brushes, but some do and these can also be a good option. 

These are good for picky cats who find grooming uncomfortable. Grooming gloves are for the pickiest of cats that don’t like to be groomed at all. 

If you have a long haired cat, you may also want to invest in a good set of clippers, in case you need to do a sani-shave or otherwise shave out any tangles. Do not use scissors to cut mats or tangles out of your cat.

It may be useful to have a flea comb as well, both so you can check your cat for fleas, and because it is a good, fine comb for brushing out any dirty spots in their fur. 

Cleaners:

Cats have accidents or vomit occasionally, and it’s just part of life! If it is excessive, you should see a veterinarian. 

You will also need to deep clean litter boxes regularly and, if normal plastic boxes, replace every 12-24 months depending on the needs of your cats. Litter box wipes are great for between cleanings, and regular cleanings can be done with just dish soap and water.  

For sanitizing, REScue disinfectant is unparalleled! It also removes odors from cat urine better than anything else on the market. However, it can stain some surfaces like carpets or rugs, especially at higher concentrations, and should not be used in the laundry. 

Anti-Icky Poo, Nature’s Miracle, and Angry Orange are all enzymatic cleaners that deodorize cat urine and are safer for most surfaces. 


Awesome is a cleaner you can get at the dollar store that is safe for most fabric surfaces and will get stains out, but it does not deodorize.