Preparing for Your Kitten
The Complete Kitten Supply Checklist
Everything a kitten genuinely needs before coming home — with an honest take on each — plus the fun extras.
Getting Ready Is Half the Fun
Getting ready for a kitten is one of the best parts of the wait. Having the basics in place before your kitten comes home makes those first days calm and comfortable — a prepared space helps a new kitten understand quickly, this is my home, and I’m safe here.
The simple must-haves: a litter box and litter, food and water bowls, a carrier, a scratcher, and a bed. That’s truly all they need to start — everything beyond that is the fun part.
The Six Must-Haves
Litter Box & Litter
You’ve got options here, and both work beautifully. One easy route is to start with a simple open-top box — it’s low, unintimidating, and there’s nothing for a little kitten to figure out while they’re still learning the ropes. The other is to go straight to a self-cleaning box from day one; with a bit of training and encouragement in those first weeks, most kittens take to it just fine. Either way, keep the box easy to find while everything’s still new.
Very young kittens do best on a plain pellet litter, since clumping litter can be harmful if a curious baby nibbles it. By around 12 weeks, kittens are ready to move to an unscented clumping litter, which most cats prefer — so a kitten coming home at 13–14 weeks is ready for it. Either way, skip heavily scented litters, since cats are sensitive to strong fragrances.
Food & Water Bowls
Go with ceramic or stainless steel — they stay cleaner and are gentler on a kitten’s chin than plastic, which can trap bacteria over time and lead to irritation.
Use one bowl for food and one for water, set a little apart: cats naturally like their water away from their food, and many drink more when the two aren’t side by side. A water fountain is a lovely option too. More on this in our Feeding guide.
Carrier
Any standard carrier works for the ride home — a soft blanket or towel inside makes it cozy and secure. The one exception: if you’ll be flying with your kitten, you’ll want a soft-sided carrier sized to fit under an airplane seat. Check your airline’s dimensions before buying, since they vary.
Ragdolls are a large breed, so size up. Go with at least a medium carrier — many families choose a large — roomy enough to be comfortable now and once your cat is fully grown.
Scratching Surface
Having a scratcher ready from day one is one of the easiest ways to protect your furniture — because if there’s nowhere else to go, your couch can quickly become the official nail salon.
Scratching is normal and healthy, so the goal isn’t to stop it, it’s to point it somewhere you both love. Kittens enjoy all kinds — floor scratchers, wall-mounted ones, and cat trees — and simple cardboard scratchers are a favourite for young ones. Having a few spots around the house makes it even easier to keep those little claws off the furniture.
Bed
Any small, cozy bed will do. Over time you’ll learn the spots your cat gravitates to — some claim the back of the couch, others a certain chair or the very top of the cat tree — but giving them a spot of their own from the start is always a lovely thing.
A simple trick to help them settle: tuck a soft blanket that smells like home right into their bed, so it feels safe and theirs from night one.
Toys
You don’t need many to start, but a little variety keeps things fun. Small plush mice, springs, small balls, and crinkle toys are all great to have on hand.
When it comes to wand toys, we suggest keeping both kinds around: a motorised wand toy is wonderful for letting your cat play and burn energy all on their own, and a classic wand toy you hold turns playtime into a bonding session between the two of you. Both are worth having.
One tip we swear by: put out just a few toys at a time and rotate them every few days — it keeps kittens far more interested than having everything out at once. And tuck away string, yarn, or ribbon toys unless you’re actively playing together, since kittens tend to chew on them.
Now for the Fun Stuff
We know how exciting it is to shop for a new kitten — so with the essentials out of the way, here comes the fun part. If we were making a second, just-for-joy list, these would be some of our very favourites:
Endless chase, pounce, and hide-and-seek.
Climbing, perching, scratching, and napping, all in one.
A cozy perch up high, right where cats love to be.
A runner for cats who love to move. Ragdolls can be surprisingly athletic.
The crinkle kind with catnip inside, made for happy bunny-kicking.
A plush cave-couch our cats can’t get enough of.
Self-propelled fun for solo play.
Interactive play that doubles as bonding time — and a wonderful way to burn off the zoomies.
The exact ones we use, essentials and extras alike, are on Aurora Favorites.
What Your Kitten Already Knows
Here’s how we set our kittens up, so you know what yours arrives comfortable with.
Our kittens start on pellet litter as babies, then transition to unscented clumping litter and a self-cleaning box — so most come home already used to both. That’s one less thing to teach in week one.
Every kitten also comes home with an Aurora go-home kit, a full starter set to make those first days easy. It includes a scent blanket that smells like mom and their littermates — tuck it into their bed or carrier and it’s the fastest way to help them settle — plus a whole collection of the toys they already know and love:
It’s enough variety to watch what your kitten gravitates toward, and from there you’ll know exactly which kind of toy to stock up on.
Ready When They Are
With the must-haves in place, those first days are calm, cozy, and ready for your new arrival. You’re joining the Aurora family, and we’re so glad you’re here.
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