New Kitten Checklist: Everything for the First Weeks

A new kitten needs a small, kitten-proofed room to start in, the right supplies, a vet visit in the first week, three small meals a day, a low-sided litter box, and a lot of gentle, positive handling while the socialization window is open. Here is the whole list, in the order you’ll need it, drawn from the 2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines, International Cat Care, Cornell’s Feline Health Center and the Merck Veterinary Manual.

Before you bring your kitten home

Start with one room rather than the whole house. International Cat Care suggests keeping a young kitten in a single room with its litter box, food and water until it uses the box reliably, and it gives a small, nervous animal one place to learn first. In that room, set up:

• Kitten food and two bowls. Feed a food made for kittens until adulthood, around 9–12 months (Merck), and look for an AAFCO nutritional-adequacy statement on the label (AAHA/AAFP). Skip raw diets and non-sterilized treats.
• A litter box with low sides. The 2021 guidelines say a box should be at least 1.5 times the cat’s length from nose to the base of the tail, and many store boxes are too small. Start with unscented clumping litter, or whatever the kitten used before.
• A tall scratching post, from day one, near where the kitten rests. In one study, taller posts of 3 feet or more with narrow bases were used the most.
• A hiding spot, such as a covered bed or a box on its side, and a carrier left open as a den.
• Toys that can’t be swallowed, plus a wand toy for play you control.

Kitten-proofing: the hazards that matter most

The ASPCA and Cornell list the same handful of dangers again and again:

• String, yarn, ribbon and tinsel can lodge in the gut and need emergency surgery. Put wand toys away after play.
• Electrical cords can cause burns in the mouth and fluid in the lungs if chewed. Hide or cover them.
• Lilies. Every part of the plant, even the water in the vase, can cause kidney failure in cats (Cornell, ASPCA). Keep them out of the house entirely.
• Human medicines such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen and aspirin, plus dog flea products. Lock pills away; very small amounts can harm a kitten.
• Foods that are toxic to cats, including grapes and raisins, onions, chocolate and xylitol.

The first vet visit and vaccines

The CDC advises taking a new kitten to the vet within a few days to a week of bringing it home. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, kittens usually see the vet every 3–4 weeks until about 6 months, and vaccinations typically start at 2–3 months. The free kitten vaccine schedule lays out the core shots by age.

The 2021 AAHA/AAFP guidelines describe what that first visit usually covers: an exam for problems a kitten can be born with (such as a heart murmur, hernia or cleft palate), a weight and body-condition check, a fecal test, a microchip, and a start on tooth-brushing habits. Bring any history you have from the breeder or shelter.

Deworming starts early, and sources differ on the exact schedule: International Cat Care starts at 3 weeks and treats every 2 weeks until 8 weeks, then monthly to 6 months, while Merck’s shelter schedule starts at 2 weeks and treats every 2 weeks until 16 weeks. Your vet will pick the plan. Use only flea and tick products approved for kittens.

Feeding a kitten

Cornell’s Feline Health Center says kittens usually do best on three meals a day until 6 months, then two a day from 6 to 12 months. Kittens burn a lot of energy for their size: the 2021 guidelines put it at about 200 kcal per kilogram per day at 10 weeks, against about 80 at 10 months, which is why portions need to change as your kitten grows. Free-feeding suits some cats but can lead to overeating, and keeping a kitten lean is where preventing adult obesity starts.

Litter training

Most kittens take to a box quickly. Put your kitten in the tray when it wakes up, after meals, and whenever it sniffs, scratches or crouches. VCA recommends one box per cat plus one, litter at least 3 inches deep, and scooping every day. Never scold an accident; clean it with an enzymatic cleaner so the smell doesn’t draw your kitten back. If a kitten keeps soiling the house, the 2021 guidelines suggest checking for parasites, infection or a problem the kitten was born with.

Socialization: the short window

Kittens learn who and what is safe very early. International Cat Care and Merck put the key period at about 2 to 7 weeks of age; the 2021 AAHA/AAFP guidelines say it may open at 2–3 weeks and close by 9–10 weeks, and that the quality of the experiences matters more than the exact dates. Many kittens come home at 8 weeks or later, so keep going:

• Gentle handling every day, in short sessions. Kittens handled by 4–5 different people before 7 weeks were friendlier with people as adults.
• New things in small doses, paired with food or play: visitors, the vacuum, the carrier, car rides, different floors.
• Let the kitten come to you. Avoid scruffing and full-body holds; the AAFP/ISFM handling guidelines found they raised signs of fear.
• Never use hands or feet as toys, which teaches biting and scratching. Use a wand toy instead.

The free new cat checklist covers the first days in more detail, and once your kitten is grown, the indoor cat enrichment checklist keeps a house cat busy.

Spay or neuter by 5 months

The AAFP supports sterilizing cats that aren’t meant for breeding by 5 months of age, because cats can be able to reproduce from 4–5 months with no obvious signs. A veterinary task-force consensus endorsed by the AVMA and AAHA makes the same recommendation. Your vet decides the exact timing for your kitten.

When to call the vet right away

Get veterinary care at once if your kitten eats nothing for 24 hours, strains in the litter box with little or no urine, or has trouble breathing (VCA). Vomiting, diarrhea or a poor appetite after playing with string can mean a swallowed thread. For a suspected poisoning, call your vet, an emergency clinic or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435, and don’t make your kitten vomit unless you’re told to.