• Two cat bowls
  • one for food
  • the other for water: use of a water fountain is preferable (don’t forget to replace the water filter)

• Special kitten kibble AND wet food; start with brands adopted by the breeder.
• A litter pan (1,5 times the size of the cat), (preferably use the same litter that the breeder used) and a litter scooper
• A comfortable sleeping place and a high shelter
• A cat tree
• A scratching post
• A crate/ a transport bag
• Toys
• A "maintenance kit" including : brushes, guillotine clippers or equivalent and lotions to clean the eyes, nose & ears

AND ABOVE ALL a maximum of love and time to spend with him; observation will be your best ally to know if your life companion is doing well.

Vaccination:

• at 2 months: Typhus & Coryza (respiratory disease involving 2 viruses: feline calcivirus and feline herpesvirus)
• at 3 months: Typhus, Coryza & Leukosis* + Rabies & passport if going abroad; to be done 21 days before departure
• at 4 months: Typhus, Coryza & Leukosis
• from 12 months: Typhus, Coryza & Leukosis (+ Rabies) as an annual booster

The leukosis vaccine can be done from 8 weeks old, but is only recommended when cats go out or do have contact with other cats than those from the family.

Deworming:

Only if you feed raw meat:

• Between 1-3 months: every two weeks
• Between 3-6 months: once a month
• From 6 months: every 3 months

If you feed your cat kibble and/or wet food (and if staying indoors), deworming is done once a year.

External parasiticides:

all year round and to be renewed depending on the duration of the product's effectiveness

Food (in general & for neutered cats):

• from 1 to 6 months: kibble for kitten
• from 6 months: kibble for adults (to avoid gaining weight)

Temperature:
must be between 38°C and 39°C depending on the cat’s activity; anything below or above those temperatures, then it’s called hypothermia or fever.


Some advice

The litter pan must be :

• placed in quiet area
• away from its food and rest area
• cleaned daily (to avoid proliferation of germs & bacteria)
• disinfected from time to time

Water & food:

• your cat must always have clean & fresh water at its disposal
• also leave kibble available so that he can eat whenever he wants to, as a cat eats several small meals a day
• do not suddenly change his diet, this could cause diarrhea, make a change over 2/3 weeks by incorporating his usual diet into the new one
• consult the list of toxic foods (see “the dangers” below)

Your behavior:

• be consistent: be clear and logical in your decision-making about what is and what isn’t allowed; don’t change your mind
• be firm, persistent but gentle because you won't get anything by force with your cat
• act immediately: a cat understands when he is not supposed to do something, scolding the car afterwards is not effective
• practice positive reinforcement: when your cat does something "good", praise him and pet him
• brush your cat regularly, this will prevent the ingestion of dead hair that causes the formation of hairballs in his stomach; which leads to vomiting and digestive disorders

AND ESPECIALLY be present or make sure he has a companion so that he does not feel alone (another cat/dog...)

On D-day:

• you must be present and available during the first days in his new home
• give him time to discover his environment, put him in a room with his toy for 1 or 2 days without too many people rushing on him; follow him while talking to him and pet him from time to time
• play with him to "replace" his brothers & sisters while respecting his rest/sleep times
• show him his litter box, his bowls and resting place

How to deal with other animals:

• always approach the cat gently and only intervene in case of aggression
• setting up hiding place for the cat is essential, especially when he is feeling frightened or worried. A high shelter is best

toys:

• fishing rod type (risk of strangulation, risk of getting tangled around the cat -> store it well so that it is not accessible when you are not there)
• likely to "lose" some parts (a mouse's eye, some plastic parts that can break, children's legos, ...) with elastics (including those of cat trees) because they eat them

plants, foods & toxic products:

• https://www.srpa-liege.be/
• https://www.illicoveto.com/ + canned tuna is not recommended
• all cleaning products (be careful with Dettol, in its liquid form, it is deadly)

domestic dangers:

• electrical cables & wires of all kinds (charging, headphones, etc.); try to hide them as best as possible by running them along the walls, table legs...
• do not leave plugged-in electrical appliances within the reach of your cat -> risk of electrocution if he bites the cable
• do not leave your cat unattended in the kitchen when there is something on stove. Kittens are unaware that they can burn themselves or spill pans while walking on the kitchen worktop.
• pay attention to garbage string bags, use a draw string bag instead and close the lid of your trash can so that your kitten doesn’t rummage in the trash, which can be potentially dangerous
• never leave the windows open or a tilt-and-turn system without protection! Protective nets or grids can be fixed to the frame
• never leave medication lying around, even a cream/lotion
• check that your cat is not hiding in your washing machine or dryer before switching on
• put away your sewing kit, the ingestion of a thread could be fatal to a cat
• etc...

if you let him out, provide him with a secure environment (cat area or fenced garden with a net); I strongly recommend not letting him walk "in the middle of nature" because their life expectancy (on average) is only of 5 years.