You just got a cat.
Every checklist online is longer than the last one, and most of them are trying to sell you a dozen things. This is only what you actually use in the first two weeks, and it says plainly what can wait — the point is fewer things to worry about, not a complete set.
What you use in the first two weeks
Food and water bowls
Shallow and wide beats deep. Deep bowls press on the whiskers, and some cats will avoid the bowl entirely rather than put up with it.
A litter box and litter
Unscented, clumping is the safe choice. The scent is for you, and plenty of cats refuse a box that smells too strong.
A fully enclosed carrier
Buy it early, not on the morning of the vet visit. Taxi drivers in Hong Kong may refuse you, and pets are barred outright on the MTR heavy rail — the more enclosed the carrier and the calmer the cat looks, the better your odds of getting a ride.
Window netting, if she can reach a window or balcony
Many rehoming groups treat this as a condition of adoption rather than an accessory you get around to. Hong Kong homes are high up; this belongs alongside the food and the litter box, not on a later list.
One vertical and one horizontal scratching surface
She picks her own favourite and you cannot guess which. Have both, then buy more of whichever she chose.
Somewhere to hide
A cardboard box is enough. For the first week she wants that more than any bed you buy.
Nail clippers
Start in week one, while she still tolerates it. Far easier than starting once it has become a fight.
What can wait
- — A cat bed — most cats pick their own spot (a box, a pile of laundry, the windowsill) and a bought bed can sit ignored.
- — A big cat tree on day one — floor space is tight in most Hong Kong flats. Watch what height she settles at first, then decide. More accurate and it saves the floor.
- — A pile of toys — buy two, see what she reacts to, then buy more of that. No need to get it all at once.
- — A large automatic litter box — these are bulky, and in a lot of Hong Kong flats they do not physically fit the space set aside for them. Measure before you consider it.
- — Odour sprays and litter additives — these only matter once the box placement and the cleaning routine are right. Skip those steps and you are treating the symptom.
One thing worth watching
Cats have a weak thirst drive, and plenty of them do not drink enough left to themselves. Low water intake over time raises the odds of urinary trouble, which is not rare in adult cats — and when it happens, emergency vet bills in Hong Kong get expensive fast, with many clinics not quoting surgery up front. Nothing to panic about this week: put the water somewhere away from the food and watch whether she uses it. That is a reasonable first step.
If she strains without producing urine, cries while trying, or passes nothing at all, that is an emergency — go now, do not wait and see. Anything that looks like a health problem is a question for your vet, not for an article online.
If you want to see what might help
A few things from the list above that you can look at directly. Not things you have to buy — just here so you can compare.
