Bringing home a cat or kitten? Handle the essentials in your first 30 days — safe-room setup, first vet visit, the FVRCP and rabies schedule, microchip registration, and spay/neuter — plus low-cost clinics near you.
Set up one quiet safe room with a litter box, food and water away from the box, a covered hiding spot, and a scratching post. Hiding for the first week is normal. Cat-proof the space: secure blind cords, put away hair ties and string, and latch every window screen.
Indoor cats escape through open doors, torn screens, and during moves, and they usually aren't wearing a collar when it happens. A microchip is only useful once it is registered in the manufacturer's database with your current phone number.
Find low-cost vaccine and microchip clinics on our vaccine clinic page, browse cat events near you, or visit a cat café. Working with outdoor cats? Start with community cats & TNR.