Trees and scratchers are a must, cats usually scratch furniture because there isn’t something else nearby to use. Trees give them a place to climb and feel safe up away from things. You should also have places for them to hide (boxes, piles of blankets, a bed in a quiet room, etc). As for toys, it really depends on the cat. Ours is super picky and only likes specific rattle balls from Amazon, small rattle mice, and some kickers (there are few others but they are all small and easy for her to cray around). But for every one toy we found she likes we have half a dozen she won’t touch. You’ll likely need to try a bunch to find what yours will enjoy.

Make sure to get at least one scratching post. It’s much better than waiting for them figure out which furniture makes a good scratching post.

Every cat is different. We have one cat that goes nuts for plastic springs, another loves little furry ball toys, another loves balls made of crinkly plastic material. Last Halloween my wife bought a bunch of mini ping pong balls that have a sticker making them look like eyeballs. All our cats love those things. They also all love fishing pole toys.

I recommend getting a variety of toys and seeing what your cat loves best.

All cats are going to have their own personalities/preferences that you’ll just have to observe and work out. But probably the most universally loved cat toys are going to be empty cardboard boxes. Put a couple different sized ones around the house and swap them out for different ones every few weeks. They’ll usually love that more than any toy you can buy them.

The wand toys like this: https://www.jacksongalaxy.com/collections/toys/products/da-bird-collapsible-wand-toy-by-go-cat are great for kittens with excess energy. As are these: https://smartykat.com/products/instincts-soarin-squirrel-happynip-launch-cat-toy/ Jackson Galaxy and Smartykat are both brands my cats love.

As far as cat trees go; I saved and bought a huge floor to ceiling one. The cats went nuts on it, for about 2 weeks, now they couldn’t care less about it. So your mileage may vary.

Lots of good advice here. Just some extra tips from someone that’s spent over 40yrs around cats. Keep in mind cats are all different. A toy one cat loves, another might have 0 interest in. Your cat may not respond to catnip or catnip alternatives. It may want to drink running water over still water. If it’s a indoor cat, it might even be picky about the type of litterbox/litter used. It may live for cuddles and belly rubs or not like to be touched much at all beyond the occasional ear scratch (Generally though, the more it’s handled at a really young age can help determine how much it enjoys that).

Try to stick with whatever food your cat was eating before you got it, and don’t go crazy introducing treats, even natural options like raw meat/fish/offal. They can have really sensitive tummies and upsetting that balance can equal diarrhea everywhere. You can switch to a different brand/type of food but it needs to be a gradual transition to get them used to it first. Having dry food available 24-7 and wet food offered a couple times a day is the healthiest way to go, according to our vet.

For bedding, your cat will sleep wherever it wants, but sunny spots tend to be preferred, and if it’s an actual pet bed, one that offers a bit of seclusion is usually a good idea. They’re ambush predators, so they usually like the “cat cave” or semi enclosed styles of bedding. Cat window beds are pretty awesome for daytime lounging.

Like others have said, tree is a must. Get a decent pair of claw trimmers and learn how to use them. Touch/massage kitty’s paws regularly if you can, so that it isn’t a fight every time you need to do a trim.

Good luck with worm pills. Watch how your vet does it, watch some YouTube videos on other methods, and then mentally prepare for battle.

Almost forgot! I’ve never had a cat that didn’t enjoy playing with the little plastic ring that’s left on milk after you open it. Don’t cut it off, try to leave it intact by prying it off with something like a butter knife. They tend to like the milk smell, it’s easy for them to pick up both with paw or jaw, and it skitters nicely across tiles or wood. I’ve had 2 cats pick up “fetch” very quickly with those things.

You can spend money on cat toys, or crumple up some tinfoil into a ball. :) Plastic rings off milk jugs, and bread clips are all huge hits here.

One of our cats is also intent on stealing my little plastic dental floss pics. I can’t turn my back on them.

I’ve bought some popular cat toys for my cat and found that what really impressed him was the boxes that packed them :D

this thing, works, and it’s a toy that lets you play with the kitty.

When the cardboard tubes wear out, you can make yarn poms that work too… if you happen to know a knitter/crocheter they probably have an entire wall of yarn.

Anything similar, really… including any kind of rod and string and ball-ish thing… my time share cat

Also, if your cat likes cardboard scratchers, you can make strips from Amazon boxes, by getting a 2x4 cutting a corner off and using a screw to hold down a utility knife. Just run it down the edge to create strips.

All cats will be different, though, I had the advantage talking with the old man’s cat dad about it :)

If it’s a shelter cat, they might have an idea.

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It depends from cat to cat, so get an assortment. Jingle balls, things with feathers, and real fur mice are solid bets. The mice especially. They’re made with rabbit fur and all of my cats love them. As others mentioned scratching posts are important, but also get a variety. Cardboard is a good bet, but cloth and rope are also good choices. If the cat starts scratching furniture, try redirecting to a scratcher or just put the scratcher next to the furniture.

Mine doesn’t like most conventional toys, but LOVES the handle end of the feathery sticks

My cats favorite toy is a plain black hair tie.

My cats are crazy for those lamb chops, wand toys are generaly good to get them going. And towers are very worth it.

My cat has these little plastic mice covered in rabbit fur will a little rattle ball inside them. She goes nuts for them. Her favorite game is fetch.

You can find them all over Amazon super cheap.

And yes, you’ll want cat trees, they like to be high. Also if you can get your cat a tree in front of a window, put it a bird feeder out there.

Oh, one more thing: don’t put your cat’s water next to their food. Separate the two by at least 4 meters. Across the room, or preferably in another room. Get a water bowl that’ll hold a few liters and auto fills. Cats don’t like their water by their food, and you should make sure your cat always has plenty available. Also they like water that’s moving. A fountain is good, but my cat took to the self filling water bowl just fine and it seems to work a lot better for her. Once I switched to it from water just in a bowl the amount she drank tripled.