Since I adopted a small kitten in April 2026, I have been buying various cat-products to raise my cat. I have compiled some items I have personally purchased and wanted to let you know what I think of them. I hope this will help you decide, if you are in the same predicament (seeing as it’s “cat season”).

Self Cleaning Litter Box

I’ll start with the most expensive (and some may argue the most necessary) item on my list: a self-cleaning cat litter box. When we first got Mew-Mew, I made an emergency stop, late-night, at a local Walmart and bought a standard plastic litter box with litter sand. Thank god, because she relieved herself in the litter box that same night!

After a month of daily litter box cleaning and experiencing the smell, made us decide we had to get an automatically litter cleaner. I did some research and learned that some models have killed cats, so that’s a concern. For my needs, the major priority is no kitten killing (safety). I decided to get some open-air. The other priority was that it can’t exceed $150, and this PetPivot Litter Box was just what I was looking for.

How it works: After a cat uses it, the sensor will trigger the machine to pivot or move to a semi-circle and dump any clumps to a garbage container at the bottom. Then it resets and the kitty litter is even and smooth for the next usage.

At first, I was afraid my cat wouldn’t use it, because it has to climb a step to get inside the litter bed. It wasn’t a problem; she was using it the same day we set it up. I think she prefers it, because the litter was always smooth and clean.

Their main bullet point is the “Safety-first protection – triple-layer redundant system”. They said they have 7 pairs of infrared sensors with “touch-sensitive safety pedal” and “mechanical limiter” will make sure the cats will be safe. I can’t speak for it, but when my cat was pouncing and I was near the machine – the machine was still moving… so it certainly won’t stop despite me walking around it. That’s my only concern.

The other thing that may be a negative (although the manufacture tout it as a positive) is that there is no app to keep track of your cat’s movements. No app to make it easier to stop the machine or resume it after you clean it. To me, it’s a negative.

The manufacturer also said that it’s simple to use. I would disagree. To me, a product should be used without having to refer to the manual. It should just simply plug and play. If something’s not right, it should be intuitive to figure it out.

There are three buttons: one power button, one salt shaker with a check button and one painting brush button. I have no idea what they mean! Obviously, the power button turns it on and off (you have to hold it down for five seconds to turn it off). The other two buttons either trigger the cleaning process or it levels the litter. When I was removing the waste by pulling out the bottom container, I had to unplug the machine so it would stop moving.

To me, it should only have one button or two at most. Like one tap turns it on. Two or triple tap triggers cleaning. Long-press to turn it off. Have the instructions printing on the machine. The three button system is very confusing if you don’t know what the icons stands for.

Plus, there are all these lights and icons that you really need a manual to understand. Like flashing lights, lock light, finger lights (no idea what this means), painting lights (cleaning), exclamation lights – five lights! Why? All this can be solved if they had an app to tell you or send you alerts. Yeah, I understand some people love these flashing lights – I don’t and generally ignore them.

Kind of wished I had gone with a machine that has an app associate with it so I can easily stop the device or use various functions without the need to understand their 5-lights, 3-button system.

At the end of the day, I don’t use any of those buttons. I just unplug it to clean it out, and re-plug it back in when I re-install the garbage container. It’s really that simple.

Cat Tree Tower

I originally bought a cat bed for Mew-Mew, but she refuses to sleep in it. So, I thought maybe she would be more comfortable with a cat tree house, seeing as she loves to climb and explore. I bought the cheapest (and tallest) cat house I could find on Amazon, one by Dumos, which has two rooms, two teddy balls, three scratching poles, and three saucer, with the tallest one having safety walls (which is perfect for my cat who sleeps on it). All this for $35 (prices may varies depending on supply and demand).

I soon found out that three family and friend all have this same cat-house, or at least copied from the same design. The entire thing is covered in rug/carpet-ish for the cat claws. My cat would sometime sleep in the bigger room and rarely uses the room at the bottom. She also only uses one of the scratching pole (the top one). On one of the scratching pole, I noticed some metal wiring, which I hope won’t causes harm to my cat. It’s small, but it’s noticeable to me.

At first, I was afraid my cat wouldn’t use it… but she quickly loved it. She probably spends more time sleeping at the tallest point… away from humans always petting her.

The manufacturer said that this tall (over five foot tall) structure was secure and stable, but on occasion, when my cat is launching from bottom to top in two or three quick pounce, I am afraid she would topple the house over! Right now she’s a tiny kitten… so I can’t imagine when she puts on a little weight and can do some real damage.

For the price I paid, I’m very happy with this purchase. Certainly, my cat loves it. I think my only tiny complaint is that I feel the cat can topple it over. It was also very time consuming to put it all together, just make sure you follow the instructions closely. I think some design doesn’t make any sense… for example, that weird stairs – my cat just jumps over it or jump down from that first floor without ever touching the stairs. All the real action is on the top floor. I suppose some cats likes the lower floors, but not my cat. It’s always the highest point, that’s where she’s hanging and watching everything below.

Cat Fountain

When I was raising my two Russian Blues, they love drinking out of the faucet. Being in Florida, it gets so hot here, that the water tray I leave out is warm water and it doesn’t seem so fresh… so I thought to invest in getting my cat a $15 water fountain. On retrospect, based on my cat’s usage of it (with is rare) I do have a little buyer’s remorse.

The one I bought is made by Vekonn and holds a generous 2.2 liter (it’s a little more than a 2-liter soda bottle). It’s expensive because it’s completely stainless steel – meaning no rust.

The other thing I like is that it’s very quiet, I have it nearby my bed and I can’t hear it. It has a blue light which might show the level of water – but I haven’t looked that closely in the time I’ve used it. I also like the free water filter, I’m not sure how often I need to replace it. I might have to buy it from this company, as it’s uniquely designed to fit in this water fountain.

You can also remove the water spout, so if your pet prefers to drink from a bubbling water volcano, you have that option.

I have little complaints about the water fountain, other than that I think it’s just expensive for what it is. I guess if I had to make a suggestion, maybe have a motion sensor that the water would automatically turn on if the cat is nearby. I’m not sure how much energy it is using (it probably takes very little power to run the pump).

Also, Vekonn uses this 2025 Cat Award on its brand, but is vague about what where the award came from or what it is for. It could be completely made up for all I know. If it was a real award, I would lead with “winner of the 2026 mew-mew award for best-tasting water” or something like that.

Silvervine Stick Balls

I’ve read how some cats goes nutso over silvervine (it’s like catnip), so I purchased a two-pack of Silvervinne Stick Balls by Gochanmon. I love the idea that this is all natural and it was made by hand. Unfortunately, all cats react differently to catnip and silvervine… and my cat doesn’t really like it at all.

For $10, you get two, one has a bell ball inside, while the other silvervine fruit inside. They’re pretty big, but I already lost one of them, my cat must have knocked it under a bed or couch somewhere.

She’ll occasionally bat it around or whenever I throw the ball at it and she chases it… but generally speaking, she would rather man-handle these little stuffed mice I have laying around. We got her a fishing rod toy, which, personally speaking I am tired of tugging and moving it around for my cat to catch and play. I guess I would prefer to just throw her the ball and she can have at it… so when she ignores the ball or the silvervine bark doesn’t drive her crazy, then I feel I have just wasted $10.

Like I said earlier, it may be different for your cat. Mew-mew is just picky about her toys. Perhaps when she is older, the silvervine might affect her differently.

Temptations

Having previously own other cats – they go crazy for Temptations. I don’t know what it is that all my cats loves, maybe it’s the smell, maybe it’s the crunch, maybe it’s the soft filling. Whatever it is, cats love them. They’re considered a “snack”, but my cat would eat it like a meal. It’s probably not good for them in large quantity.

I found out that Temptations also makes wet food, but I’ve yet to find them at retail stores. I may have to order them online to see how they stack up against other wet pate or soft catfood. For now, if you have cats and have never tried Temptations – buy a small bag, and you’ll thank me later.

Temptations offers various flavors, from chicken, to tuna/fish, to milk, to catnip, and mixups… I feel the cat loves all the flavors. I tend to stick to Chicken or Fish, as those seemed like safe bets for my cats.

If you go to the store, the cheapest is a small bag, which might cost you about $5. Generally, I would go with a small 16oz tub for $8 or 30oz for $15. If you aren’t sure what your cat might like, I suggest getting a small sampler bag to see how they like it.

BONUS: Below are some more photos of my cat, and a vuart.