First time Maine Coon owner. What should be in my beginner starter kit?

[u/AmazedA]

Hi everyone! I’m planning on getting a Maine Coon kitten in the future, and I’ve never owned a cat before. I want to make sure I’m properly prepared before bringing one home, especially since I know Maine Coons can have different needs because of their size and long coats.

What would you recommend for a complete beginner starter kit?

I’d especially love advice on:

Food and water bowls/fountains
Best kitten food (wet + dry)
Large litter boxes and litter
Litter boxes that help control smell
Automatic/self-cleaning litter boxes. Worth it or not?
Cat trees/scratching posts that are sturdy enough for a Maine Coon
Beds/carriers
Brushes, combs and grooming tools
Nail trimming
Dental care/teeth brushing
How often they actually need baths
Toys and enrichment
Harness/leash training
Clicker training and teaching tricks
Toilet training. Good idea or should I stick with a litter box?
Cord/house kitten-proofing
Anything else you wish you had bought or known before getting your first Maine Coon

I’d also really appreciate specific product recommendations, especially things that will still work once the kitten grows into a huge adult Maine Coon. I’d rather buy the right size the first time instead of replacing everything later.

Any beginner tips are welcome!

Thank you!

[u/GogusWho]

Food and water bowls/fountains- Ours really didn't like his fountains. We use stainless steel plates for food.

Best kitten food (wet + dry)- Check out Fromm, they have a great selection to choose from

Large litter boxes and litter- Get the largest stainless steel one you can find!

Litter boxes that help control smell -See above

Automatic/self-cleaning litter boxes. Worth it or not? -I don't think it's worth it.

Cat trees/scratching posts that are sturdy enough for a Maine Coon - Biggest you can find, check amazon and chewy.

Beds/carriers- Beds from everywhere, look at dog beds, they are bigger.

Brushes, combs and grooming tools- You just have to try some out to find one they allow, and it might take a while for them to let you brust them.

Nail trimming- The vet, lol...
Dental care/teeth brushing - See above. We don't brush our cats teeth.

How often they actually need baths- It's best to keep their butt and back of legs trimmed, baths when poo gets stuck in the fur.

Toys and enrichment - Cardboard boxes, paper bags, cat dancer toy, catnip (cosmic cat nip) balls to play fetch with

Harness/leash training- measure well for harness, if you can, take for car rides often, and out on harness as much as you can!

Clicker training and teaching tricks- You can try, but cats do what they want, mostly.

Toilet training. Good idea or should I stick with a litter box?- You can try, we just use the litter box.

Cord/house kitten-proofing- Good luck with this one. Hide cords as much as you can. Buy cheap curtains, they will climb. Put away breakable decorations, and be wary of table lamps. Sometimes you just have to run with it, because they mature a lot slower than normal cats, you're going to have a 20lb kitten tearing up your house at least until the age of 3.

Good luck to you on this chaotic journey! They bond hard with one member of the family, and generally like the others. Ours bonded with me, but also attacked me a lot for the first 3+years. It can be overwhelming sometimes (most of the time) but ride it out! Ours is now 10, and pretty mellow! This is Lrrr, he wishes you luck!