Bringing home a new cat questions

So in case we end up coming home with a cat this weekend (which, let's face it, is pretty likely if I go to an adoption place ); what are some things to make sure I do/don't do? Keep in mind this will be an adult cat.

1. If I am going to try a covered litter box (Booda Dome), should I introduce the cat to it with the cover or just put it out without the top at first?

2. Should I ask the adoption place for a small bag of his/her food? This is what we do when we buy horses, but seeing as a cat is quite a bit smaller and lower maintenance, should I ask for food?

3. Same question as 2., but with litter. The adoption place we are going to see uses the recycled paper litter (which I don't particularly like). Should I take some with us, buy a small bag, or just switch cold turkey?

4. I want to feed primarily wet (thanks to the amazing responce to my food question, you guys are awesome). Should I buy a few different brands/flavors and just try it instead of dry, or gradually add wet in with the dry?

5. Should I take the cat to the vet, even though the adoption place keeps all the cats up to date on shots/vacines? Should I ask for any shot records or a health certificat?

I don't want to make too many drastic changes on top of everything stressful that goes into bringing a new cat home. We are planning on closing off our bedroom/bathroom so the cat can explore the common areas of the apartment (and see us or avoid us till he/she is comfortable) without any intimidating things like the washer/dryer (and so he/she can't hide/get stuck under the bed or behind the washer, etc).

I have been reading all the threads on here so I feel pretty confident that we are going to be great pet owners, but if anyone has any information I should know, please let me know! Think of me as a sponge!

Thanks in advance!

If you are going to change litter or food you need to do it gradually. Some cats (esp decleaws) maybe have a hard time with clumping litter because it gets stuck in their paws and can be painful. But you may not ever have a problem out of your new baby. So start with 75% old and 25% new and gradually increase the amount of new as you decrease the amount of old. My girls took to the covered box right away with no problems. But I will suggest having one of each.

Good luck with the adoption this weekend!!

My kitten made the switch to a mainly wet food diet with absolutely no problems, but then he seems to have a cast-iron stomach (this was the one who ate a jalapeno without so much as a hiccup), and was pestering for bits of our dinner almost constantly while he was on dry only. He is a lot happier on wet food and his coat has grown thicker and softer. I started him off on one small wet meal a day, and when he had no stomach problems from that I increased it to 2 normal kitten size meals. I still leave some dry out but he only really snacks on it.

An adult cat may be more fixed in his/her feeding routine and preferences, so if s/he doesn't want to try a bit of wet food in a bowl by itself you can add some into the dry food but remember that once the dry food has wet in it, the whole lot must be treated as fresh food and not left out for too long because of bacteria growth.