There are a number of things you can do to make your home safe for your cat. Cats are curious by nature and can get themselves into trouble without knowing it. The following suggestions will help make your home as safe for your cat as yourself.
Keep cats indoors. Cats will take full advantage when given the freedom to roam and explore outdoors. This comes at a cost however; Outdoor cats have an average lifespan of 3 short years while indoor cats can live to be 15 – 18 years. Keeping your cat indoors will greatly improve its chances at long live.
Avoid certain pretty houseplants. Cats are primarily carnivorous creatures. Their digestive systems have evolved to favor meat eating, a trait that prevents them from properly digesting plant based nutrients and certain fatty acids. Despite this shortcoming, cats will often nibble on grass, leaves, shrubs and other plant materials anyway. Since cats’ digestive systems can’t properly digest plant materials, it’s important to keep certain house plants out of your home. These include plants from the Lily Family (e.g. Easter Lily, Tiger Lilly, Day Lilly, Rubrum, Japanese) and the Philodendron. Don’t be worried about tossing out all of your houseplants however; there are many more safe houseplants than harmful houseplants. Check with your vet for a full list.
Place small objects in drawers or containers. Put small items away just as you would if you had a small child in your home. String, rubber bands, sewing needles, medicine tablets, paper clips, staples and other small items could be harmful to your cat if swallowed. Use a ping-pong ball as your guide; if it’s smaller than the size of the ball, it’s best to put it away.
Store chemicals in a safe place. Cleaning supplies, paint and other chemicals should be kept in a cabinet that isn’t accessible to your cat. If you use a toilet bowl cleaner, make sure you leave the lid down so that there’s no temptation to drink from the bowl. Plastic bags are a suffocation hazard and should be stored in a safe place. Having your cat play in a paper bag is fine as long as it doesn’t have handles that could be a choking hazard.
Prevent access to electrical wires. If your cat loves to play with or chew on electrical wires, make them as short as possible and attach them to the baseboards where they will be hard to get at. Rub pepper sauce or ginger on them if your cat won’t leave them alone.
Making your home cat safe is easy to do. With a little preparation and common sense your cat can live in a worry free environment.
Written by Brianna Mavallini, CityPetSite.com Staff
Shopping for quality luxury and designer dog or cat supplies at reasonable prices? We carry hand-painted pet bowls, treat jars, hand-made pet beds, designer dog clothing, jewelry, leash, popular toys and other fine pet products at our Hot Shot Pets Luxury Pet Boutique and City Pet Store retail pet shops.
