Keeping Cats Safe

The most important task you need to do before bringing your first cat into your home is to make the place safe for your new cat or kitten. To do this most efficiently, you need to put yourself in the cat's place and "think like a cat." Start by practicing looking up, down, around and under. It will eventually become a habit.

Now that you've learned to cat-proof your home, many of these habits will come naturally. I keep an eye out for little things dropped on the floor and pick them up as soon as I see them. Other habits have developed over the years. For example, I make it a point to close the clothes dryer door tightly after using it, then double-checking to make sure there's no cat inside before using it again.

I live in earthquake country, and floods are a threat every year. Other cat owners live in areas where devasting floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes are almost annual events. Fires can break out without advance warning. While we should not live in constant fear of disaster, we should have a contingency plan for our cats, should we have to evacuate them suddenly. Clicker training cats to go into a crate will be an enormous help should disaster arrive.

The facts are that hundreds of pets are lost every year to disasters, and, many more are rescued but never reunited with their owners because of lack of identification. So, plan now to avoid future confusion.

Natural disasters aren't the only potential emergencies that can befall cat. Cuts, insect stings, and other wounds may require emergency first aid treatment to stabilize the cat before a trip to the veterinary clinic or E/R. Having a first aid kit close at hand, specifically designed for cats, will help save valuable time, should an emergency arise.

Cats should generally be discouraged from eating any human foods, simply because it develops bad habits, such as begging at the table, or worse, jumping on the table to help themselves. Another reason is that cats stuffed on human foods will generally disdain their own cat food, which was nutritionally developed to meet their carnivorous needs.

However, the most important reason is that some human foods are actually toxic to cats, in one degree or another. The photo depicts a "double-whammy" of toxicity, as chocolate and raisins are both known toxins to cats.

Statistically, cats live much longer and healthier lives if they are kept indoors at all times. However, some cultures allow cats outdoors, sometimes in gardens kept for that purpose. Even if your own cats are kept inside, neighboring cats may venture into your yard and nibble at the growing plants. Many outdoor plants are toxic to cats to one degree or another. This illustrated article lists some of those plants.