If you ask yourself how you can best prepare for bringing a new cat home, then this article is just for you. Before you bring a cat home, it is recommended that you take precautions and protect your home. Simply put, you should hide everything that you would not leave within reach of a two-year-old child. You should remember that cats are great at jumping and climbing, and their curiosity has no limits. This means that dangerous objects cannot be placed in a “safe” place, but must be locked in places such as cupboards.
Cat- proof house – what you should remember
- Keep away all medicines particularly painkillers from cats. Aspirin and ibuprofen are toxic to cats, as well as analgesic paracetamol
- Hide all cleaning products. As cats learn how to open drawers, secure doors with latches, as you do in the case of children;
- Remove potentially dangerous plants such as peonies, lilies, hyacinths, mistletoe, dieffenbachia, azalea, caladium, clematis, oleander and evergreen shrubs and trees;
- Close the toilet seat because kittens can drown if they fall in there. Adult cats can get poisoned if they drink water with chemicals from the toilet;
- If you have flowers in a vase, make sure that there are not flowers in the bunch that are toxic to cats
- Secure the fireplace and close the chimney. A prying cat can leave black marks all over the house and particularly a curious cat (and in addition very fit) can climb onto the roof;
- Do not let cats walk or rest on high balconies. All instructions and videos on how to build the catio you will find in the article 82 addictive YouTube DIY videos for cat owners;
- Hide plastic bags, as while playing with them a cat can suffocate;
- Do not leave ironing boards (particularly with an iron on it) unattended as the boards are unstable and they will fall over if a cat jumps on them;
- Secure the blinds so that a cat could not hurt himself and if they have a hanging cord then put it out of reach as cats have been known to get their necks caught and accidently hang themselves;
- Use plastic or rubber to secure electrical wires, so that a cat can not bite them;
- Hide small things, such as coins, nails, pebbles, and everything that can be swallowed by a cat. Do not light tealight warmers or leave them unattended, as the heat from flames attracts cats, and they can also knock the candles on the floor;
- Protect valuable things that can be destroyed just in case the cat pushes them off high shelves.
