You are viewing entries tagged 'dangers'.
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Now is the time to really start thinking “green” about how you clean your house, especially the floors. Many household cleaners are made of chemicals that can make a cat really sick when she walks on the floor and then licks her paw pads later.
No matter what cleaning products you use on your floors, it’s essential to go over the surface again afterwards with clean water to get every trace of the product. Then please wait until the floor is completely dry before allowing the cat to walk on it again, because any cleansing agent doesn’t belong on your cat because it will wind up inside her body after she grooms herself.
This advice is particularly true for kittens, whose systems are more delicate and vulnerable to any of these potential toxins.
Radio show host and pet expert Tracie Hotchner is the author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible. Click here to follow her on Twitter. |
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Cats will explore anywhere and a dryer, especially a warm one that has recently been used, is especially delicious. However, if somebody then comes by and shuts that dryer door, you have a cat trapped in a machine that is probably somewhere in the house where nobody can hear the meowing that will result.
Heaven forbid that dryer should get turned on with the poor cat still in there. Because laundry areas are often in the basement or far from the rest of the rooms, a cat could be trapped and be stuck there for way too long before the next time someone comes around with laundry.
Radio show host and pet expert Tracie Hotchner is the author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible. Click here to follow her on Twitter. |
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Open windows pose a serious threat to cats, who are naturally curious – especially about the sights, sound and smells outside your windows. If you live above the ground floor there is a life-threatening danger of your kitten venturing out on the windowsill and falling.
While cats do have natural ability to orient themselves mid-air and land on their feet after falling, beyond a certain distance their own genetic ability does not overcome the pull or the danger of gravity. Keep well-secured screens on the window or install a cat window box made for that location.
Radio show host and pet expert Tracie Hotchner is the author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible. Click here to follow her on Twitter. |
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Cats, of course, love to jump onto tables but that can be very annoying if it’s your dining room table and you’re throwing a party. As usual with cats, you have to be creative. One way to train them is to put large pieces of poster board on top of the table. Then roll pieces of masking tape into loops so that the sticky side is out (or use double-sided tape, and stick them all over the poster boards. When the cat jumps on the table his feet land (and he has to walk) on all these sticky things, he won’t like it so much. When it’s time to eat, you just move the poster boards. After awhile the cat becomes wary of the unseen table top and gives up jumping on it.
Sounds bizarre, but it works. And your cat can’t blame you for it – it’s the table that’s being sticky – not you. |
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Especially if you have a shy cat or one who is high-strung, the experience of a party at your house can put her over the edge. Seen from her perspective – the doorbell ringing, strange smells and people crowding the house, unfamiliar smells and sounds, loud talk and music, the door opening and closing, and the general interruption of the usual routine of the household – may all stress her out. The best thing you can do is close her in a room with a sign on the door that reads: “KITTY SANCTUARY.” Lock it from the outside so no guest goes in there out of curiosity. |
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Open windows pose a serious threat to cats, who are naturally curious – especially about the sights, sound and smells outside your windows. If you live above the ground floor there is a life-threatening danger of your kitten venturing out on the windowsill and falling. While cats do have natural ability to orient themselves mid-air and land on their feet after falling, beyond a certain distance their own genetic ability does not overcome the pull or the danger of gravity. Keep well-secured screens on the window or install a cat window box made for that location. |
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Now is the time to really start thinking “green” about how you clean your house, especially the floors. Many household cleaners are made of chemicals that can make a cat really sick when she walks on the floor and then licks her paw pads later. No matter what cleaning products you use on your floors, it’s essential to go over the floor again afterwards with clean water and get up every trace of the product. Then please wait until the floor is completely dry before allowing the cat to walk on it, again because any cleansing agent doesn’t belong on your cat because it will wind up inside her body after she grooms herself. This advice is particularly true for kittens, whose systems are more delicate and vulnerable to any of these potential toxins. |
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Cats will explore anywhere and a dryer, especially a warm one that has recently been used, is especially delicious. However, if somebody then comes by and shuts that dryer door, you have a cat trapped in a machine that is probably somewhere in the house where nobody can hear the meowing that will result. Heaven forbid that dryer should get turned on with the poor cat still in there. Because laundry areas are often in the basement or far from the rest of the rooms, a cat could be trapped and be stuck there for way too long before the next time someone comes around with laundry. |
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Many people work at home without stopping to think of the jeopardy that their space poses to a cat. Any of the small shiny objects on a desk are fair game to a cat and can harm him or her: paper clips, pens, rubber bands and staples. Paper shredders are a hazard people rarely consider – a cat can touch the “on” button and come into contact with the shredder opening. Many people keep a shredder on the “auto-feed” setting, which means it can be activated by anything that brushes near the opening, like a paw or tail. Make sure your shredder is always in the “off” position unless you are actively using it. |
