Having a cat, or cats, is very much like having small children, only these furry little children are capable of accessing all areas of the household, including the highest shelves and narrowest nooks and crannies! Like small children, there are many household items that pose dangers to your cats, so it is important to completely cat-proof your home before bringing a kitty in to live with you and then maintain the safe environment.
Medications & Vitamins
Many household medications, prescription medications, and vitamins are extremely toxic to cats.
Just because many of these bottles have child-proof lids doesn't mean that they are safe to be out on the counter if they fall onto a hard floor the lid and/or bottle can break.
Also, child-proof lids can be closed improperly which means that even if just knocked over on the countertop, the lid may come off.
Coated tablets can be particularly enticing to cats.
Secure medicine and vitamin cabinets are essential, and always replace medicine and vitamin bottles to their proper storage place once finished with them - take your medications and/or vitamins promptly - don't leave them sitting on the counter where they can be ingested by your feline friend!
Household Cleaning Products
Just like medications, many household products are very toxic to cats.
Always have products in a secure cupboard.
When using cleaning products, shut your cat out of the room where you are working and keep the door closed and windows open until all remaining fumes and damp areas have been eliminated.
Do not use 'drop-in' toilet cleaners that are placed in tanks.
House Plants & Fresh Flowers
Many, many plants and flowers are extremely toxic to cats!!!
If you have a kitty, it's imperative that you not bring an unknown plant or flower into the household without accurately identifying and checking its toxicity information first!
If you have a green thumb and wish to have indoor plants or vases of fresh flowers around your home, you should not leave to go plant shopping without taking a list of non-toxic household plants with you.
Also, if your kitty goes outdoors, use caution when planning your garden - avoid toxic flowers such as lilies in the garden.
Lilies are fatally toxic to cats - it only takes a bit of pollen landing onto a cat's hair-coat from brushing past the plant which gets ingested later during a grooming session for the result to be deadly acute kidney failure!
Long, Skinny, Stringy Things!
These are what we refer to in the veterinary world as "linear FBs" when they are ingested by cats - ie. linear foreign bodies
Linear foreign bodies are such items as sewing thread, dental floss, string, ribbon, broken elastic bands, and strips of fabric
Linear foreign bodies can be fatal, and quickly become surgical emergencies once ingested.
The intestines become bunched up on the object like an accordion in their effort to contract and push the object through the intestinal tract.
When the intestines become knotted up in this fashion, blood supply to the intestines is then compromised, toxic bacteria are released in to the abdominal cavity, and the patient goes into shock.
Don't allow your cat to play with ribbons unsupervised.
Use a sturdy, lidded garbage can in the bathroom, and always ensure that your dental floss is entirely within the can when thrown out
(It used to be recommended that cat owners flush dental floss down the toilet, but this has created significant sewage problems, particularly because many new floss types are composed of non-biodegradable material.)
If your kitty is particularly frisky and knocks over your garbage can, keep it in the bathroom cupboard where it is off limits.
Keep all needles and threads away from your cat - after a sewing project, clean up the area carefully, looking for any stray pieces of thread that may be lying around.
Cats are particularly prone to eating strings that have been used to tie up meats such as chicken or turkey - be sure to throw these away in a safe and secure garbage bin that will not be 'broken into'!
Windows & Balconies
Cats are notorious for jumping/falling out of windows!
Even if you live in a house in which the highest window is two stories above ground, it's still essential to ensure the windows have very secure screens in place.
Cats are more prone to suffering greater injuries when they fall from lesser heights than those that fall from greater heights (6 stories and above).
Balconies are another cause for "high-rise syndrome," which is the term used when a cat falls from a height greater than 2 stories - the term includes the cat's injuries sustained from the fall.
Just because a balcony is high does not mean that your cat will not jump or fall off of it - loud noises or construction may startle them so that they reflexively back away off of the railing or between the railings. A bird flying past can create a great enough stimulus that they leap for it instinctively.
Balconies should be fenced from the balcony floor to the bottom of balcony above so that jumping or falling off is an impossibility - there are many types of aesthetic fencing options available that will pass most building standards because they are visually unobtrusive.
Food Items
Moldy food can be toxic to pets because it can contain neurotoxic organisms.
Chocolate is highly toxic to cats and must never be left out on tables, counters, or even on shelving well-wrapped - chocolate should be safely stored in a sealed container in an inaccessible cupboard.
Onions and garlic are toxic to red blood cells and can cause anemia - onions, garlic, and products/foods containing onion or garlic powder should not be accessible to cats.
Rising bread dough is toxic because if ingested the heat of a cat's body will cause it to continue to expand and it will produce ethanol.
Grapes and raisins can cause acute kidney toxicity, and while it is not understood why yet this occurs, it has been more and more frequently documented.
Miscellaneous
Other miscellaneous household toxins that should not be kept in the home include moth balls, cigarettes, liquid potpourri, pennies, and silica packets.
Never allow your cat access to a room where paint, paint strippers, refinishing solvents, varnishes, lacquers, adhesives, or other volatile agents are being used.
Small, sharp, shiny objects.
Items such as needles, thumbtacks, safety pins, stud earrings, nails, screws, etc., make for very enticing play items for cats however, they are also extremely dangerous when accidentally swallowed, and should never be kept in kitty-accessible locations!
Broken glass, ceramic, or porcelain can be injurious. Even the most dexterous of us are guilty of breaking a glass or two on occasion, and the key to preventing injury to our beloved cats involves thorough cleanup!
Sweeping broken items does not remove all of the tiny shards of material that are barely visible to the naked eye and can easily lodge themselves in cats' paw pads.
Vacuuming the entire area where the breakage occurred, including a wide radius around the area is the most certain way to avoid injury from glass shards.
To read more of Dr. Ko's articles, please visit http://www.catdoctorko.com
The information provided in this article is for educational reference purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice and care of your veterinarian, nor medical diagnoses or treatments. All questions regarding your cat's health should be discussed with your veterinarian.
