We all know the saying: Curiosity killed the cat.
When you look around the house, you may think that everything looks perfectly safe. But cats are like toddlers.
They have different views on what could be a toy or a tasty snack.
Cats can ingest poisonous things or even bite wires.
Today I am going to mention 10 types of cat hazards in your home to watch out for.
Common prescription drugs like Advil, Tylenol, and many other
human medications are toxic to our cats.
Cats who eat these pills can often develop kidney failure, seizures, liver failure, or heart problems.
Cats will often eat pills found lying on the table or dropped on the floor, so as cat owners we need
to be vigilant with our medications. Make sure to put medications
in a place inaccessible by our cats and to clean up after you are done.
Teemo and Arya are living vacuum cleaners. So I have to be extra careful.
There are a number of human foods toxic to cats. While it may be safe for humans, a small nibble
can be life threatening for our fur babies.
Foods like garlic and onions destroy red blood cells in cats,
while chocolate or caffeine leads to vomiting, diarrhea, and seizures.
Alcohol is another thing to keep away from your cat.
Because our cats are much smaller than us, a smaller dose of alcohol can prove more
dangerous to them.
Lastly, xylitol, a sweetener in candy,
baked goods, and toothpaste, causes a release of insulin that can lead to liver failure.
There are other toxic human foods, but these are the most dangerous ones.
A cat’s natural urge to chew can lead them gnawing on your electrical cords.
Your cat can end up electrocuted or the damaged wires can pose a fire risk for your home.
Kittens tend to have a strong urge to chew while new teeth are coming in.
Unfortunately Teemo and Arya like to chew on my wires.
As a result I use wire protectors like this one to protect all my wires.
I like it because it is easy to put on
and blends in with the room. I will link the wire protector
in the description below.
Teemo you can now bite all you want!
Dangling blind cords can be a strangulation hazard.
Blind cords are the perfect cat toy and cats love to play with them.
Teemo and Arya can play with the blind cords all day.
Look what happened to my blinds. To reduce the risk of your cat getting hurt, keep
the blind cords away by installing cord cleats. You can also get cordless blinds instead.
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House plants bring a slice of nature into our homes,
and for many people it is a source of great joy.
Unfortunately there are many plants that are toxic to cats.
In minor cases, plants toxic to cats cause a gastro upset
or skin irritation, but in serious cases it can lead to organ failure, seizures, or even death.
In this video I will focus on the most toxic ones.
I will link a complete list of poisonous plants in the description below.
The most toxic plants include Lilies, Sago Palm, Oleander, Mistletoe, and Hydrangea.
These plants can kill your cat, so it is a good idea not to have them in the house.
With any of these severe plants, don’t wait for symptoms to appear after your cat ingested it.
Take them to the vet immediately with the plant they ate.
If you really do love your house plants, you can put your plants in a separate room
that your cats have no access to or hang them in high places so your cats cannot get to them.
I personally really love house plants, but I love my cats more
and I don’t want to put them at risk. It looks like Teemo has destroyed the palm tree.
One of the most common life threatening conditions seen in veterinary practice
is a foreign body obstruction.
This is when a cat eats an object that gets stuck in the intestinal tract and requires
a surgical removal of the blocked object or else the cat may die.
Everyday items that are particularly dangerous include rubber bands, floss,
yarn, hair ties, ribbons and tinsel. You may notice a pattern.
String-like objects are particularly dangerous because strings can wrap around the tongue or the
bottom of the stomach and pull on the intestinal tract like a drawbridge and squeeze the intestinal
tract into a knot that may kill the cat. Lastly, watch out for cheap cat toys.
Some of the pieces like the eyes can be ripped off by the cat and ingested.
Teemo once ripped a feather off a toy and ate it. Luckily he pooped it out.
From then on I put the cat toys away when I am not supervising them,
and purchased higher quality toys like this one. Toys that my cats could not destroy.
Many household chemicals pose a danger to our cats.
One of the most dangerous chemicals is antifreeze, which often contains ethylene glycol
or methanol that is toxic to cats. Cats find antifreeze sweet tasting and
ingesting just a small amount can lead to kidney failure and death.
It can be found in the coolant reservoir in the car, air conditioning systems,
and de-icing fluids. Garden products like fertilizers and pesticides
are also dangerous for your cat. So keep them tucked away.
Rat poison is also not great for your cat.
Not only from ingesting the poison themselves, but eating a rat that ate the rat poison.
If you have a pest problem try to use non toxic ways to get rid of them.
Cleaning solutions like alcohol, bleach, and hydrogen peroxide are also toxic to cats.
To protect your cats you can keep your cats away till it is dry or use pet friendly
cleaning solutions like this one that don’t contain any of those harmful chemicals.
Cats are known to always land on their feet. While it may be true that they are great gymnasts,
they may be injured from a big fall.
If your home has a balcony or windows of great height, you will want to secure them.
Make sure window screens are secure so your cats can’t push it open.
For a balcony, you want to completely fence any opening with wire mesh.
Kind of like a catio. If that is not possible,
then keep your cat off the balcony. Our cats can sometimes get stuck
in weird places. Such as the refrigerator.
Arya, what are you doing in the refrigerator?
Or the dishwasher Or even inside the couch.
Make sure to keep those areas secure. They must jump in without you looking,
especially if it is a kitten. If you live in an earthquake zone like myself,
having earthquake straps or fasteners can prevent book shelves or other
furniture from falling on your cat. For items on shelves you can add velcro
or museum putty to secure them in place. Cats can sometimes end up inside the sofa.
A cat getting inside a recliner chair is very dangerous.
If a kitten happens to be in there the recliner chair can crush it to death if it is used.
So seal up the holes in your sofa and recliner chairs to keep your kitty safe!
Sometimes cats can burn themselves by jumping on your stove while it is still hot.
A solution I have come up with is after you are done cooking.
Fill a pot with cold water and place it on the hot stove.
The cold water will absorb the heat and cool the stove down faster.
In addition, the pot will cover the hot stove and prevent your cat from jumping on it.
Arya once jumped into my frying pan, but luckily I had not turned on the stove yet.
Now I am more careful when I cook and keep my cats away from the kitchen.
Another way a cat can burn themselves is the heater.
My apartment doesn’t have the best heating so I had to buy several
space heaters to keep the unit warm. Radiator heaters like this one and the
Dyson heater here are built to be pet safe. You can touch the heater without getting burnt.
Another danger is candles. A cat may not just get a burn, but may knock a
candle over and cause a fire in your home. So keep them away from your cat.
Grocery or shopping bags can cause a choking hazard for your cat.
As a cat wrestles with the bag, the handles can easily get wrapped around their neck.
A real suffocation hazard. Plastic bags are particularly dangerous as cats
can tear the plastic bag and eat small pieces of plastic that can cause an intestinal blockage.
So keep the bags away from your cat.
I hope these tips will keep your cat living a long and healthy life.
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Comment down below if you have any other tips that can help keep your cat safe.