Cats and kittens love new and exciting things. With the hustle of the holidays, it can be a challenge to remember all the things that may be dangerous for your kitty. Here’s a great article from Catster about the top 8 holiday health hazards for your cat (we added an 8th). To simply, we are listing the 8 with brief summaries.
The holiday season is here and kitty is fascinated with the lights and all things that sparkle. To keep her safe, here is the link to a great article from Catster on the top health hazards for cats this holiday season. We’ve summarized them for quick reading.
Christmas Trees - Cats love to climb and the Christmas Tree is very exciting. Cats do fall and the tree does fall on them resulting in torn/broken bones. To keep kitty safe, monitor her activity around the tree and try to keep her from drinking the water.
Holiday Plants - Guests will sometimes bring flowers or plants. The top poisonous plants include: Lilies, Holly, poinsettia, Christmas Rose, Mistletoe and Christmas Cactus.
Decorations - Glass ornaments, hooks, tinsel and lights can all be choking hazards and cause obstructions. Watch kitty when she’s around these items.
Wrappings - Bows, string, ribbons and objects which resemble toys are another hazard. They are shiny and look like fun things to eat.
Fireplaces/Ash - Keep kitty away from the fire or pilot light on gas fireplaces. Also, if you build a fire, be sure that kitty can’t play in the ash. It will be a real mess and is not good for kitty to lick ash off her fur and paws.
Holiday Parties - Kitties get scared when they hear loud noise and strange voices. Be sure to set aside a room where she feel safe and can hide. Turn on the radio or music to mask sound. Blankets make for nice barriers. Lock the door if you have to or put a sign on the door “Do not enter”. You don’t want kitty to accidentally get outside.
Food - Onions, garlic, raw eggs, alcohol, dark chocolate and grapes (raisins) can all damage your cat’s red blood cells, according to petMD. Keeping kitty tucked away and these foods away from her will keep her healthy and everyone happy.
We wish everyone and their beloved kitties a wonderful and safe holiday.
