SAFETY

Having a cat is sort of like having a perpetual human toddler around. You need to look around your home with the idea in mind of child-proofing against a child with incredible dexterity and the inability to ever really understand the word "no."

KITTY SHOULD STAY INDOORS
Domestic cats do not need to have access to the great outdoors to live a good life. In fact, it is statistically proven that they live longer, healthier, happier lives when kept indoors all the time. To quote Keep Him Safe, Keep Him In, a magazine article by Annette Bartle, . . .the outdoors — be it the street or even your own garden — hold a host of feline dangers. Your cat can get into a scrape with another animal and become infected with a fatal virus, such as leukemia or rabies. He can pick up parasites, fleas, worms, as well as poisons; indeed, many city cats lose their lives to rat poisoning. Numerous plants, as common as azaleas and English ivy, can seriously harm or kill him if he nibbles them. Statistics tell us that cats who even part-time enjoy the great outdoors do not live nearly as long as their house-bound counterparts. The average all-indoors, all-the-time cat can live to be 13 years old, with some making it much older (17-20). Compare that to the average of 5 years or less for a cat allowed to roam.

WINDOWS
Despite the popular myths, cats WILL fall out of an open window. A cat has no depth perception; they can see an insect, a leaf or a bird go by and leap for it. And don't think that if you open a window at the top instead of the bottom that it will keep Kitty safe. Make sure that if you EVER open your windows, that you have secure, sturdy screens installed. Window screens will protect your cat from accidental fall or death AND will protect you from the West Nile Virus. Also, balconies are a danger too: NEVER let your cat wander out onto a balcony unless it is COMPLETELY enclosed.

The following excerpt from Annette Bartle's article sums this up well:

The fluffy white cat lay still on the Park Avenue sidewalk. He seemed to have fallen out of the very sky. He didn't. He fell to his death from a terrace above the avenue, only his golden name tag engraved Paulie still intact.

Hundreds of cats, pampered and well-loved pets, are maimed or killed by falling to the streets because their owners, knowledgeable in many other ways, don't realize that cats more often than not do not land on their feet. And they most certainly do not possess nine lives. Letting them have access to any open space, even if you think they're used to it, is an invitation to terrible injuries or even death.

City cats are house pets . . . Because their ancestors were wild predators, the simple sight of a sparrow on a window ledge can reawaken this trait in housecats. In a second, a gentle pussycat will become a hunter. (Well-fed cats are especially efficient predators, so don't for a minute think that because your cat eats well, he won't go after a bird.)

Falling to the street is one of the greatest hazards city cats face. You may be able to deter a cat sometimes, when you're with him, but one day when you're not right there, he can go to the window or a balcony ledge and fall. Dr. Susan McLellan, director of Lenox Hill Veterinarians, told me that a responsible cat owner (puts sturdy screens) in the windows and patio doors, if they are ever to be kept open. There is absolutely no way of training a cat to stay away from open windows and ledges.

ELECTRICAL WIRING AND APPLIANCES
Younger cats especially are often prone to chewing on everything, and one good chomp on an electrical cord can mean fried little Kitty. Make sure cords are completely inaccessible (remember, cats are very good at getting into even the smallest openings), or unattractive snacks: spray or spread cords with repellents (which can be purchased at pet stores and work to varying degrees — Bitter Apple is recommended), or wrap cords in a double-sided sticky tape or thick rubber tubes sold for child-proofing cords.

HIDING PLACES
Look around with a cat's eye in mind when looking for places you don't want your cat to go, specifically places you wouldn't be able to get Kitty out of if she got into distress. Cats like to hide in small shadowy spots, like behind (or IN) the refrigerator, stove, washer or dryer. Block access to such locations by securing pieces of wood in front of the openings, or stuffing towels or sheets so that a cat couldn't dig themselves a passageway through. Push appliances as close to walls and each other as possible to reduce such openings and keep them closed. Lay pieces of wood or heavy cardboard over the tops of your refrigerator and any other appliances or furniture that a cat could climb over and down behind it. And even if you do all this, double check Kitty isn't in the dryer or stove before you turn it on, and isn't in the refrigerator if you are going out.

SMALL OBJECTS
Buttons, coins, small stones, anything that you wouldn't leave out if you had a small child in your home should be cleaned up: some cats will put anything and everything into their mouths, and many things can cause serious stomach injury if swallowed. Pick up sewing supplies, especially needles, thread and yarn, ribbons and buttons; needles can slice up a cat's throat if swallowed, and thread, yarn and ribbon can tie up the insides and cause fatal clogs in the stomach and intestines. Of special note are certain holiday decorations such as tinsel, angel hair, and those thin spun-glass decorations that are designed to look like icicles: these items can tear up the insides of a cat in record time. Remember that if a 2-year-old human child shouldn't have it, neither should Kitty!

TOYS
Pet stores of course come stocked with numerous toys; catnip toys, Cat Dancers, stuffed squeaky toys and fake mice are just a few of the many choices. Other prime entertainment options are ping pong balls (my cats love them), pens (with cap on securely), long noisy chains and strings of beads (be careful these won't come apart), and plastic feathers (the long peacock-type). Of course, most cats can make toys out of anything, especially the things you would rather they DIDN'T play with (the pen you are using at the moment, for instance, or the magnets holding important notes to your refrigerator). Crumpled balls of paper and tinfoil make excellent cheap toys, but do make sure Kitty can't shred and ingest the tin foil. Anything dangling on a string is loads of fun, especially with you on the other end, letting Kitty win frequently; of course, take precautions with the string when you aren't around to supervise. An empty paper bag is a fortress-in-waiting, and empty boxes are usually irresistible and they also do double duty as scratch posts!

Be careful to avoid paper bags with handles. Remove the handles before giving to Kitty, as the ever-curious cat has a tendency to stick her head through the handle and could choke if circumstances are right.

PLASTIC BAGS
NEVER give Kitty a plastic bag — she could suffocate. You wouldn't let your 2-year-old human child play with a plastic bag would you?

SAFELY STORE TOXIC SUBSTANCES
Take a close look at the areas in your home where you store prescription and over-the-counter medications. Don't forget to look for items such as vitamins and health and beauty products. Are these areas accessible to your cat? Are all products stored in child proof containers?

CHECK THE SAFETY OF TALL FURNITURE
Make sure it's sturdy or attached to the wall to keep it from toppling when a cat tries to jump on it. Cats can be crushed when furniture falls during a jump attempt.

SECURE GLASS OBJECTS
Breakable objects can easily be knocked over. Remember that your cat has an amazing jumping ability. Make sure breakable objects are completely out of your cat's reach.

REMOVE TEMPTATIONS
Tapestries and other wall hangings are very attractive to cats. If your cat has claws, she might try to tear objects off the wall and end up hurting herself. Try to remove these objects that tempt your cat.

NO MEDICINE WITHOUT YOUR VET'S ADVICE
It's very tempting to try to ease your kitty's pain with human medication. You never know when an ingredient in human medication can be harmful or fatal to your cat. For example, Tylenol and aspirin can be deadly to your cat.