Safety For Kittens in New Homes
Kitten safety for new owners is always very worrying for any new responsible kitten owner. Learning how to identify potential risks and reduce the likelihood of any potential accidents, injury and not to mention losing your new kitten are all aspects of owning a new kitten that every pet owner should be aware of.
The day is fast approaching! The weeks and weeks of waiting are almost over because soon you will be picking up your beautiful new kittens! You have their bed ready, a brand new litter tray, food bowls and toys. The kids are excited and you have a lovely quiet room in which to settle the newcomers in.
When you arrive at the Breeders’ home, it strikes you just how tiny two little 14 week old kittens are. The responsibility of keeping them safe hits home.
Kitten Proofing Your Home
You may not realise it but there are many dangers about the house that can cause a kitten serious injury or worse! But a few simple steps can go a long way to ensuring that your new kittens stay safe and that you don’t end up with expensive vet’s bills!
Look around your house and imagine your kittens playing. Look at all the places that will be accessible to the kittens such as under furniture and high up on shelving. As your kittens grow into cats almost everywhere that is not shut off by a door is going to be accessible to them so it is your responsibility to make sure that anything that could be harmful to cats is locked away.
The following list is by no means exhaustive but covers basic hints and tips that save your kittens from injuring themselves.
- Wires can be harmful to kittens because they can be chewed. An easy way to deal with wires is to cover them with child-proofing cable covers (the sort you can pick up easily in a hardware store) Beware of DIY attempts at wrapping cords and always use the hardware ones designed for the purpose to reduce the fire risk. If you buy a heated bed for the kittens always buy a good quality one with an anti-chew cable.
- Look around the home for any objects that may be harmful to your new kittens. For instance; do not leave any sharp objects about, such as sewing needles, which your kittens are sure to want to play with. Make sure that plastic shopping bags are not left about unattended as your kittens could end up suffocating in these. Never leave ribbon or elastic bands around the home as these could do serious damage if eaten by your kitten.
- Make sure that any products you use in your home are non-toxic to cats. Always follow the manufacturers’ instructions on how the product should be used if you are going to use it in a room frequented by pets.
- The bathroom should be off limits to the new kittens, at least until they are old enough and big enough to get themselves out of the toilet bowl should they fall in! A tiny kitten could get trapped and exhaust themselves trying to get out and if you are not around they could potentially drown. As they get older, however, they are just going to suffer the embarrassment of getting wet!
- Always check your washing machine drum and tumble dryer before you turn it on! It only takes a moment for an intrepid explorer of a kitten to jump inside so always keep the doors to these appliances firmly closed and off limits to your kittens.
Toxic Substances
A surprising amount of day-to-day substances that we all have around our home are harmful and highly toxic to our pet cats. Many of the things may seem fairly innocent in themselves but just a few simple changes can ensure the welfare of your new kittens.
For example, most of us at some point have flowers or plants in our home. Many plants are highly toxic to cats and a curious kitten is going to be very interested in a new bouquet of flowers. Leaves and flowers are often chewed by kittens so are best kept in a room that the kittens do not have access to. Although not all flowers are harmful some, especially lilies, could actually kill your kitten. Before you buy a new plant for your home do a little research and find ones that are non-toxic to cats.
Anti-freeze is a big problem. It is highly toxic to cats and at this time of year most of us have it. Make absolutely sure that it is locked away and out of reach of your felines. If you spill any then mop it up immediately. The biggest problem with anti-freeze is that, unlike most other poisonous substances, it has a sweet taste that a lot of cats love. Even the smallest amount can and does kill cats.
Keep all medicines and chemicals locked away in cupboards and ensure that your kittens have no access to them.
A final, if slightly amusing note is this. Onions are toxic to cats. Now I can imagine that the chances of a cat tucking into an onion from your parlour are fairly remote! But just bear this in mind if you ever want to share any of your food with your kittens (not that I recommend it anyway!) My cats have always been partial to a bit of left-over soup… however if it contains onions then I’m afraid they mustn’t have any.
Letting Your Pet Cats Out
I recommend keeping your kittens as indoor only pets, especially if you live on a very busy road. Cat proofing your garden or constructing a cat enclosure can be cheap and easy to do.
If, however, you do decide to let your kittens out then wait until they are about 6 months old and take them out into the garden and supervise them at first. Of course, once they are older you have very little control over where they go or what they get up to! Have your kittens spayed and neutered to stop unwanted pregnancies and to stop them wandering too far from your home. Ensure that they are micro-chipped so if the worst does happen then there is still a chance you could be re-united with your pet.
