Christmas and all the decorations and trimmings that go with it are more than appealing to cats, especially kittens and young adults. So with all that fun and frolic come the accompanying hazards, but a little forethought can make all the difference to keeping it a safe time for your cat or kitten.
The tree itself is a magnet - something to climb and hide out in and under, maybe even chew on some of the needles (if it is a real tree) or synthetic lookalikes if it is an artificial tree. Either way, your cat cannot help itself but to be drawn to this fun addition to the home. Putting a tree out of reach of the cat is not really an option, but weighing the base down can help stop it from toppling over when your kitten finds itself at the top of the tree. Some people do, however, go to great lengths to suspend the tree from the ceiling or surround it by a barrier such as portable fencing, having a very non traditional tree.
If, from past experience, you know that your cat likes to sample the needles, it might be better to keep the cat out the room entirely, use an alternative “tree” until he or she has outgrown the habit or get really creative with an alternative solution.
Decorations are also very appealing to cats, so try putting the breakable ones a bit higher up so that even if your cat does bat them, they won’t shatter when they high the ground, and put unbreakables on the bottom section of the tree. Make sure that the cords of the lights are out of sight wherever possible. Gift wrappings and ribbons can be hazardous too - chewed up ribbon in your cat’s gut is not a good thing.
If you are going out, it might be a good idea to make sure that kitty does not have access to the tree in your absence. The rule of thumb at Christmas - make sure that your cat does not have unsupervised time with the tree, especially if it is a kitten or young adult. A bit of vigilance can save your cat’s life.
No comments:
Post a Comment