How Pre-Planning Can Make For A Safer Holiday Season For Your Cat
Every Holiday season, we start the conversation regarding your cats and holiday decorations, as mom says there is a lot more to consider this time of year for our kitty safety – and her peace of mind!
Cat-proofing your home means taking your whole environment into consideration when planning for our feline safety and wellbeing during this festive time. And by the way, any of the issues listed below should really be the standard for everyday of the year – not just during the holidays.
CATS AT HOLIDAY PARTIES
Maintain a calm atmosphere for us when hosting a party – you know how us kitties do not like startling sounds and loud noises. Mom lets us hang out with the early arrivals to say hi. Beau, Bouvier and I are very social and like to be petted and cooed over by mom’s friends, but once a few more humans arrive, we are whisked upstairs to the bedroom for some quiet time for the rest of the evening.
The added benefit for mom is that she does not have to worry about the front door – just in case a guest inadvertently leaves the door open, and one of us kitties get out! Now she can have more fun at her own party!
CATS AND HOLIDAY TREATS AND DECOR
Be kind to your cat and do not feed us human food especially all the rich holiday treats and side dishes which may contain food that is poisonous to us cats like chocolate, onions, garlic, raisins and grapes, as well as nutmeg just for example.
Be careful with lit candles! My tail swished past a candle on the dinner table recently, singeing my fur! Don’t ask what I was doing on the table…!
Best advice - update all your candles in your house with battery-operated lights which come in many shapes and sizes – often with timers, etc. readily available everywhere even at the “dollar stores”.
CATS AND HOME SCENTS
Scents can be an irritant for delicate feline noses and some are downright toxic – so always investigate the scent or essential oil “online” that you are bringing into the house and use sparingly in your home. Just so you know, the purists would say today not to have any artificial scents in the house!
But we know the humans in our lives often love certain scents, using scented plug-ins in every room 365 days of the year or having essential oils warming in a dish. Mom likes incense sticks but doesn’t use them all the time and keeps the dish up high. The important thing here is moderation.
So, planning in advance can insure us kitties will remain safe this holiday season – and for the rest of the year! And our humans can feel good that they are thinking about the total space in our house all the time to insure our safety. With a little proper planning, everyone can be happy!