12 Tips for Kitten-Proofing Your Home

You've decided to get a kitten.  Congratulations!  You'll create so many wonderful memories with your new kitten as she grows up, and she will, no doubt, provide you with endless entertainment with her adorable cat antics.  But before you bring your little fur friend home, it's important to make sure your house is a safe place for her.  A few preparations is all it takes to ensure your kitten's safety.

Store All Chemicals: Many household cleaners are toxic to cats.  Store all household cleaners, laundry detergents, dryer sheets, pesticides, fertilizers, roach and rat poisons, bleach, paint, paint thinner, mothballs, disinfectants, and antifreeze in places inaccessible to your kitten.  A closet or high cabinet works well for storing such items.  If you must store these chemicals in a cabinet on the ground, lock it up so that your kitten cannot get it open.  Please be particularly careful with antifreeze as cats are attracted to its sweet taste.  It is extremely toxic and can lead to death when ingested.

Store Medications: It is equally important to store all medications somewhere your kitten cannot access.  Many human medications are toxic to cats.  Before you give your cat any medication, please consult with your veterinarian.

Block Off Small Spaces: Cats like to sleep in warm, dark, small spaces, so it's best to block off your kitten's access to any small spaces he could potentially get stuck in.  Always check for your kitten before you close your refrigerator, oven, washer, dryer, trash compactor, dishwasher, and closets.

Carmine loved sneaking into closets without me knowing it when he was a kitten and got stuck in one more than once.  Thankfully I was always home to let him out, but I quickly got in the habit of checking the closet thoroughly before closing it.

The Meow Cat Rescue (AKA Mercer Island Eastside Orphans and Waifs) also suggests doing a "kitten check" before you leave home to ensure your companion doesn't get stuck in a closet all day.  Carmine and Milita are senior cats now, but I still do a "cat check" every single time before I leave to make sure they aren't stuck somewhere.

Protect Electrical Cords: Kittens are curious and may try chewing on electrical cords, which can lead to burns and electric shock.  Please use cord protectors or spray your cords with a deterrent like Bitter Apple to discourage your kitten from chewing them.  Remember to reward your cat when she chooses not to chew on electrical cords.

Provide Safe Toys: Unfortunately not all cat toys on the market are safe.  Avoid toys with small parts that can be chewed off and swallowed.  Small balls pose a choking hazard, so ensure any balls you purchase for your kitten are too big to swallow.

I highly recommend not allowing your cat to play with ribbon, yarn, string, and spools of thread.  All of these can cause intestinal blockages if they are ingested.  If you see that your kitten has string, ribbon, or thread coming out of his mouth or behind, do not pull on it.  Pulling on the string, ribbon, or thread can cause serious intestinal damage.  Instead, take your cat to your veterinarian or animal emergency room right away.  It's also important to note that plastic bags pose a suffocation hazard, so it's best not to allow your kitten to play with them.  If you want to provide a paper bag for your kitty to play in, be sure to cut off the handles as they pose a serious strangulation hazard.

There are plenty of safe toys on the market for kitties.  Many cats enjoy playing with catnip mice (just make sure the eyes cannot be chewed off), crinkle balls, balls with or without bells (purchase balls that are too big to swallow), other types of catnip toys, puzzle feeders, and tunnels.  Laser pointers and fishing pole toys are great for interactive play sessions.  Between interactive play sessions, store fishing pole toys out of your cat's reach so he can't chew on or swallow the string.

Secure All Window Screens: Make sure all of your window screens are intact and secure.  Supervise your kitten any time you have the windows open to ensure she doesn't scratch at the screens.  The Meow Cat Rescue also advises to keep your kitten off high decks, upper porches, and balconies.

Additionally, blind and drape cords pose a danger to cats.  Tie the cords up out of your cat's reach.

Store Small Objects: Small objects pose hazards to kittens.  If swallowed, they can lead to an intestinal blockage, which must be treated surgically.  Keep all staples, rubber bands, paper clips, thumb tacks, needles, beads, spools of thread, etc. in drawers or in closed containers your cat can't open.  Get down on the floor to look around for small objects your kitten might find.  Getting down at his level ensures you can find and remove more potentially dangerous items.

Keep Trash Cans Covered: A kitten's curiosity may lead her to digging through the trash to find leftover food or things to play with.  Use trash cans with lids on them or store your trash cans in cabinets your cat can't open.

Use Breakaway Collars: It's important to use breakaway collars on cats.  If your companion gets stuck on something, her breakaway collar will release so that she can get free.  Collars without this feature pose a serious strangling hazard if your furry friend gets hung up on something.

Toxic Plants Should be Avoided: There are many plants toxic to cats.  A few common toxic plants include Easter Lilies, Amaryllis, Tulips, Rhododendron, Chrysanthemums, Philodendrons, Daisies, Dafodils, and Peonies.  You can view full lists of toxic and non-toxic plants to cats at the ASPCA Poison Control Center.

Keep the Toilet Lid Shut: Keep your toilet lid shut at all times.  Young cats can fall in and drown.  The chemicals used to clean the toilet bowl are also toxic and will harm your furry friend if she drinks water from the toilet bowl.

Store Breakables: Kittens enjoy exploring; they will jump up onto tables, bookshelves, sideboards, and counters.  If you have breakable items on these surfaces, your cat may accidentally knock them down while exploring.  Some cats even enjoy knocking things down.  Therefore, it's best to store your breakable things in a safe place that's not accessible to your cat or put them away until your kitten grows up.

Getting a kitten is such an exciting experience.  By kitten-proofing your home, you'll ensure that your new furry friend will be safe and healthy in his new home.

Sources:

Meow Cat Rescue: Kitten-Proofing Your Home.

Humane Society of the United States: Cat-Proof Your Home in 12 Easy Steps. 

Banfield Pet Hospital: Tips for Kitten-Proofing Your Home. 

ASPCA Poison Control Center: Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants. 

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Yesterday, I went to Cat Care Society to socialize the kitties.  I thought you all might like to see some of my kitty friends at the shelter.  I hope you enjoy the photos!

There were some really adorable kittens one of the CCS foster moms brought in for their vaccines.  I held this one for a little while.  She was very curious and kept trying to climb over my shouler to see out the window.  This kitten was in a litter of five, and they are all about six weeks old.

This handsome boy is Fritz.  He is one year old, active, and friendly.  He enjoyed getting some head scritches while he laid on this cart.

This beautiful girl is Cat Care's current Milita look-alike.  Her name is Gracie, and she's a lynx-point Siamese like Milita.  Like Milita, she is very friendly and loves affection, too.  Gracie is not currently available for adoption.

This handsome guy is very new to the shelter.  He is getting adjusted to the shelter and waiting to be placed in one of our rooms.  He is such a sweet boy!!  He wants someone to love so much.  He love getting head scritches and being pet.

This beautiful panther is Cairo.  She's been waiting for her forever home for quite some time now.  She is such a sweet senior kitty with so much love to give.  I always make a point of visiting her when I'm at the shelter.

And of course I could not visit the shelter without spending time with my sweet Mango!  She was hanging out on the dryer when I visited her the first time.  I gave her her dinner, and she ate all of it for me (what a good kitty!).

Before I left the shelter, I went to pet her again and found her on top of the cabinets in this box.  She loves her box way up high.  She can see everyone and every kitty from up there.

Cute Kitten Photos Improve Concentration

Having trouble concentrating on a project at work?  Take a kitten break!  That's right - a new study conducted at Hiroshima University in Japan suggests that looking at photos of kittens and puppies can improve your concentration and attention to detail.

Cute Photos Can Improve Concentration

In this experiment, 48 university students played a game similar to "Operation," where they had to use tweezers to get little plastic body parts out of holes in a "patient's" body without touching the sides of the holes.  After one round of the game, half of the students were shown photos of adult dogs and cats while the other half were shown pictures of kittens and puppies.  

The researchers found that the students improved their performance on the second round of the game after they had viewed photos of kittens and puppies.  More specifically, these students seemed to perform the task in a slower and more deliberate manner.  However, those who had viewed photos of adult cats and dogs did not improve their performance in the second round of the game.

Cute Photos Can Improve Attention to Detail

The researchers conducted a second timed experiment where college students were asked to identify a series of stimuli shown on a screen.  Each stimulus was one large letter made up of many smaller letters.  For example, a bunch of small Ws would be in the form of a large T.  

Students were randomly shown photos of baby animals, adult animals, or neutral objects between each task.  Students who viewed the cute baby animals were faster at identifying the small letters that composed the large letters.  

This experiment suggests that looking at cute baby animals may help a person shift one's attention to focus on details more effectively.  The researchers hypothesize that this could be because babies require their caregivers to focus closely on their mental and physical well-being and to be alert to possible threats.   

The findings of this study are published in the journal PLoS ONE.  

The next time you find yourself struggling to focus on a task, try looking at several photos of cute baby kittens and puppies.  You might just find that it helps improve your ability to concentrate!  

A few of websites I enjoy containing cute kittens are:  

Good Morning Kitten.

Daily Kitten.

LOL Cats.

Did viewing cute baby animal photos help improve your concentration? Please come back and let us know if this technique worked for you!

Source

PsychCentral: Viewing Cute Images Improves Concentration

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

I was socializing some kitties yesterday at Cat Care Society, and this adorable seal-point Siamese kitten curled up in my lap for a while.

You can find this sweet kitten along with her sister (also a seal-point Siamese) in the Kitten Room at Cat Care Society.  They must be adopted together.

Opt to Adopt: Gabe

Gabe

Cat Care Society, Lakewood, CO

Gave is an adorable orange tabby male kitten.  I met him about a month ago at Cat Care Society, and he's still waiting for his forever home.  Gabe seemed a little shy when I was sitting next to him, but he is definitely a sweet kitty.

Gave is approximately five months old.  He is neutered and up-to-date with his vaccinations.  Because he is still a kitten, he does not have a profile on the Adopt a Pet website.

You can find Gabe in the Kitten Room at Cat Care Society, located at 5787 W. 6th Avenue in Lakewood, CO.  You may want to call ahead to check his availability before you go to visit him.