Make your house cat proof

So, the big day has arrived. The one you’ve been waiting for ever since you made the decision to bring a new set of feline paws into your home. You’re beyond excited as you dash to collect your new addition. You get him home and then watch in horror as he hides under a bed, makes his escape up the chimney, claws at your soft furnishings or, if he’s a kitten, gets stuck behind the washing machine.

This is when you realise that in your frenzied anticipation, you’d overlooked some fairly important things. Like preparing your home to make sure your little monster stays safe, his environmental needs are met, and you don’t have to spend hours trying to extract him from the impossibly small space he’s jammed in.

So, let’s rewind to the point at which you have chosen the cat that is to become your new feline companion and have a date on which you can collect him. We’ll consider the steps you should take to make your cat’s new home as safe as it possibly can be. 

A good look around

If it’s a kitten that you’re bringing home, he might be heart-meltingly cute, but can bring with him a whole load of mischief. And just as you might adapt your home for a rampant toddler, so you should for a rambunctious kitten.

Take a good look at each room in your home, even those that you intend not allowing your kitten into. It’s very difficult to keep doors closed at all times and believe you me, a determined kitten will find a way to sneak in.

Block up gaps behind and underneath kitchen appliances, cupboards, and wardrobes. Pay special attention to any holes in the walls and floors of your home. I have personally known people that have had to take up their entire floor to rescue their errant kitten. Air duct covers should remain in place at all times and because chimneys can be exciting places to explore, remember to screen off your fireplace. Only open doors to the outside world when your little bundle of fluff is safely stored in another room (it can be a good idea to put a note on the door to remind you!), and the same goes for external windows. The last thing you want is for your kitten to be exposed to all the dangers that are lurking in the outside world, at least not yet.

Toilets can be extremely hazardous for kittens, not only do they present a drowning risk, but if you use a hanging toilet bowl cleaner this can be toxic to them. So do make sure that the lids are kept well and truly down, or better still, shut the door to the room in which the toilet resides until little junior matures.

Out of harm’s way

If, like many of us these days, you have a plethora of electric cables adorning your floor, try to keep them out of reach of playful paws by boxing them in or covering them up.  

Try and remember to keep lids on all containers. Something as innocuous as a glass or plastic jar can be potentially deadly for a kitten that decides he wants to put his head in it but can’t get it out. And then there are receptacles of various shapes and sizes that contain cleaning fluids, disinfectants, bleach, gel tabs for the washing machine to name but a few. It goes without saying that these should be securely stored away. And fingers crossed that your kitten doesn’t learn how to open cupboard doors when he’s older, if he does, a child lock might be a good investment.

It may also be worth examining any children’s toys for kitten-head-sized holes, parts that can be bitten off and ingested, very small toys, and any other teeny-weeny objects that could fit into your kitten’s teeny-weeny mouth. 

Likewise, if you usually leave your medicines out to remind you to take them, you might have to rethink this strategy. Instead, it you might want to pop them in a drawer and set a reminder on your phone.

For the green-fingered among you that have beautiful collections of household plants, you’ll need to remove any that are toxic to cats. And for those that aren’t, be prepared for plants to be chewed! It’s aworth making a note of any flowers that present a poisoning risk to cats, such as lilies and poinsettias. Should some kindly and well-intentioned person send them to you, it might be a nice gesture to pay it forward and donate them to a non-cat owning friend. Just recently, someone in my village received the most beautiful bouquet of cream lilies but because she has a cat she was offering them out. I would love to have had them, but I have my own elderly cat Billy to consider.

Unless you want your clothes shredded remember to keep wardrobe doors closed, until such a time as he grows out of this habit.

When your little bundle of trouble finally arrives, try to remember not to leave hot liquids unsupervised.

Choosing a vet

Much of the guidance above of course also applies to adult cats, although hopefully the chances of them getting stuck behind or under a household appliance or piece of furniture will be reduced. But mature cats do like to rest more, especially on comfy piles of clothes so (and I know it sounds obvious) do make sure that washing machines and tumble dryers are cat-free before switching them on.

But if, despite your best efforts at safeguarding your new cat from home hazards, he steps on a stray piece of glass from that broken tumbler that shattered into a thousand pieces, or some such trouble, you’ll need to take him to the vet. So, you can also use this pre-new-cat period to research veterinary practices in your area. Choosing the right vet is a very important decision for you and your cat and because of this we’ll be devoting a whole article to it in a later issue.

And if you need reimbursing for the potentially large amounts of money you’ll spend on your cat’s future medical treatment, you’ll need pet insurance. These days, you can buy a policy from any number of sources including the supermarket, your motor and home insurance provider, and even from a well-known high street shops best known for selling food and clothes. Whichever company you choose, they all have a number of plans that you can select from. My advice would be to take time to shop around before you bring your furry newcomer home and make sure you read the small print. Asking cat owners for their experiences might help you in this endeavour. And don’t forget that if you are adopting a senior cat you should budget for the fact that insurers usually ask you to pay a certain percentage towards the cost of each claim plus the agreed excess. If you decide that pet insurance isn’t for you, I would absolutely recommend putting some money away each month for any treatment your cat will inevitably need.

There is so much more to owning a cat than we think. There are potential threats to their safety in every room of our homes and we are the only ones that are in a position to be able to protect them from these. You obviously can’t cater for every single eventuality, but by doing your research and considering how they might behave at different stages of their life you will be able to make your preparations the best they can possibly be.