Cats, unlike dogs, tend to be a bit more independent, less needy, not quite as social, and most definitely have a mind of their own.  Just like dogs and children, you need to have your house kitty proofed. Here are just a few cat safety tips to be aware of when fluffy  comes home to live with you.

Getting your cat a scratching post to save on furniture wear.

First and foremost, I had a friend whose cat chewed through the wires and she came home to find her house burned to the ground. Luckily her cat got out, but not much else survived.

Safety Tip #1 – Hide your Cords

They sell some wonderful things on the market today that you can cover your cords to keep fluffy  from chewing through them. If you don’t want to purchase covers, here are a few handy household items you can try.

Pasty mixture of cayenne pepper, hot pepper sauce, nail–biting nail polish, or orange/lemon peel seems to work in most cases.
Another option is to put cardboard tubing around the cords and keep them in an organized bundle.

Safety Tip #2 – Your Cat and Plants

There are many plants that are toxic to cats and dogs. We are not going to list them all here, but this is something you should be aware of. Common poisonous plants include:

Azaleas

• Birds of Paradise
• Buttercups
• Caledium
• Carolina jasmine
• Castorbean
• Christmas Berry
• Day Lily
• Dumbcane Easter Lily
• Elephant Ear
• English Ivy
• Holly
• Hyacinth
• Irises (the leaves and the roots are dangerous)
• Lantana
• Mistletoe
• Morning glories
• Narcissus
• Philodendrons
• Pointsettias
• Wysteria
• Yellow Oleander

To prevent your cat from digging in the dirt around your houseplants, go to your local craft store and buy a few pieces of plastic needlepoint mesh. Cut it to fit the pot, with a slit and an opening for the plant. Place it on top of the dirt. Or, dampen a cotton ball with oil of clove, then bury the cotton ball just below the surface. To stop him from chewing on houseplants, mist the leaves with water and sprinkle a small amount of cayenne pepper on the leaves. You can also buy Bitter Apple from your local pet store and spray it on the leaves.

Safety Tip #3 – Safeguard Curtains, Furniture and Carpet tiger

Cats like to climb, so you want to be careful with what kinds of curtains or draperies that you hang. If you really want to play it safe, use vertical blinds – they cannot get stuck on them and you won’t find holes and snags all over them. For safety’s sake, make sure that the pull-cord is not a loop – cut it so there are two strings, so neither your cat nor your child will inadvertently get it caught around their neck.

With carpeting, I like to use a very tight weave for shag or deep pile carpets because they tend to scratch and can get their nails caught (never mind that they can destroy your carpeting).

As for furniture, cats can use this as a scratching post also. Scat Mats or clove oil mixed with water and sprayed on fabric keeps them away (but test an inconspicuous area first). A few owners have a problem with their cat shredding the carpet, even with a convenient scratching post. First, look at the scratching post from a cat's viewpoint: it's covered with carpet .... this stuff on the floor has the same feel. Hmmm.... Since it's less costly to replace the scratching post than the carpeting, try getting a post that is covered with sisal rope, corrugated cardboard, or carpet turned wrong-way out. Then train your cat to use it. If the cat is always scratching at a particular spot in the carpeting, the reason might be due to a strong smell in that one spot - get an enzymatic cleaner from the vet and clean it thoroughly.

Safety Tip #4 -- The Garbage Can

If the smells and tidbits in the garbage can continually peak your cat's interest, get one with a lid or keep it under the sink.

Safety Tip #5 -- Toilet Paper and Tissues

I heard this solution from a neighbor to curb cats from shredding unrolling toilet paper, and I find it to be useful. Simply install the toilet roll so the edge of the paper doesn't roll over the top toward the front. When your cat discovers he can no longer unroll the paper, he'll probably stop trying and you can install subsequent rolls so it rolls off to the front.

If your kitty persists in pulling out tissues, turn the box upside down.

These of course are just a few safety tips, but we hope we gave you some quick and easy tips to help make your home a safe place for you and fluffy .

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