cat-proof your house?

[jenluckenbach]

Everything that ever comes into the house has first benn asked, is it cat safe.
My cats are not restricted from any parts of the house except for the basement (and out doors). So if it going to be out, it must be safe. Or not too valuable as to woory about damage.
The garbage is behing closed doors.
Any thing they could push off of a table to the floor and break is stuck down with a bit of Putty called Quik-Tak.
no plants
nothing hanging over the edge of a table, dresser etc- too tempting
plus most everything Iv'e read here.

[Felicia's Mom]

I don't have knick-knack setting around. When I leave I make sure I see them, and when I come home I make sure they are o.k.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I do most of the things listed above too.
I always keep the toilet seat down
I keep all rubberbands, twist ties, plastic bags hidden away
I use a trash can with a lid on it out in the kitchen so they can't get into it
I don't have any plants because Storm loves to eat them
I'm sure there are more but I can't think of them right now.

[AmberLee]

Your lists have given me food for thought. Thanks all.

[sasvermont]

I have never had a cat that bothered plants. Isn't that odd? I have plants all over my house. I have had most of my cats since they were little. I wonder why some cats show such interest?

I learned a couple of new ideas and thank everyone for their "confirmation" that I am not nuts when it comes to protecting my pets from harm. We all do it! Our babies........

[Pam]

Originally posted by sasvermont
I have washed lots of cat toys lately.

Sallyanne I bet you also have the cleanest bottle caps in all of Vermont!

These tips are all great and I too practice cat safety here. I think the one thing I miss most from my "pre-cat" days is burning candles. I never have a candle lit unless I am in that room. The thought of one of my boys catching themselves on fire scares me to death!

[tuxluvr]

Yes, we too are "cat conscious" of everything we have around - Ritz loves to chase flies and other flying bugs, once in a great while a wasp will make its way inside - we have to corral Ritz in another room while we catch it and either release or destroy - don't want her to get stung on the tongue!

Don't buy any floor or rug cleaner than isn't "kitty safe"...use a steam cleaner for the linoleum that basically uses hot water to clean without chemicals.

I close the bedroom door when we are both away from home...Ritz also has free reign of the house when we are there..just when I think I have all of those little plastic clothing tag threads (holds the price tag on new clothes and other items) located and destroyed, Ritz comes prancing in with one in her mouth...

A mommy or daddycat's work is never done! How do these kids ever survive without our intervention

[Cataholic]

About the candles, I still burn them..obviously with caution, as they are dangerous either with or without pets in the home...but Yankee Candle sells these covers for their candles. The purpose of it is to make the candle burn straighter, longer, etc. But, I find that is actually covers the flame, and a cat head or tail can't come into contact with it...I know they cover the Yankee Candles, but would probably cover any round jar candle, too.

Just a suggestion...

[sasvermont]

I was once attending a celebration at a neighbor's and her cat walked next to a lit candle. Someone yelled something about the cat being on fire....poor guy didn't know it had even happened. It smelled awful, and the cat was frightened by the screaming. He had long hair and it just burned the ends. It was scarey, for sure.

Candles and some cats do not mix.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Either I have the best behaved cat in the world ( ) or I am extremely lucky! Edwina has NO interest in house plants -- except her cat grass and that only sometimes. She hates the kitchen counters and so rarely gets onto dressers, desks, bathroom counters as to being an "event" when she does. The dryer is in the basement where the evil dehumidifer lives so she doesn't go down there unless I am along for protection. The toilet has water in it ( ) so she doesn't go near those and the trash cans have never been of interest to her. One of her favorite toys is grograin ribbon but she never chews on it.

So...I am not a good mama (and it was best I didn't have children!) and I have a very boring cat!

(We are careful with chemicals and always check that she is safely in the house!)

[Cataholic]

ES- you probably have both, the best cat, and lots of luck. I will give you a brief glimpse into the herd's activities, and this is within the last 15 hours ONLY.

I thought it would be very fall like to make a bowl of acorns, with a lovely green candle coming up from them. This bowl is glass, obviously, and shaped like a fishbowl you used to get at the fair. It is sitting on my mantle. When I came home from work yesterday, the fishbowl is about two feet over on the mantle, the candle is at a very strange tilt, and there are acorns on the floor in the dining room. (My mantle is in the living room).

Second example- this am in the shower, I hear a really loud noise. I come out to find a picture that was in my bedroom, propped up on the bureau, is now on the floor. My jewelry box is on the floor, the perfumes are on the floor, etc.

ES- I kid you not...you have a very special cat..and I haven't even told you the plant stories. Suffice it to say it involved a hibiscus that got de-limbed by two youngins'.

I think E deserves a special treat for her very good behaviour.

[toughCookie]

and a couple other things:
1. toothbrushes, I never leave mine out!
2. for cats that are allowed outside, the big danger, anitfreeze!
I learned from this site that there is a cat-safe kind, so just a
reminder of that.

[jenluckenbach]

the reason I think candles and cats are not safe together isn't even getting their tails set on fire, it is that they could suddenly knock one over and set everything else on fire. Cats are fast and if something wills them to jump up at just the place a candle is buring, well it could happen in a flash.
I once had one floor plant. It was a rather large prickly cactus. You'd think they'd leave it alone with those spines. HAH!

[Barbara]

everybody knew Edwina is the purrrfect lady. But for all of us (Tigris, the semi Siberian must have been part of the Mongol hordes in one of his former lifes) there comes the hard time: Christmas without candles

[boscibo]

My cats don't get up on the kitchen counters - my kitchen is tiny, and there is barely any counter space. There's simply no room for them to jump up.

I had a scare last night. I read before I go to sleep, and I left the bedroom and when I came back in, my reading lamp was on the floor! I was afraid the bulb broke, but it was intact (although the fall made the bulb not work anymore). I was expecting the worst - glass and broken lamp parts all over. So now - no more reading lamp, until the kitten is older. Older cats leave stuff alone more than kittens - maybe that's why I've been so lucky.

As far as plants go, I only let non-poisonous in the house, and have the best luck with plants that have thick, tough leaves. THe cats don't like to chew on those as much.

I have a large collection of model horses. I keep all my expensive ones behind glass in cabinets. The ones that are replaceable I keep out. I know I'm tempting fate by leaving them out, but I have a lot of them, and not enough room for all of them to be behind glass. I'm crossing my fingers.