Pet Haven

Christmas is a great time of year, and if you’ve got children it’s also a time of great excitement.  However, if you’ve got a cat, it’s also a time when you need to be extra vigilant so that you don’t inadvertently put your cat at risk from some of the Christmas traditions that seem harmless.

A beautiful Christmas tree is one of the most visual signs of the coming celebration, but to a cat it’s a dazzling array of sparkling toys to be played with.  Your cat will stalk the various baubles and try to knock off anything that’s dangling temptingly down.  The lower branches should therefore be free of anything that’s expensive and fragile as you can expect to put anything that’s at this level back onto the tree almost daily!

The tree itself needs to be secured from both the ceiling and the wall behind it – some parcel string and small hooks should be enough to withstand a probably assault by an active cat who attempts to climb right up the centre of it!  Tinsel should be firmly attached to the tree branches at both ends, and none of the light wires should be accessible to curious paws.  Finally, avoid the string tinsel as this can seriously, if not fatally, injure any cat that swallows it.

Gift wrapping is another source of potential hazards for a cat owner.  When you’re wrapping your parcels keep an eye on what your cat’s doing.  Make sure that he doesn’t start chewing tape, or curling ribbon that you’re using to dress up your parcels.  When it comes to packages that you are intending to put under the tree, don’t use curling ribbon at all – this is just too much temptation and your cat will shred your beautifully gift wrapped parcel in no time, and could even end up at the vets if he swallows some of the ribbon or tape and it gets stuck.  Never be tempted to wrap anything that contains catnip and place it under (or worse, in) the tree.  

Cats can smell catnip anywhere and they’ll dig with their claws through all the other gifts until they find the source of that wonderful smell!  Keep their gifts in a drawer that they can’t get into until it’s time to open them – think of them as toddlers who don’t understand the idea of waiting for the right time, or the fact that they shouldn’t destroy other packages to find their own!

On Christmas Day make sure that the cat isn’t playing with any dangerous gift wrap or packaging that comes from the gifts, and make sure that the turkey bones are disposed of securely so that the cat isn’t tempted to look for them.

Cats are both playful and inquisitive by nature, and Christmastime is a fuel for both of these traits so keep the above tips in mind and minimize the scrapes your feline friend can get himself into this year!

• Christmas Day with Dogs and Kids
• Big Dog, Little Dog – Assessing the Situation
• Does Your Cat Have Diabetes?
• Buying a Puppy from an Animal Shelter
• Is Your Cat Pregnant?

Comments are closed.