The followin’ post will be written in human English fur reader and translator ease. Our Service Cat posts aren’t intended to be an all inclusive Trainin’ Manual but rather Tips, Tricks and Techniques used/developed by mommy A thru her many years of animal trainin’, cats in purrticular. And to offur insight into your questions about Everything Feline. Always remember, Training is all ‘bout Repetition and Rewards.
MeOW Welcome to Service Cats and Everything Feline on Furidays. Every week we try to answer questions asked by all of you ‘bout Training, Health, Behavior or anything else you’re wonderin’ ‘bout the little ball of fluff residing in your homes. We also take on topics you’ve suggested and try to help humans better unnerstand the Feline and sometimes the woofies too. That’s right, a lot of the Tips we give can be used fur pets of all species. Ifin you have a question or blog topic you’d like to see, purrlease leave a comment in the comments section below or send us an email via our Contact page in our menu. And, ifin you’ve missed any of the posts in this series or just want to refresh your memory, you ketch up by clickin’ the links on our Training Tips and Everything Feline page in our menu above.
For the last 3 weeks we’ve focused on Kitten/Cat Proofing your home; and, we’ll be wrapping that up today with a few last Tips and Suggestions. If you’ve missed Pt. 1, 2, or 3 click on the corresponding numbers to read them now. We truly hope we’ve helped make bringing a new kitty or puppy into your home easier and less stressful. We would first like to add something brought to our attention by one of our very smart readers. Just when you thought you’d covered all possible dangers, someone mentions something you totally forgot about.
Last week we covered the Sewing and Craft room but totally forgot about the Iron. Yep, some people do still iron. Mommy uses a steamer more than an iron, so it just slipped our minds. However, a hot iron is a serious danger to pets and humans alike. And the dangly cord hanging over the edge of the ironing board is a great temptation for kitty/puppy. Never leave an iron unattended or plugged in when not in use. As me said, mommy prefers using a steamer not only on her clothes but also for cleaning. For water to turn into steam, the temperature reaches scalding hot. Never, blast kitty/woofy with steam, it will burn them.
Outside: The Predator Becomes the Prey:
As most of you know, we believe kitties belong inside and not out roaming around without their human. The dangers lurking outside are overwhelmingly huge. Kitties in particular are not only predators but also prey, especially small kittens and cats. Owls, Hawks, Eagles, Coyotes, Wolves, Bobcats, Cougars, Alligators, Crocodiles and many other wild animals can, will and do hunt our small furry friends.
Rabies, carried by a number of wild animals can be transmitted through bites during a fight or saliva from an infected animal entering an open wound of a healthy animal/human. Feral Cat Colonies are at high risk of harboring and spreading Rabies as well as other fatal and non fatal feline diseases. Cars are another danger outside cats face. Over *6 million cats and dogs were killed by cars in the U.S. alone last year. (* – browser search). Cats are at a higher risk than dogs. In the winter time, car engines often provide a tempting place for cats/kittens to get warm. Please, Always knock on the hood of your car before starting it up, especially in the colder months.
Poisons:
Outside cats are at risk of being poisoned, either by accident or on purpose. Many people think cats are a nuisance and put out poisons. Cats may also be poisoned by eating mice or other small animals that have been poisoned themselves. We personally lost a friend a few years ago who ate one such mouse. While poisoning from antifreeze is more common in dogs, it’s still a risk for cats. Please clean up any anti freeze you see standing around your car and store any containers in an area away from kitties/woofies.
Many plants and flowers are toxic to kitties; as are most of the sprays used to keep bugs off garden plants. If you allow kitty outside in your garden, try to use non-toxic bug sprays and plant only safe foliage. Perhaps you could even plant kitty their own little garden area with some ornamental grasses and cat nip/mint. When offered the choice between your poisonous plants and nip or grass, kitty will almost always choose the latter.
Garage/Shed:
The Garage or Shed is another room that harbors dangers and even death for kitty/woofy. If you use your garage for your car, be sure to keep any oil, antifreeze, or other liquids that may leak, cleaned up. Also, store any containers of these items out of kitty’s reach. A locker or other enclosed shelf is a great place for storing dangerous items and tools. Put tools, especially those with sharp edges, away as well as any small nails, screws, zip ties, and other tempting play objects. Use plastic storage containers with lids instead of boxes. Not only are boxes tempting to kitty, but they’re also a fire hazard. Store bikes, skateboards, surf boards and other large equipment on racks or shelving.
Cat Toys and Furniture:
Now, let’s talk a bit about toys designed for our play. One would think that a toy or furniture item designed specifically for us would be perfectly safe, right? If only that were true. Most everybody knows we kitties love things that dangle from a string/cord. We love the string maybe more than the toy at the end. MOL However, most of those dangly toys are terribly dangerous. Me almost hung me’s self when me was just about 5 weeks old. Yep, that great little perch mommy sits in front of the door for us had a “mouse on a string” hanging down from the top ledge. Me would swat at it and pull at it and pull it up with me’s mouth. One day, me turned and turned and turned with it in me’s mouth till the elastic string had gotten wrapped around me’s tiny neck and pulled me off the perch. There me was dangling by the neck. Mommy was horrified and terrified and…obviously, she came to me’s rescue or me wouldn’t be here to tell you about it today. But, she did learn a lesson, Never leave dangly things, attached by string or elastic, to our toys or furniture.
Yep, mommy’ll be removin’ that dangly befur lettin’ us play
with this unattended.
Hanging isn’t the only danger. If swallowed, strings can wreak havoc in our intestines. Because of the barbs on a cat’s tongue, we can’t actually push things out of our mouths very well. The more we struggle to spit out the string, the further in our mouths it goes. That brings me to the next set of toys that pose a danger to us. A lot of those cute little mice furries have tiny beads for eyes. The plastic ones often have a plastic push bead for a nose. While they might make the mousey look more like a mousey, they’re terribly dangerous and are often removed within the first few minutes of play. Y, Some of us kitties go so far as to remove the fur altogether and begin to eat the plastic mousey. Me’s never really seen a real mousey, so how’s me supposed to know the difference in taste of a real mouse or a plastic one? Apparently tho’, the plastic mousey is far more dangerous than the real thing. Chewed up plastic has sharp edges that can tear or cut our intestines.
Do mouseys have eyes?
We highly recommend removing all dangle toys from cat furniture by cutting the string or elastic closest to the area of attachment. We recommend removing all glued on pieces like eyes, noses, tails, etc. from kitty/doggy toys. Some woofies are really hard on their toys. We recommend throwing out any plastic toys that appear chewed, before kitty/woofy can eat/swallow them. If a stuffed toy is ripped, throw out any stuffing before it can be consumed. Mommy says when giving kitty/doggy a new toy, it’s a good idea to watch how it’s played with before allowing unattended play. Wand toys are a favorite of most kitties. We love it when our human plays with us. However, when you can’t be around, put the wands away or out of our reach. Anything listed as “interactive” means it requires supervision to be safe.
Thankfully these eyes were painted on, so mousey got to keep his eyes.
He lost his ribbon right after this foto shoot tho’. Sometimes, mommy’s no fun at all.
Wrap Up:
We know we’ve presented a lot of information over the last few weeks, but believe it or not, we only hit the highlights. Our last thought about kitties and the outdoors is that kitty should never be outside alone. We highly recommend harness and leash training. Just remember when introducing a new kitty/woofy into your home for the first time, don’t assume because your last kitty/woofy knew better the new one will. If this is your first kitty or woofy, thank you for saving a life, now take the precautions to kitten/cat proof your home so that you can both enjoy a long and happy life together. Take a look around your house, yard, garage and general living area, if you think it might be dangerous, remove it or take steps to make it safe. Lastly, Train your new kitty/woofy with some basic manners and you’ll both be happier for it. You can read Training Tips for appropriate Scratching and other behavioral challenges by clicking the links on our Training Tips and Everything Feline page. And don’t forget to leave your questions in the comments section below or send us an email at: lexi.dezi@yahoo.com or via our Contact page.
Wand toys are me’s favorites.
We’re joinin’ Comedy Plus fur Feline Furiday. What would you like to read about next here on Service Cat Furiday? Does your kitty do somethin’ or have a weird habit that you wonder ‘bout? We wanna hear from you, purrlease leave us a comment and we’ll see you next week fur another foray into the magical world of Feline Behavior.
Till the next time…………………………………………….Be Blest!!!
Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses
Service Cats U.S. 