Information Kitten-proofing Your Home

Provide a Secure Place for your Curious Kitty

Ensure a safe home for your new explorer by following the simple suggestions below:

1. Look before you step
2. Locate your kitten before you sit down on the sofa or use the recliner
3. Close the lids and doors of washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers and ovens (and double check that your kitten is not in any of these before turning on)
4. Closely supervise your kitten when the stove burners are hot
5. Store bleach, cleaners, human medications, vitamins and other chemicals toxic to felines in a location your kitten can't reach (and in containers your kitten cannot open)
6. Leave no kitten unattended when the bathtub is full
7. Keep the toilet seat down to prevent your kitten from drowning or from drinking from the bowl
8. Cover all electrical cords with rubber tubes or sticky tape, or spray with citrus juice or Bitter Apple to keep your kitten from chewing on them
9. Place toxic plants in a closed-off room, hang them out of reach, or remove them from the house completely
10. Keep string and yarn well out of your kitten's reach
11. Stash sewing materials such as buttons, needles and pins in a secure spot
12. Keep windows closed or outfitted with securely fitted screens, and screen in upper level patio or balcony decks
13. Tie up window-shade pulls so they're well out of your kitten's reach
14. Do not use clumping litter -- scoopable (clumping) litter can be ingested by kittens
15. Close or block off access to open motors and small spaces behind appliances or cabinets
16. Store plastic bags where your cat cant reach them. Cats can get inside the bags and suffocate or chew them and swallow bits of plastic
17. Cut plastic six-pack beverage holders apart to prevent your cat from getting tangled in them

Remember: these safety suggestions pertain to both kittens and adult cats.

Information obtained from Catnip Newsletter, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine

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