Holiday DANGERS to your pet

 

Keep the holidays happy by being pro-active to eliminate any possible dangers to your beloved pets! Remember - your cat isn't a novelty item & it's dangerous to try & decorate your cat with ribbons etc!!

POISONOUS:

Artificial snow is toxic to cats, so is best avoided.

Chocolate is toxic to cats, the darker the chocolate, the more toxic. Chocolate contains both caffeine & theobromine, which are both toxic. If you suspect your cat has eaten chocolate watch for signs of restlessness & vomiting, if in doubt, see your vet.

Poison plants include Holly, mistletoe, poinsettias

 

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TINSEL, etc

 

Be careful with tinsel, if you must have it on your tree, place it at the top of the tree where the cat is less likely to be able to get at it.

Tinsel AND Ribbons can be caught around the intestines & stomach & cause a blockage, which will result in emergency (and costly) surgery to remove it. It can also wrap around the tongue or even cause death by choking

A safer alternative are the strands of beads.

Ornaments should be securely attached to the tree to prevent them being knocked off. Also place delicate ornaments up high where they're less likely to be knocked off & broken. When there is nobody around, unplug Christmas lights, you may want to try applying a cat repellent such as bitter apple to the lights to deter your cat from chewing the wires, obviously if this was to happen it could cause a fatal electric shock.

Candles are especially popular over the Christmas holiday period, be careful to make sure your cat can't get close to lit candles.

 

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PETS AS GIFTS

 

Buying a kitten as a gift is fine as long as the person receiving the kitten has asked for a pet & is prepared for the commitment of pet owning for the next several years. Pet ownership is a big responsibility & shouldn't be entered into lightly.

Never buy a pet as a surprise gift for somebody!! Animal shelters can tell you that one of their busiest times of the year is just after Christmas people bring them unwanted pets

Also, because Christmas is usually such a chaotic time, it is best to try & arrange to collect your kitten after Christmas to avoid undue stress on the animal.

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GOING AWAY ON VACATION

 

If you are going away on holiday, you may have several alternatives:

  • If you are going away for an extended period of time you may want to consider asking a friend or relative to house sit. THIS is the BEST method if you are lucky enough to have someone to do this for you!


  • There are a growing number of pet sitters available these days. They will come over once or twice a day to feed & play with your cat & to clean the litter tray. I find this most suitable when going away for a few days and this is what we use. They are reasonable and ours is reliable. If you have multiple cats, be sure to print out a list of pictures with their date of birth, name and preferences for each cat to help the pet sitter


  • Boarding the cats while you are gone. ** This is the LEAST favored option **
    While this is a good choice for dogs, it sometimes has a long-lasting personality affect on cats. So if your cat comes home acting 'differently' you MUST be patient and try re-assuring it. Many vets also do boarding for cats but their cages tend to be small so this is an OK choice for a couple days. Be sure to supply your OWN food for the cat

Whichever option you take, make sure you leave a phone number where you can be contacted & your vet's telephone number in case of an emergency.

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