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Category: holiday cat safety
Have a Merry Little Cat-Friendly Holiday!
November 3, 2024
I don’t know about you, but I am starting to get excited thinking about decorating for the holidays! Pets and holidays can be harmonious with a little thoughtful, advance planning.
Live versus Fake Christmas Trees
One thing that never occurred to me was how deadly my live holiday tree potentially was to my cats and dogs. Once I realized this, the fake tree won hands down. While the pine fragrance of a live tree is lovely, pine needles are mildly toxic and downright dangerous if ingested. Real trees are also preserved with toxic chemicals that make their standing water dangerous to pets.
Avoid These Plants:
Other potentially risky décor items you should avoid in a pet household are toxic plants such as yew, ivy, holly, mistletoe, and poinsettia. It’s better to not have them around as a chewing temptation for feline and canine family members.
Nix These Décor Items:
Tinsel and low hanging glass ornaments are major hazards for cats and dogs. Tinsel can cause choking and injury if swallowed. Glass ornaments can be easily swatted and broken, causing injury. Choose wooden, plastic or non-breakable ornaments to decorate your tree.
Thankfully, the internet is filled with lots of excellent pet care resources so we can learn all these important safety tips before anybody gets hurt. No one wants a last-minute emergency trip to the vet!
Invest in Your Cat’s Safety:
Always provide your pets with their favorite toys to divert their attention away from holiday decorations and to keep them occupied and safe. Cats love catnip, silvervine and honeysuckle-filled grab toys, teaser toys to chase and treat puzzles to satiate curious minds. Providing them with their own cat tree to climb and scratch will likewise distract them from your holiday tree.
Dedicate a space in your home exclusively for your cats to enjoy while the guests are partying. You will find it is a great solution to help keep your furballs happy and secure. Set up their food and water bowls, litter boxes and toys, as well as a cozy bed or blanket for napping.
Have a purr-fect holiday season!
How Safe is your Cat from your Christmas Tree?
I don’t know about you, but I start getting excited to put up my Christmas tree around Halloween, but I somehow manage to restrain myself until after Thanksgiving. One thing I almost never think about is how deadly my Christmas tree potentially is to my pets. Thankfully, the internet exists and is filled with lots of great pet care resources so we can learn all these important safety tips before anybody gets hurt. Phew!
These 5 tips for a pet-safe Christmas tree were a real eye opener for me. For instance, did you know that if you’ve got a live tree standing in water, you must make sure that your cat or dog can’t get into the water because the tree is preserved with toxic chemicals that seep into the water?
And so much for tinsel on the tree. Tinsel can cause severe damage if swallowed by pets. This news will make my husband happy because he hates tinsel, not because he wants pets to swallow it!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, so let’s make sure it isn’t a tragic time. Be sure to check out the full infographic here and then let us know in the comments if any surprised you! Is there anything you think the list is missing? How safe is YOUR cat from your Christmas tree?