You’ll want to make sure that your home is as kitten proof as possible before he or she gets there.
- Keep all dangerous cleaning chemicals, pesticides or antifreeze up and out of the way or behind child-locked cupboard doors.
- Some plants that may be harmful to kittens are listed below and should be kept out of reach (bulbs, Lupine or Bluebonnet, Rhubarb, Azalea , Rhododendron, Tobacco, Buckeye or Horsechestunt, Spurges or Euphorbia, Black or Bitter Nightshade, Combinb Bittersweet, Horsenettle, Milkweed and Larkspur)
- Make sure to fold and secure your window blind cords with a rubber band out of kitty’s reach. If she gets tangles up in it, the kitten could be strangled.
- We recommend keeping all cats indoors. There are too many dangerous situations and diseases cats can be exposed to if allowed to go outside.
- Always keep the door to your clothes dryer closed and double check inside before using it. Cats like to find dark, warm places to sleep and the results could be tragic.
- Keep the floor clean of stray rubber bands, ribbon and twine. All are hazardous when ingested by a kitten.
- Keep you toilet lid down at all times, lest kitty fall in or drink from it.
- Do not keep your kitten in the garage. Anti-freeze is very tasty to animals and is just one of the common poisonous substances found in garages.
- Cover electrical outlets with covers sold for that purpose.
- Remove all breakable valuables from high shelves.
- Use animal-safe insect repellant. Commerical roach and ant poison will kill cats if ingested.
Tips:
- Bittter Apple or lemon-scented sprays are both great for marking areas you want to be off-limits. Cats hate the taste and/or scent of them.
- Make sure you look at your home through the eyes of a cat. Find everything that looks like a swell toy, and if it’s something harmful, get rid of it or make it safe.
Your Kittens Safe Room
When you bring your kitten home, have a special place set up and ready for them. Ideally, this would be a separate room apart from the rest of the family and any pets. This will give your kitten a smaller area to get accustomed to until they feel comfortable about coming out to explore. Leaving your kitten’s carrier open in the “safe room” allows them a closed-in space that they can sleep in and return to if they are frightened. Make sure you visit them often because they’ll need a lot of cuddling and socialization with you to build up their confidence! If there are no other pets in the house, a few days in the safe room should be enough for your kitten before they are able to explore. You may still want this to be the kitten’s sleeping room.
