Holiday Cat Hazards to Avoid

The holidays are a joyous and exciting time of the year filled with parties and presents galore. But at the same time, it can be extremely stressful for the entire family, and that includes our beloved pets. It’s one of the busiest seasons of the year, which can result in being forgetful and careless about making sure that home is a safe environment for your cats. Don’t let the stresses of the holidays overwhelm you so much that your four-legged friend are endangered. Here are some of the top dangers to avoid this time of the year.

1. Trash: Cats like to get into everything, especially if you let them. They can discover a lot of dangerous and hazardous objects in the trash and may accidentally ingest them. Make sure to keep your trash in a tight, secure container or far away from their reach.
2. Festive Foods: The holidays are often associated with nonstop feasting full of rich foods, many of which can be toxic and harmful to our cats. Make sure foods are completely out of reach of your cats, especially anything containing alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, dairy, fat trimmings and onions.
3. Potpourri: Potpourri is a great way to make the house smell more festive during the holidays and while it can look fun and emit an alluring scent, it can be extremely hazardous to our cats, especially if ingested.
4. Ribbons and Bows: Cats love to get their paw onto ribbons and strings, but if they ingest them, it can get tangled up in their digestive tract causing blockage and resulting in surgery, sometimes even death Make sure to keep presents away from cats. And when it comes to unwrapping them, make sure the paper and ribbons go directly into a trash bag, away from your cats.
5. Trees and Ornaments: Cats love to climb up trees if you let them, which can sometimes be inevitable, but if your tree is unstable, it can topple over and injure your cat. Make sure that your tree is fixed securely in a stand. It's also a good idea to get a skirt to cover the tree water, especially if you add preservatives to keep your tree alive. Although not 100% toxic to your cats, it may cause an upset stomach.  In addition, ornaments are an attractive and shiny toy for cats to get their paws on. If you have a cat that likes to jump onto your tree and play with your ornaments, make sure they are unbreakable and not a choking hazard.
6. Tinsel: If you’re a cat owner, it might be a good idea to skip the tinsel. It can look like a chew toy to them which, if ingested, can cause severe damage to the intestinal tract.
7. Fireplace Ashes: It goes without saying that hot ashes can be extremely dangers to our furry friends and while cold ashes might not be hazardous, it can get all over their paws and create a huge, annoying mess in the house.
8. Guests: If your cat is not used to having strangers or guests in the house and you anticipate having people over for the holidays, it’s important to make your cat feel safe so that he or she doesn’t feel the need to run away or react aggressively or dangerously towards your guests.