author Sara Thornton DVM iCandy RagaMuffins
Holidays are exciting times in the household. This is stressful for your pet. Keep your cat’s play time a priority to help reduce the stress. Don’t put off cleaning the litter box! Keeping an eye on your cat’s toilet habits is important. Catching diarrhea or a urinary tract problem early can make the difference in life or death for your precious muffin.
Keep safety in mind with any toys or treats you buy for your pet. Some toys need supervision when your kitty plays with them. They can get tangled up dangerously in toys with long dangling string or ingest smaller toys, which can lead to an intestinal obstruction.
And then there are the decorations…..kitties love to climb Christmas trees. Be sure yours is well secured. Kitties also love to eat tinsel and ribbon. It’s best not to use these items in areas where cats have access. Ingestion of linear items can cause serious, life threatening obstructions.
Liquid potpourri is particularly dangerous for a cat; a small amount can result in severe chemical burns in the mouth, fever, difficulty breathing, and tremors. Lit candles are an obvious hazard. Always supervise!
Toxic plants are also on the holiday agenda. Lilies are particularly deadly. Other plants, like mistletoe, and holly berries can make a kitty’s tummy sick and can even cause heart arrythmias.
This list can be scary, but knowledge is power. In this case, it is the power to keep your feline family members safe during a busy time of year.