HAZARDS IN THE HOME

I’ve been asked by a very good friend to do a piece on just a few of the dangers that could be lurking in our homes that may me poisonous to our furry little friends.
She was very surprised when I told her about some of these things and thinks that it would be good to share this information as a lot of other people may not know and although they may be an everyday thing for us, they can pose a threat to our cats.
There are many plants both in and outdoors that are dangerous to our cats but I’ll only be listing a few of the most common ones that we may go out and buy for our homes.

Lilies – these are quite often found in bouquets of flowers but believe it or not they are poisonous to cats.
I was just reading in a recent addition of your cat magazine that a lady went out one day thinking her house was cat safe and when she returned she found her cat collapsed on the floor having just eaten one of the lilies.
If like me you don’t like lilies this won’t be a problem but for those of you that like them then please spare a thought for that nosey, furry person that lurks in your house and cut out the stamens and place the vase up high so they can’t reach it.

Poinsettia – you can almost guarantee one of these will be in your house at Christmas time but is it worth it just for a few weeks. They may look pretty but what happens if your cats eat them, you could end up having a miserable Christmas.
Another must for some people at Christmas is mistletoe which is usually found hanging around the house but this too is another poisonous plant to cats.

My Mogwai has a special liking for plants that look like grass especially if they are dangling, they say that cats know which plants they can and can’t eat but I say why take that chance, cats are naturally nosey and in my experience will have their little noses in everything. Twice Mogwai has eaten a plant that has made him very poorly one was my spider plant (he was vomiting for 24hours) and the other was a plant from the sedge family. He was vomiting for 72 hours and had to go onto intra venus fluids to flush out his system, it was the fact that he is such a big boy that got him through.

CLEANING PRODUCTS

Whilst they are part of our every day life please spare a thought when using and storing them.
Some products can cause skin irritations in our cats. I have seen this from products used to freshen carpets or upholstery.
Bleach is another dangerous product and should be used with extreme care, always dilute it for cleaning and if you use it in your toilet always keep the seat down as cats like to drink from the strangest of places.
It’s not only in the house you need to be careful, there are also a number of products used on cars that can be poisonous to cats, car batteries and anti freeze can cause ulcers in the mouth if licked, these are extremely painful and take a long time to heal, they will also stop your cat from being able to eat.


LAMINATE FLOORING

Although not poisonous laminate flooring can be quite dangerous to all pets.
They make life very easy for us and they look nice but have you noticed how difficult it can be for our pets to run and play because they are so slippery. It could be the equivalent of us walking on ice without the proper footwear.
It may be humorous to watch but it’s very easy for our pets to slip or slide in an awkward position and hurt their back or legs which could end up with a trip to the vets and in some cases surgery, they can also cause tension patterens in your pets spine just as you would tense if you were on a surface that you were unsure off. I’m not trying to scare those of you that already have laminate flooring because I too have it in my house but to make life easier place a few rugs or vet bedding around the house until they get used to life on a slippery surface also it’s not always nice for them to sleep on a cold hard surface.

These are just a few of the things you should watch out for around the house, for a full list of poisonous and dangerous products for our cats visit The Feline Advisory Bureau’s website on www.fabcats.org then click on information for owners then poisoning and cats, you will also find all the information you may require for the health and well being of your naughty, furry little friend.


IF YOU SUSPECT YOUR CAT HAS BEEN POISONED THEN PLEASE CONTACT YOUR VET IMMEDIATELY AND GIVE THEM AS MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN POISONED WITH SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE THE APPROPRAITE ACTION NEEDED.