caring for your house cat

If you are thinking about getting a kitten then you will want to make sure that your home is kitten proof. In order to make sure that your kitten is safe in your home there are a few precautions that you should take. Here are a few tips that will help to keep your new pet safe.

Get Identification

Identification tags are not just for older cats. When a kitten is in new surroundings it is much more likely to wander off. Just in case your kitten ends up outside your home you will want to make sure that you have placed an identification tag on them, so that it will be more likely that it will returned to you if it gets lost.

Detox Your Home

Take an inventory of your home before you bring home a new kitten. Remove anything that could be considered toxic. Common toxic items include pesticides and repellants. However, kittens like to chew on plants but some of them are toxic to cats. Two popular plants that are toxic to cats are the poinsettia plant and lilies. Even if you love these plants you will have to get rid of them before your new kitten arrives.

Feed Your Kitten Carefully

It can be tempting to feed your new kitten some of the scraps from the family table. However, this is usually not the best idea. Often, kittens are fed things that they should not be eating such as bones that have been cooked, onions and even chocolate. Cooked bones can lodge in your kitten's throat or bore holes in your kitten's intestines. Chocolate and onions can be toxic to your kitten.

Secure Trouble Spots

When you bring your kitten home for the first time, it is likely that they will try to find a place to hide. This is normal, so you should prepare for it by securing potentially troublesome spots, such as air vents. You can buy mesh and install it behind the vents to seal off the openings. Fix broken window shades as well as torn screen doors, since your kitten may become tangled in them while trying to hide.

It is exciting to have a new kitten in the home. However, you must make sure that you do all that you can to ensure that your new kitten stays safe and secure. Once you have taken care of your kitten's safety and security then you can start enjoying the new addition to your family.

To learn more about vet safety, contact an animal hospital like Beaver Lake Animal Hospital.