The great majority of people with small children spend a lot of time discovering ways to turn their homes “accident-proof”.

As incredible as it may seem the same happens (or it should happen) with people and their cats.

Cats are naturally curious animals and they can’t defend themselves against the many traps that they may encounter in a normal home during the course of the day.

Cats love heat. A tiny sun beam or a hot zone, and that’s were they are! You don’t need to look any further. The story of the lady that placed her cat in the washing machine and put it to work is unfortunately true. Cats hide themselves in the strangest places and we must always be very careful. Never leave your cat too close to the fireplace that doesn’t have a protection; his fur can be set on fire by a spark or the cat can burn himself in a protection that is too hot.

Cats are very sensitive to insecticides and the accidental poisoning is one of the most common causes of death, either because cats have access to them in the kitchen or because they bite a plant that has been treated with insecticides or pesticides. Remove these or any others poisons from areas accessible to the cat. Remember: what is poisoning for humans is poisoning for cats.

Some plants we have at home are also fatal to cats. Get rid of them or place them out of the cat’s reach. You can obtain a complete list at: http://www.cfainc.org/articles/plants.html.

Never use on a cat an antiparasitic drug that’s not cat-specific and even when they are cat-specific never use them prior to speaking with your vet to make sure that the product is appropriate for the cat’s situation. Also never give your cat any medicines which haven’t been prescribed by a vet; cats are extremely sensible to chemical substances and even minimal quantities can be fatal.

At first sight wires and threads may seem an excellent form of entertainment for the kittens. A simple paper ball tied to a thread will guarantee hours of enjoyment. However, many cats swallow those threads and die! Such games have to be always supervised.

Do you like to sew your clothes? Unfortunately cats also like needles and buttons,   which they often swallow, requiring immediate surgery to save the animals’ life.

The cat of the household is in danger if you live in a storey building. The higher the floor, the bigger the potential fall. We have treated cats that have fallen from the seventh floor! Obviously, the ideal is that the cat doesn’t fall at all. You must bear in mind that cats are agile animals that can jump from a window and fall very easily. If you live above the first floor all the windows and doors must be always locked or alternatively protected with mosquito nets.

If you wish to add a new a kitten to your feline family, make sure: 1) that the new lodger doesn’t suffer from any contagious ailment; 2) that the vaccination of the older cat is updated.