Cat-proofing your home for your new cat or making your house safer for your current cat is cat safety 101. Making your home cat-safe is going to make your cat’s life safer. A cat-proof house will also add to your family’s enjoyment of your lovely kitten. Another way to protect your home from your kitten is to trim your cat’s claws.
Getting your home ready for a pussycat is much more than buying cat food and a litter box. Even the most basic household items can pose a danger to your new feline friend. To ensure your kitty’s safety and health, it’s key to cat-proof every room in your home.
Here are some tips on cat-proofing your house, room by room.
How to cat-proof your house?
With a bit of preparation, you can cat-proof your house. Every home presents dangers to house cats. Cat-proofing will provide comfort and safety for your kitten.
Knowing how to make your house inviting and safe should result in you and your kitty having many years of happiness in your home.
As you make your home safe for your cat, remember they are small, agile and will try to get in every nook and cranny. Cat-proofing will help avoid accidents for your house cat and keep your belongings safe.
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How to cat-proof your wires?
You can cat-proof your wires, cords, and cables in your home. For kittens, wires are fascinating. Wires, cords, and cables are toys that never seize to amuse. Chewing and playing with wires is just another fun activity around the house.
But if you care about the safety of your house cat, you will cat-proof the wires around your home. Cat-proofing your wires is important to prevent your cat from becoming shocked or strangled. With a bit of creativity and a little time invested, you can protect your kitty your cords.
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Hide excess cords to keep your cat safe
Hiding excess cords is an important aspect of cat-proofing your home. Keep dangling cords out of reach. Cats can wrap dangling cords around their neck if they can reach them.
Shorten cords to prevent strangulation hazards. If your cat can reach a dangling cord, it’s too long, and you need to shorten it to the point they are totally out of reach. You can use a cable turtle to shorten dangling cords.
Raise cables to protect from cats
An easy way to cat-proof electrical cors is to lift them off the floor. To keep them raised, you should affix wires to surfaces with adhesive-backed cord clips. They are versatile, inexpensive, and easy to install on tabletops, shelving, around doorways, or on the underside of desks. With the adhesive-backed clips, you can route cords up and secure them to various surfaces.
Lifting electrical wires can help prevent cats from yanking on slack cable lengths and pulling appliances like irons, hairdryers, lamps, and flat-screen TVs over themselves.
Cat-proof wires with spiral wrap
It may seem like common sense to you, but rambunctious cats don’t know that it’s dangerous to sink their teeth into electrical wires. One great way to protect your cat and cables alike is to purchase some spiral wrap or wire loom. This small investment will provide your wires with a protective shield.
Cat owners report that spiral wrap is perfect for use with cats. One lady I know had terrific results when she bought spiral wrap to keep cords from being gnawed by her pussycat.
Disguise wires to cat-proof your home
Cat-proofing wires, cords, and cables is also about camouflage. Look for cat-proof solutions that will blend in with the surroundings. For example, if your walls are dark, using a light-colored wire loom might draw the unnecessary attention of your kitty. If wires are less noticeable, there’s a better chance that your cats won’t treat them like the best toy in the world.
How to cat-proof your windows?
You can make windows cat-proof by placing double-stick tape on the windowsill. The double-sided tape will deter your cat from jumping up because cats dislike sticky surfaces.
Remember that a scratch-resistant screen is not the same as a cat-safe screen. For example, a window screen might be designed to resist scratching damage, but it isn’t built to keep your cat safe. So, before you install any window screen, check with the manufacturer.
Cat-proof windows with pet-resistant screen
Replace your window screens with pet-resistant screens or heavy mesh. Pet resistant screening is engineered to be scratch, tear, and puncture-resistant. If installed correctly, it will resist damage by most house cats. Cat resistant screens are sold in rolls.
How to cat-proof a fish tank?
If you want to keep your fish when you have cats, you must cat-proof your fish tank. If you believe the National Geographic, and I do, cats can jump six times their own height. So, there aren’t many places in your home where your cat can’t reach a fish tank.
Apply aluminum foil or stick double-sided tape on the surface the fish tank sits on. Cats dislike the sound of aluminum foil and the touch of sticky surfaces, so your kitten will learn to avoid the fish tank if these materials surround it.
You can also attach these materials to the lid of the fish tank to discourage your cat from trying to open it. However, ensure that you don’t cover up any air holes your fish need to survive.
How to cat-proof your plants?
If you cat-proof your houseplants, you create a home in which both can live harmoniously together. Perhaps the easiest way to cat-proof your plants is to hang them. The higher you raise your plants, the more difficult it is for your kitty to leap for them.
Of course, you could wrap the pot in aluminum foil. It may keep your cat away from your plants. And as a bonus, it may prevent your cat from using the pot as a litter box.
How to cat-proof your furniture?
So, how do you protect your furniture from your beloved kitten? While a loud hiss might deter a puppy, you need to do better with a cat.
If you can stop your cat from using the furniture as a scratching post, you are halfway there. House cats scratch to mark their territory, and they don’t care that you also want to sleep on the thing.
Let’s face it; cats aren’t like dogs, so no amount of talking, pleading or begging will stop them from scratching your furniture sometimes. But don’t give up. Instead, think of yourself as a scientist and experiment with moving the scratching post near the furniture your pussycat loves to scratch so much. Hey, it may work, and if it doesn’t, at least you know that scratching (yes, destroying your furniture) is a natural behavior for cats.
Cat-proofing your living room
Start cat-proofing your living room by tying and covering up wires, cords and cables. Chewing is a favorite pass time among our feline friends. If you let them nibble on electrical wires, cats can get electrocuted or even strangle themselves if you fail to cat-proof your living room.
Many cats are guilty of destructive carpet scratching. Part of cat-proofing your home is to stop your cat from scratching the carpet.
Apply pet-proof window screens to keep your cats in your home. Keep candles, especially when lit, out of reach. Cats are dangerous around flames. Flameless candles are cat-proof and offer all the ambiance without being a hazard to a kitty.
How to cat-proof your bedroom?
Cat-proofing your bedroom has two distinct goals: protecting your bedroom and everything in it and cat-safety. It’s wise to kitty-proof your bedroom before you bring home your cat. If it’s in your bedroom, rest assured, your cat will find it. So, protect it before your feline friend can get to it or hurt herself.
Curiosity can injure or even kill your cat, so keep sharp objects, mothballs, thread, medications, rubber bands, needles, and other hazards off your nightstands. So, prowl like a cat and start hunting for dangers in your bedroom.
How to cat-proof your garden?
One of the simplest ways to cat-proof your garden is to install flexible overhead netting. The cat-proof netting is engineered to stop unwanted cats from climbing on trees or over fences. The flexible net can be installed on every type of fence, including wire, PVC, masonry, and wood. The net barrier is attached to an angle on the fence. Due to the angle of the net, cats can’t get through the fence and into your yard.
How to cat-proof a fence?
Another option to cat-proof your garden is a free-standing fence. The free-standing fence is suitable for areas without a fence already installed. You can buy special cat fence kits online. Each cat fence should include arms, wire, and posts. If you are handy, you could install the cat fence in one day or hire a handyman for the job.
How to cat-proof a tree?
The quickest way to cat-proof a tree is to trim rotted limbs that can fall onto your pussycat.
How to cat-proof an apartment?
With a few simple measures, you can easily cat-proof your apartment.
Your cat will explore your apartment. And if you want to keep it safe, you need to clear shelves and counters of dangerous items. Unfortunately, few places are out of reach for your cat in your apartment. Never keep medications, chemicals, and sharp objects in the open so a feisty pussycat won’t accidentally get in trouble.
The reality of cat ownership is no horizontal surface is safe from your cat. Whether you like it or not, your apartment is your cat’s playground. Don’t keep any breakables on top of bookshelves, cabinets, tabletops, and sideboards. Keep valuables in areas where, if they fall, they will land on a soft surface when your cat knocks them over.
Make sure to hide or shorten cords to prevent them from getting wrapped around your cat. If you don’t, your cat will use every cord like dangly little cat toys in your apartment.
Keep your washer and dryer doors closed to make sure your cat doesn’t end up in your next load of laundry. The same goes for trash cans. If you allow easy access, your cat won’t be able to resist taking a closer look inside, and you’ll end up with a cat full of garbage can.
How to cat-proof a balcony?
If you are a cat owner and you live in a condo or apartment with a balcony, you might ask yourself, “How can I keep my cat safe on a balcony?” The first thing to kitty-proof your balcony is to line your railing with a cat-proof screen. Before you buy, check with the manufacturer that the screen is chew, scratch and claw proof.
Keep in mind that a balcony is not a safe place for cats. Cats run the risk of falling, jumping, or hurt by sharp or hot objects (like a pellet grill).
How to cat-proof a Christmas tree?
It’s easier to cat-proof a fake Christmas tree than a real one because pine needles can be dangerous for cats. As cats are, they love to chew on foreign objects, even Christmas tree pines. Unfortunately, pines can pose a severe health risk to kittens if ingested.
A fake Christmas tree is more cat-proof. So, find a fake tree that still looks realistic, and you and your feline friend can enjoy it year after year.
A smaller Christmas tree is safer for your house cat, especially if she jumps or pulls on it. Also, if a small tree falls on your kitty, it’s less likely to end badly. And as a bonus, with a smaller Christmas tree, it’ll be easier for you to decorate and clean up when the holidays are over.
Cats dislike aluminum foil. So wrap the tree trunk in tin foil. You can also drop some lemon peel around the tree base to kitten-proof your Christmas tree.
Regardless of the size of your Christmas tree, to keep it cat-proof, make sure it has a solid base. If your cat jumps on the tree, a sturdy base is more likely to keep your tree upright.
