Welcoming a cat into your home is a great joy. As for the arrival of a child, you will have to prepare yours. What does he need ? What precautions should be taken for furniture, curtains? How to avoid accidents?
Summary
The age of the cat
A kitten does not yet know the dangers, it runs everywhere, plays without worrying about the consequences, it can easily fall from a balcony or a window or hit its nose against the corner of a wall while slipping. The adult cat knows its limits, it can walk on a railing 6 m above the ground and turn around without any problem, but it can also fall asleep on a window sill and fall while turning around. There are installations to be made to secure the cat but also your accommodation and what it contains. The feline has retractable claws that can do a lot of damage.
The cat is educated like a child. We talk to him, we show him what he has the right to do or not, we congratulate him or we scold him, but immediately, at the time, otherwise he will have forgotten.
Teach him the « No! » said in a dry tone, then you can prevent him from going to the side of the road or dropping an object. Put up all the objects you care about!
The vital necessities of the cat and the kitten
He needs to eat, drink and sleep.
- Bowls: take care to put a placemat or papers where the cat eats. This saves a lot of cleaning. A bowl for wet food, another for kibble. Put a container of water somewhere else in the room, he doesn’t like to drink right next to his food.
- Cushion and cardboard: The minimum for a cat to be able to sleep is a cushion, a small rattan or fabric basket and cardboard so that it can take shelter from time to time. The box should be barely larger than him.
- Litter: this is where he goes to relieve himself, she must always be clean. Remove feces quickly, it might stand next to the crate if it smells strong.
Don’t put bleach in it. Ammonia reminds the smell of urine, it is a fact, but the cat scratches in the litter and often sleeps there when it is small, it could be dangerous for its skin and its pads.
His toys
As for a baby, the kitten learns through play. When he is an adult, he continues to play at times. He needs various items like:
- Balls that roll and that he can grab and chew. Be careful, no foam ball, he could choke on it.
- A security blanket whose hairs are resistant.
- Dangling objectslike a plastic cork on the end of a string, no feathers, or stuff he could tear and swallow too easily.
For claws and play
The kitten has difficulty retracting its claws, it is better to find a place for it to set up its universe to keep it away from furniture, curtains and sofas. The feline experts at eurochats also recommend protecting your armchairs with plaids and blankets or even special covers for sofas and armchairs.
- The cat tree is the essential luxury item even if you live in the countryside and the cat can go out. There are at all prices. Choose one that has a spoon-shaped hammock, they love it. The feet must be surrounded by strong rope so that he tears off the strands as he would with the bark of a tree. A minimum of two floors is needed for it to look down on the room.
- Doormat : In coconut fiber, it is a complement to the cat tree and not a substitute. He can scratch it horizontally while stretching. If he has something to scratch, he won’t scratch the table legs or the sideboard, or even the sofa.
- Mop: A large mop spread out near the radiator or the fireplace will make it happy. Not only will he sleep on it, but he will fight with it like hell. With the back paws, he will kick hard while he holds her firmly with his mouth and front paws!
Attention danger
Dangers your cat might encounter:
- laundry basket
This is not a danger for your cat but for your laundry. Never leave a full laundry basket on the floor. If the laundry isn’t done yet, the cat may think it’s a place to do its business. It only takes once for him to take the fold and also pee in the clean linen the following times. - Pool
If you have a swimming pool in the garden, even a small one, the kitten can pierce it, but it can also drown in it. Cover it up if no one is using it, and put the alarms in the water if the pool is bigger, if the kitten or cat fall into it, the alarm will warn you. - Balcony and window sill
If there is an opening under the balcony railing, attach a board along it so that the cat cannot fall off while sleeping. If he is lucid, awake, he will more or less realize the height and will not jump. It is not the height that matters but the reception on the ground. If the cat taps its chin on the hard floor, it risks a concussion and hemorrhage, then death is inevitable. - plants
There are very dangerous plants among those that we like to keep at home or in the garden:- At home are to be avoided: dieffenbachia, anthurium, ficus, yucca, spider plant, amaryllis, rhododendron… find out about the plants you have at home, put them in height.
- In the garden: banish the oleander which is as harmful for animals as for humans. Lily of the valley, holly, mistletoe, ivy, lily, tulip, hyacinth…and cacti.
