The holidays are here and there are so many fabulous things to look forward to. However, sometimes we forget that what is perfectly fine for us can pose a hazard to our cats.
Whether you will be celebrating at home or with family, these 5 Holiday Hazards For Your Cat need to be addressed to keep kitty safe for Christmas!
5 Holiday Hazards For Your Cat
Decorations/Ornaments – What would the holidays be without all the fantastic Christmas tree ornaments and holiday decor galore?! However, these are the very things that can get your cat in trouble. Glass/breakable ornaments are just a cat accident waiting to happen.
Ornament strings/ties/wires, garland and much more can be fatal if swallowed or if kitty gets wound up in the mess. Keep kitty safe decorations in mind along with nonbreakable choices!
Plants – Whether you are putting up a Christmas tree or a favourite Christmas plant (poinsettia/holly/mistletoe/lilies), most of these have treated water and/or are poisonous to cats.
Consider getting a fake tree/plant and doing your research before allowing any plant to share space in your home!
Holiday Food – Eating around the holidays is a favourite for most of us. However, sharing most of these goodies with your cat is a no-no! Chocolate, alcohol, raisins, garlic and much more can be toxic.
Keep your cat safe by making sure he doesn’t get any “human” food and stays to his kitty diet! Also make sure to clean up any spills immediately!
Candles – Burning candles can turn horrible in an instant. Your cat may find the candle flame appealing and end up badly burned or even worse, start a fire. If you must include a candle this Christmas, make it a flameless candle for you and your cat’s sake!
Gift wrap – Wrapping gifts offer a lot of dangers for your cat. Strings, bows, tape and anything else that can be chewed or swallow needs to be kept out of your cat’s reach. Consider closing the bedroom door when you are wrapping to avoid any cat accidents!
Check out more Holiday Cat Content!
Enjoy these Free Printable Christmas Cat Gift Tags to add that special charm to your holiday gifts!
kathy downey says
Great tips,got to keep those kitties safe!
Lynda Cook says
These are all great tips, with all the cats that I had in my life, I only had problems with one and he was just plain ole bad ass and would not leave my tree alone for nothing!
NormaJane (NJ) says
Great reminders! It would be awful to have your baby kitty hurt during the holidays. Thanks for this!
LisaM says
I had forgotten that some plants can be dangerous. Thankfully we’ve put all ours up in places the cats can’t go!
kristen visser says
good point!! I dont buy any Christmas plant (no matter how pretty they are) because of this reason. I know no matter where I put it my cat will want to try to get to it and eat it. we never give any human food so good there and I make sure to keep all wrapping and ribbon hidden!!! My cat loves chewing on ribbons and tinsel so those are a no go or are hidden away
Treen Goodwin says
thanks for sharing …these are always great tips to remember over the holidays 🙂
Janet Meisner says
Thanks for the tips. I do an extra clean up over the holidays every day.
Stephanie LaPlante says
Tinsel is a major hazard. When I was a little girl my cat Rosie swallowed some tinsel. They ended up wrapping around her bowels and needed to be surgically removed before it killed her. Luckily we got it in time and as an adult I still have her. She’s now a very old lady and we do not have any tinsel in our house.
Kim K says
Thanks for the tips. I remember our childhood cat being obsessed with tinsel.
l p says
thanks for the reminders that our animals need supervision and that we should be proactive.
Elizabeth Matthiesen says
I knew about the tree, decorations, human food/snacks and wires but didn’t know about plants. I don’t have any pets so that is perhaps why I know so little.
lori galbraith says
Those are good reminders for all pet lovers.
Linda H says
Good reminders. Our cat is older now and doesn’t bother much with the Christmas decorations but she loves to sleep under the tree when the lights are on.
kathy downey says
Thanks Kristen,those printables are too cute !
courtney hennagir says
Great tips! My cat would happily eat a roll of ribbon if I let him so we just don’t use it anymore.He’s such a silly cat. Love those printable gift tags!
Cheryl Grandy says
It’s important to know your cat so you can be especially careful about the things your particular cat is entranced with. I read somewhere that when a cat starts to swallow something such as string, the tiny “barb”s on their tongues keep drawing the string into their mouths and they can’t spit it out. Thinking about that keeps me especially vigilant about ribbons, thread and strings.
kathy downey says
We have a holiday weekend coming up and we must remember to keep Kitty safe
Jo-Anne Pfoh says
Thanks for all the great tips and have a happy holiday