How to keep your cats safe this Christmas

While cats may have the proverbial nine lives, for some it isn't enough to stop them from serious (or fatal) injuries at Christmas. With a house full of excitement, curious cats often end up getting into all sorts of trouble. Holiday-proof your home for your cat this Christmas and keep him safe.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Time
• Organisation

1. Organise a quiet and safe area in your home to be your cat's safe haven. You may enjoy seeing family and friends you haven't seen all year but bear in mind your cat might not be so keen! Try to show them more love to ensure they don't feel left out.
2. If you're going away over the Christmas season, consider hiring petsitter or taking your cats to a boarding kennel. While you may enjoy their company over the holidays, they may not enjoy the travelling and upset to their routines.
3. Plants and flowers bring colour and life into our home during the season. Avoid plants such as poinsettas, ivy, misletoe, hibiscus, fir, cedar, pine and balsam, which are all toxic to some degree for cats.
4. Choose a tree which is sturdy and secure. Cats love climbing trees and your Christmas tree, whether real or artificial is not an exception. Try tying it to the wall to keep it from toppling over onto them.
5. Avoid using angel hair when decorating as it can irritate your cats' eyes, skin and digestive tract. Artificial snow contains levels of low toxicity, so use it sparingly if you choose to use it at all.
6. Tinsel is not toxic, however some cats have a tendency to eat it. It can pose a choking threat as well as problems to your cat's digestive tract. To be safe, do not use it.
7. Thin ribbon should be avoided when wrapping presents as it can be eaten by a curious cat and cause them to choke. Ensure all wrappings and ribbons are disposed of quickly and safely to give your cat the safest of Christmases this year.
8. There's no way to avoid a cat 'batting' at your ornaments. Any ornaments you are significantly attached to should be kept off the tree.
9. Deter them from climbing your tree by presenting a range of cheap and cheerful ornaments down below. They'll thank you for it! I used to lay cat toys and balls at the base of my tree to distract him from playing Spiderman in the tree. It worked a treat!
10. When hanging ornaments on your tree, tie them onto your tree with string rather than using metal hooks. The metal hooks could get caught in a cat's paw causing pain, or even worse, being eaten.
11. Not many cats I've known could say 'no' to a piece of turkey. Take care not to overfeed them at holiday times. Ensure that bones are never given to your cat and are disposed of properly. Poulty bones, in particular, can splinter easily - causing excruciating pain and even death.
12. The lovely scents of Christmas cooking are as tempting to cats as they are to humans. Always be on the lookout for cats underfoot while you're cooking as a spilled pot could scald or seriously injure them.
13. When cleaning up after your Christmas dinner, ensure that aluminium foil is disposed of safely. If ingested, it can wreak havoc with your cat's digestion which could result in needing urgent medical attention.