PROTECTING YOUR CAT

Avoid Common Household and Environmental Hazards

by Joelle Steele

How safe is your cat's world?  It may not be as safe as you think it is or want it to be. There are many seemingly innocuous household items which can be dangerous, even lethal, in the wrong paws.  To protect your feline friend from injury, illness, or even death, we'll take a walk through a typical home and examine some of the the most common hazards, some of the not-so-obvious and lesser known dangers, and will discuss a few tips on how to "cat-proof" your home.

Almost anything has the potential to be hazardous. It just depends on the cat, the item in question, and the circumstances.  For example, a set of glass wind chimes hanging on the patio should pose no threat at all if hung well out of reach of the curious cat. Enter, a new picnic table directly under the wind chimes.  We now have a hazard because nosey and playful little Nipper can jump up and pull the wind chimes down and possibly cut himself on the glass fragments in the process --that is, if he doesn't somehow get caught up in the strings and strangle himself or take an awkward fall to his death.

This may sound very depressing and alarming and you may be tempted to quit reading at this point, but the fact is, you love your cat and want to keep it safe, and to do so you need to have a good understanding of what the potential hazards are and how to eliminate them.  Better safe than sorry, right?

THE KITCHEN

The one room of the home which probably houses more dangerous items than any other is the kitchen.  The cabinet underneath the sink is one spot alone that is loaded with dangerous substances that are toxic to cats as well as to children and adult humans.

Let's start with the cleaning supplies since they take up most of the space.  You say your cat never plays with the cleanser container?  He doesn't have to.  Neither do you.  Most household cleansers are composed of highly toxic chemicals which "offgas" (emit into the air) into your home.  They are toxic to you and you probably suffer some symptoms, (red eyes, itchy skin, sinusitis, headaches, to name a few), from constant low level exposures without knowing the specific cause.  Your cat, a much smaller lifeform than you are, is much more susceptible to these chemicals and requires far less exposure to suffer symptoms which you may not even notice. 

Little paws walking over a recently cleaned, but not rinsed, surface will pick up most of these chemicals and ingest them while grooming, and the rest will be quickly absorbed by the skin.  A walk among the bottles under the sink may result in powder cleanser being inhaled.  After all, what self-respecting cat wouldn't stop to sniff along the way?  And, all those bottles have some of their contents either running down the side of the containers or sitting in small, dried up puddles on the cabinet floor.  Just enough to be brushed onto the paws and fur coat of an unsuspecting feline passerby.  Childproof locks for kitchen cabinets work just as well at keeping cats out.

What else do you keep under your sink?  How about mousetraps, rodent bait, or insect powder and traps?  Almost every home has some form of pest that the owner is trying to erradicate at one time or another.  Maybe you haven't had mice for four years but left the traps and the baits out -- "just in case."  Many rodenticides (rat poisons) contain arsenic mixed with grains that are palatable to cats.  If you use these chemicals to discourage mice and rats, be sure they are not anywhere where your cat may have occasion to encounter them. 

With some pesticides, the animal you are trying to eliminate may eventually grow resistant to the pesticide, being able to eat it and not suffer any effects.  This is part of the process of natural selection, or survival of the fittest.  With insects, which reproduce very quickly, an entire population may become immune to a chemical within a period of one year.  If Lucky likes to eat cockroaches that have long ceased reacting to your insecticide applications, he may be doing you a favor by catching the pests, but he may also be ingesting the chemicals that the cockroach eats, stores in its tissues, but does not die from.

Some common household products such as paper towels, grocery bags, and waxed paper, contain formaldehyde, one of the top three most toxic indoor air pollutants, as determined by EPA studies. It is also found in natural gas.  This substance offgases causing irritation to the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, and throat and is now believed to be the number one cause of asthma. Another member of this toxic trio is benzene, a solvent found in plastics and detergents, among other things.  Benzene irritates the eyes and skin and chronic low level exposure can cause headaches, drowsiness, nervousness, psychological disorders, and blood diseases such as anemia.  The third toxic pollutant is trichloroethylene which is found in certain cleaning solvents and varnishes.  This chemical is considered a very potent liver carcinogen by the National Cancer Institute.  All of these chemicals are dangerous to humans, and they are doubly dangerous to children and small animals.

Kitchens also have some more obvious hazards such as aluminum foil which is very enticing to most cats, particularly if it is wadded up into a ball.  It looks and feels just like a toy, but if it is chewed, (and that is half the fun of playing with anything when you're a cat), small particles of the foil may be ingested.  The same is true of plastic bags.  Most of the ones you would use in your kitchen are not as likely to suffocate a cat as a dry cleaning bag would, but they can still be chewed and swallowed.  That may or may not cause serious damage, but do you want to take the risk?

Eating utensils can become dangerous weapons if left to dry pointed end up in a drain rack.  I am reminded of a former neighbor whose cat Elmo was chasing a fly in the kitchen window when he slipped backward and fell onto the point of a steak knife in the drain rack.  Elmo survived but had a severe puncture in his abdoman which required immediate attention.  Fortunately, his owner was home at the time to take him to the veterinarian.

Another little kitchen goody that should be a definite no-no is the little twist tie that goes around the bread wrapper or the garbage sack.  According to every cat I know, these are wonderful toys.  But, they have a thin wire running through them and some more aggressive chewers may get a real mouthful.  Years ago, I had a cat named Puff who would actually jump up on the counter when I wasn't looking and abscond with a twist tie.  One day she came back into the kitchen with a twist tie dangling out of the side of her mouth.  She was making little mewing sounds and pawing at her mouth.  When I went to take the twist tie away from her I found that it was stuck into the tissue on the roof of her mouth.  It wasn't fatal by any means, but I don't think she really enjoyed it all that much and I wasn't too thrilled when I had to remove it.

Cats are pretty good about avoiding spoiled food and most human food is okay for them to eat.  They should, however, be kept away from chocolate since the cocoa derivative, theobromide, is toxic to cats (and dogs).  Water is as safe for your cat as it is for you.  This is not altogether encouraging since the EPA has identified over 700 pollutants which occur regularly in drinking water supplies, accounting for less than ten percent of the total actual number of pollutants in drinking water.  If you are picky about what you drink, don't subject your cat to tap water.  But, don't try to make Fluffy drink mineral water either.  Distilled water is the closest thing to what Mother Nature had in mind for humans and animals alike.  It has been filtered and has had most of the heavier metals and salts removed.

One last word about the kitchen, and then we move on to the bathroom.  Refrigerator doors should be watched very carefully, especially if you have a small kitten.  They like to sneak inside to take a peak at this new and exciting place and if you don't see them go inside, they may get locked in accidentally and you will probably not hear their cries for help.  My friend Janet lost a kitten to a refrigerator over ten years ago and feels guilty to this day.

THE BATHROOM

If you thought the kitchen was bad, the bathroom is not much better.  Let's start with cleaners again.  First, there's my personal pet peeve: the blue stuff you put in the toilet bowl.  This highly toxic and polluting stuff is completely useless.  If you clean the toilet regularly you don't need to disinfect it.  After all, you don't come into direct contact with the inside of the bowl anyway.  But, if you insist on using it, at least remember to keep the lid down at all times.  Even if your cat doesn't want to drink the water, he may slip and fall into the bowl and get it on his feet and in his fur.  If you aren't around to rescue him he may ingest it unwillingly as he tries to remove it while grooming himself.

My second pet peeve is cat box deodorizer.  I mention these under the bathroom heading because most people I know keep a cat box in the bathroom.  If you don't want the box to smell, sift it regularly and change it often.  The chemicals in the deodorants offgas and are toxic to humans and cats.  Plain clay litter or the fine sandy litter that turns urine into balls are better alternatives to cat box deodorizers of any kind.  If you cannot stand the odor, try hanging a few sachets of cedar in the room, out of reach of your cat, of course.

Toilet and facial tissues contain formaldehyde and some contain benzene as well in their dyes and from the bleaching process that paper goes through.  Since they haven't come up with a substitute for toilet paper, (not that I know of anyway), you should at least buy the unscented, unprinted, uncolored varieties and keep your cat from playing in the stuff.  Recycled paper toilet tissue is now available and is a good and safe investment in your environment.

Sometimes the things that should be stored in the medicine cabinet find their way down to the sink counter or the top of the toilet tank.  Aspirin and tylenol should not be left out, particularly if they are out of their childproof containers.  These drugs are not metabolized well by the feline liver and should only be administered in very minute doses, and only under the direct advice and guidance of your veterinarian.

Dental floss, like any stringy material, can be accidentally swallowed or can strangle a cat, especially a small kitten, if they get tangled up in it while playing.  Another item that you might never suspect of being dangerous is a thermometer.  Several years ago I was in my veterinarian's waiting room.  A woman came in with a convulsing cat wrapped in a towel.  The animal had accidentally ingested mercury from a broken thermometer. The cat pawed the thermometer off a sink edge and onto the floor where it broke.  The mercury bounced all over and the cat played with it and ate some in the process.  I don't know if the cat was saved, but I just make sure that I never leave a thermometer laying around.

THE BEDROOM

The bedroom would seem like a place that should be pretty safe.  It usually is until we humans move in.  Nightstands often have medications in pill form just sitting in a dish where it can be mistaken for a toy or for food.  Years ago, I learned the hard way to keep my soft ear plugs in a drawer when my cat (Puff again) decided to try and eat one of them.  She was in the middle of chewing on it when I walked in on her.  These are small and can be easily swallowed and cause obstructions in a cat's digestive tract.

Other small objects that look like fun are such things as earrings.  Most of the time your cat will never even consider eating these items.  They will probably just play with them until they go under a piece of furniture where they cannot be reached or until the cat gets tired or simply loses interest.  With small kittens, chains can be a cause of strangulation if they are long and strong enough to withstand breaking.

My pet peeve in bedrooms is usually found in closets: mothballs.  These are marble sized balls of naphthalene and are highly toxic to humans and animals alike.  They do not have to be ingested to cause reactive symptoms as they offgas in hazardous quantities.  If you are worried about moth damage, kill the moth eggs before they hatch by running a dry item through a warm clothes dryer after it is first purchased and then periodically while it is stored.  Protect your sweaters, etc., from moths by washing and drying them thoroughly before storing them and packing them in airtight containers such as carefuly sealed cardboard boxes.  If you want to use a natural repellent use cedar oil or cedar chips.  But keep the latter away from your kitties as they may be tempted to chew on them and get slivers in their mouths.

HOBBY ROOMS AND HOME OFFICES

Many people have rooms devoted to hobbies or careers which abound with dangerous items masquerading as cat toys.  My friend Timmy's very favorite office toys are rubber bands, with paper clips running a close second.  He also favors pen caps, ink cartridges, pen nibs, and bulletin board tacks.  Keeping him away from these things used to be a real problem and a full time job.  Now I keep everything small in a drawer, (which I keep closed all the way, even if I walk away for a second), and I store my pens with the caps down in the containers on my desk. 

Home offices, like mine, are usually a maze of phone cords, lamp cords, and computer electrical cords and cables.  My phone has one of those 25' spiral extensions between the phone and the receiver so that you can walk all over the place while you talk on the phone.  This used to be a very attractive chew toy for Twinkle who also used to believe that every cord was a chew toy.  She eventually grew out of this habit, (by the time she was about seven years old, if I remember correctly), before I learned about the benefits of cayenne pepper as a deterrent.

Hobby items are probably the worst.  Glues, the super ones and the stick kinds in particular, are very poisonous, especially if they are accidentally ingested.  Years ago, my cat Whispy got glue on his tail and when I mentioned this to my vet she said I was lucky he didn't eat it because that kind of glue (one of those "super"-type glues) is one that is almost always fatal, even in very minute amounts. 

Some glues such as rubber cement and epoxy are particularly toxic as are typewriter correction fluid (a.k.a. "white out"), permanent-ink pens and markers, dyes, most plastic products, and some kinds of photocopy machine toners.  These items are toxic to humans and animals alike because they offgas many of the following: benzene, ethanol, formaldehyde, acrylonitrile, creosol, naphthalene, phenol, trichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride.  Some of these are fatal to humans in high doses and can cause eye and skin irritations and flu-like symptoms in lower, "normal" dosages.  For small children and animals, these substances can cause long term damage even at small dosages, if exposure is frequent and prolonged.

This is also true of some hobby paints.  Like the glue, it's unlikely that a cat will willingly sit down and have a feast on them, but if they get some on their paws they will do their meticulous grooming job until every bit of the offending substance is gone.  If they do this once and it's only a very small amount, they may not become sick.  But, if they do it over and over again because they like to walk in and around your hobby area, they may experience chronic illness.

Sewing and knitting supplies pose some problems too.  A needle and thread sitting in a pin cushion may attract a curious feline who is mainly interested in playing with the thread but gets the needle in the process.  If swallowed, and I understand this can and does happen to cats, permanent, if not fatal damage can be done.  Yarn, like other strings, can strangle if a cat gets too wrapped up in it and panics, pulling the string tighter around the neck.  Keep these supplies in closed closets or in tightly sealed boxes when not in use.  And, if you must be away from them for a minute or two, put your work out of reach of cats.

THE LIVING ROOM

Carpeting and upholstery fabrics are among the chief contributors to indoor air pollution and contain many of the following: formaldehyde (as a stain and moisture repellent), pesticides (to deter moths), pentachlorophenol (to preserve the jute backing), and other chemicals such as ethylbenzene, xylene, methacrylic acid, and toluene, to name only a very few.  A recent EPA risk assessment group study found that 4-phenylcyclohexene (4-PC), a substance used in the latex carpet backing and responsible for "new carpet smell," caused nervous system and genetic problems.  The same study emphasized the similarity between 4-PC and phencyclidine, known on the streets as "angel dust."  All of these chemicals offgas into your home but most will diminish in intensity over a period of time (four years or more in most cases), if your home is well-ventilated.

You can't do anything about removing these toxins from your new carpet or furnishings.  If you are concerned about your health and that of your feline companion(s), you might want to consider buying natural fiber carpeting that does not have latex or jute backing.  It makes for a healthier indoor environment for you and your pet.

Every home has some kind of window coverings be they mini-binds or drapes.  With each of these coverings come those wonderful long, dangling pulls that can keep your cat busy for a good long time.  Unfortunately those drapery pulls can also be dangerous as they are, like the aforementioned strings, potential sources of strangulation.  You can minimize the danger by winding up the excess pull and hanging it on a hook behind or beside the window covering, out of a cat's reach.

Television and stereo wires, like the phone cords and computer cables in the office, look like good clean fun to a cat, but they pose serious threats.  When Twinkle was only about ten weeks old, she crawled behind my bookcase and into the stereo cabinet where she chewed through the speaker wires.  The stereo was off at the time and when I came home and turned it on there was a very loud pop as an internal fuse blew out.  It was very lucky for Twinkle that she chose to chew while the unit was off or she would not be fourteen years old right now.  When she was bigger she couldn't even get to the wires, but kittens are so small they can get just about anywhere.  Again, some cayenne pepper would have been very helpful.

House plants (like dieffenbachia, poinsettia, philodendron, English ivy, hydrangea, holly, and numerous outdoor plants), are toxic when eaten.  Fortunately, most cats will not nibble on these plants anyway.  In addition to being toxic, they are extremely bitter and unpleasant in taste.  The real danger with houseplants lies not in the leaves, but in the soil which cats may choose to dig in.  Houseplants are grown in large greenhouses where many different kinds of insects, mites, worms, etc., must be repelled or destroyed in order for the grower to be able to sell aesthetically pleasing plants.  This means that a variety of systemic insecticides and fungicides are applied to the plant surfaces and are washed into the soil by the overhead irrigation system, (if they were not applied directly to the soil in the first place).  When you bring a plant home from the garden center, rinse off the foliage and leach the soil thoroughly to remove as much of the excess chemicals as possible.

If you bring a plant indoors from your garden, you may also be bringing in potential hazards in the form of ring worm and round worm, and ear mites, none of which belongs in the house or on your cat.  As a rule of thumb, don't bring outdoor plants in and mix them with your indoor plants as they may have bugs that will devastate your houseplants anyway.

THE GARAGE & BASEMENT

These areas contain a wide variety of potential hazards.  Tacks, nails, screws, industrial size staples, small nuts, and rubber washers are all "swallow-able."  Anti-freeze, whether stored or leaking from your car, is very poisonous and tastes good to cats.  So do certain insecticides like ant poison and snail bait.

If you are a do-it-yourself type of person you may have an assortment of pressed wood and particle board, paints, varnishes, adhesives, and metal degreasers.  These can contain the aforementioned big three toxic pollutants: formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene.  The offgassing alone from these substances can be very intense.  If your feline has access to these rooms, they should be kept well-ventilated, especially if your cat sleeps in the garage at night.

As with the knives in the kitchen drain rack, sharp pointed tools should be carefully stored in drawers or hung securely on racks out of cat reach.  Power tools that have the newer light touch switches should be unplugged when not in use.

If you have a clothes dryer, make sure you check inside before you close the door.  The warmth is attractive to cats when outside temperatures drop and they are looking for a cozy place to take a nap.

CAT TOYS & PRODUCTS

Just because it is made for a cat does not mean it is good for a cat or even safe for a cat.  Flea collars, dips, and shampoos are ineffective and dangerous.  They subject cats to highly toxic pesticides which can cause irritation to the skin, and to the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, and throat.  Sprays and bombs offer only temporary "band-aid" solutions.  If you have a flea problem, get the fleas where they live -- in your rugs and upholstered furniture.  Use non-toxic combinations of 50% diatom dust, 25% baking soda, and 25% cornstarch sprinkled heavily into your carpets.  Fleas spin cocoons as they complete their larval stage of development.  These substances will dehydrate them and make it impossible for them to reach adulthood, the stage at which they feast on you and your cat.  As added protection, feed your cat brewer's yeast in powdered form with his food or give it to him in tablet form.

Kitty condos, those multi-story structures for cats to sit and sleep in and play on top of, are great except for one thing: they are covered with carpet and carpet-type upholstery, those petrochemical products containing highly toxic chemicals.  In addition, the carpeting makes an ideal breeding ground for fleas.  I don't have a kitty condo, but an environmentally conscientious couple I know does.  They made theirs out of wood and covered it with 100% cotton rugs which are removable for washing.

Cat toys are usually pretty safe, but every now and then you will come across one that has little bead eyes that are only lightly glued on and ready to pop off into a cat's mouth.  Some are just poorly made and have little balls or bells inside of them that can get out if the toy breaks.  Always exercise care in selecting a cat toy.  In most cases, you can take an old pair of socks, a child's size is best, and put one inside the other, fill with catnip, and sew it up.  I have never noticed that my cats care that these odd looking toys do not have eyes or tails, etc.

HOLIDAY TRIMMINGS

Christmas is a beautiful season but it is a very dangerous one for cats.  Tree ornaments can break when little paws pull them to the floor to play and the hooks can penetrate the skin, particularly inside the mouth.  Electric light cords and tinsel are tempting, and ribbons, plastic berries, bells, and styrofoam balls are such open invitations to play.  Before you decide to become Ebeneezer Scrooge next year, just take some time to look for ways to keep curious cats away from the tree and all the trimmings.  Maybe the tree room should be off limits for a week or two or should be accessible to cats only when there is a human supervisor present.

The tree is usually the primary target for most inquisitive cats and if your cat falls into that category, keep a close and watchful eye on him or her, and if possible, keep the tree room off limits when you're not around. Some cats find the temptation to climb the tree irresistible. Tree ornaments, even styrofoam ones, are not made for safety in a cat's paws or mouth. Small beads, bits of glitter, threads, pins, and hooks can do serious harm to a cat's mouth and digestive tract. Ornaments can break when pulled to the floor and sharp fragments can cut unwitting paws. The wire hooks can penetrate the skin, particularly the mouth.

Tinsel is tempting too and since it is mostly made from aluminum foil, it should not be ingested. Ditto for flocking which often contains fire retardant chemicals. Dangling electrical cords and gift ribbons offer opportunities for curious felines to become strangled in the course of playing. Put a little cayenne pepper in water and make a paste to apply to the chords and wires. No cat will come back for a second bite after tasting this special "secret sauce."

Holiday plants pose some problems and should be kept well out of the way of cats, particularly those extra-curious adults and inexperienced kittens. While poinsettias are often cited as being dangerous and poisonous, they do not contain the toxic and potentially fatal chemicals which are common to the rest of their species. Fortunately, most cats will not take more than a quick nibble of a plant that does not taste good and poinsettias are apparently not very flavorful. The worst your cat would probably experience after ingesting some poinsettia, is a light skin rash in and around the mouth, and possibly some minor stomach irritation. But, why subject your cat to even that much discomfort? Keep poinsettias out of reach.

Mistletoe is a very different story. This parasitic plant has berries which contain the toxic chemicals beta-phenylethylamine and tyramine. Ingestion of a few berries at the least can cause nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, delirium, convulsions, and heart failure. In larger amounts, there may also be stomach and intestinal pains, diarrhea, slowed pulse, collapse, and death -- all within a few hours. In all the confusion and chaos of the holidays, your cat's discomfort may go unnoticed until it is too late. Keep mistletoe well out of reach of your cat.

Turkey bones are splintery just like chicken bones. If you serve turkey for Christmas or Thanksgiving, be sure that you do not give them to your cat. Also be sure that a well-meaning guest does not feed them to Fluffy either.

CAT-PROOFING TIPS

The following are some simple tips on how to determine whether something requires cat-proofing in the first place.  My youngest "child," three-year-old Timmy, looks at the things in our home this way:

* If it's bigger than a golf ball, Mom lets me have it because I can't swallow it. (Like I would even try to swallow a golf ball!)

* If it shreds or ravels, I chew on it, even if it doesn't taste good.  (It's something to do.)

* If it dangles and wiggles, it's a toy.  (Mom never plays with it, so it must be meant for me.)

* If it shines or flickers, it's worth a second look, some very serious pawing, a lick, or maybe even a chew. (You never know about these things until you try.)

* If it smells like food, it must be for me because I love to eat, especially human food. (They eat such interesting things!)

* If it tastes good, I eat it. (I can't believe I ate the whole thing.)

* If it rolls across the floor, it's a toy.  (Why else would it be rolling on a floor?)

* And, if it's on the floor, it's probably meant for me anyway.  (After all, no one else hangs out down here but us cats.)