Whether your cat is an indoor or outdoor pet it's important to make sure your home is safe for their wandering little paws. Felines are inquisitive by nature and love to explore and interact with their surroundings - a tendency that can lead them into mischief when they are left unsupervised. To ensure your kitty doesn't cause any damage to themselves, or their surroundings, you should take a few simple steps to make your home a little safer for them.
Because cats love to play, your first priority is to make sure anything they may be tempted to use as a toy is firmly secured or out of reach. Electrical cords can look tempting to playful pussies, so make sure they are out of reach or secured with tape. Similarly, you may want to protect your curtains by keeping curtain cords et cetera out of reach - using these to play catch could lead to your kitty knocking over breakables, not to mention damage your window dressings.
Training your cat from an early age not to jump up on mantelpieces or window sills will go some way towards preventing the breakage of items like vases. However, be sensible and always place items which could potentially shatter and leave shards to hurt paws well away from surface edges.
The curiosity of your cat is likely to extend beyond your home, which is why you should always be aware of possible exit and entry points such as windows. Although it's important to make sure your cat is kept at a comfortable temperature and does not overheat, you don't want to leave windows open far enough for your cat to peek out and have a fall.
For those cats who do venture outside you should take steps to make sure they are as safe as possible when they do so. Firstly, fit a good external fence to keep out dogs and foxes out of your garden.
Next, make sure your cat is free to come and go as it pleases, but there is on risk of them and you being greeted by unwelcome visitors in the home.
Secure your home with a cat flap that allows your pet in and out, but keeps pests on the outside. Specialist retailers now have a huge range of designs to help with this very task,
so consider exploring large ranges such as the cat flaps from Pets at Home.
Finally, make sure your cat is micro-chipped or fitted with an identity tag so that they can be safely returned to your home should they wander astray.
