How to kitten-proof your home

Kittens explore with their mouths and paws, climb everything and fit into spaces that look too small. Get down to kitten height, look at each room and remove or block what could hurt a small animal. Do this before the kitten comes home, then repeat it as the kitten grows and reaches higher places.

Good cat-proofing takes an afternoon. The worst dangers are few and easy to remember: things to swallow, things to chew, things to fall from and things that are poisonous.

How to do the check

Sit on the floor in each room. Look up at the shelves, the table edges and the window. Then lie down and look under the sofa and behind the appliances. Anything you can reach, a kitten can reach with a jump. Check again after a week, because kittens learn quickly where they can climb.

Close doors to rooms you cannot make safe, such as a workshop or a room full of cords. A shut door is a perfectly good way to proof a room.

Things to swallow

Kittens swallow string, thread, ribbon, tinsel, elastic bands, hair ties, dental floss and the strings of toys. Long thin items are the worst. They can catch under the tongue or twist through the gut and cause an emergency. Put these items in closed drawers and tidy sewing and craft supplies.

Also remove or secure:

• Small toys, coins, buttons, earrings and batteries. Button batteries are especially dangerous, so keep remote controls and small electronics closed.
• Rubber bands and foil balls that look like play objects.
• Bin bags and open bins. Use a bin with a lid.
• Corks, bottle tops and cotton buds.

If you ever see string hanging from a kitten's mouth or bottom, do not pull it. Call a vet.

Things to chew

Cables and cords attract kittens. A chewed live cable can burn the mouth or cause electric shock. Tuck cords behind furniture, run them through cord covers or unplug devices when you leave. Choose cordless blinds or tie blind cords out of reach, because a kitten can tangle itself in a looped cord.

Give the kitten better things to chew and scratch. A few sturdy toys and a scratching surface in each main room will pull attention away from the wires. See the enrichment glossary entry for more ideas.

Plants

Many common plants can poison cats. Lilies are the best known, and every part of the plant, including pollen and the water in the vase, can cause severe kidney damage. lily toxicity can be fatal with even a small amount, so keep lilies out of the home completely, including bouquets that visitors bring. Learn the name of each plant you own. If you cannot identify a plant, move it out of the house.

If your kitten chews a plant and you do not know whether it is toxic, call your vet or a pet poison service in your area right away. Do not wait for symptoms and do not try to make the kitten vomit.

Kitchen and bathroom

• Close the dishwasher, washing machine and tumble dryer when you are not using them, and look inside before you start a cycle. Kittens climb into warm, dark places.
• Keep the oven and hobs off when the kitten is in the room, and do not leave hot pans where a kitten can reach.
• Put the lid down on the toilet. Kittens can fall in and drown, and cleaning products may be in the bowl.
• Store medicines, vitamins, cosmetics and cleaning products in closed cupboards. Human painkillers can be deadly to cats, even in tiny amounts. Never give a cat any human medicine unless your vet tells you to.
• Keep bleach, drain cleaner, antifreeze and other chemicals behind a latch, not just a closed door.
• Do not leave human food on the counter. Onions, garlic, chocolate, grapes, raisins and anything with the sweetener xylitol are harmful.

Clean spills of antifreeze at once. It tastes sweet and a small amount causes kidney failure.

Windows, balconies and high places

Cats fall from windows and balconies more often than people expect. A kitten does not judge a height or a gap well. Fit sturdy screens or window guards rated to hold a cat's weight, and keep balcony doors shut unless you are there. A tilted window can trap a kitten, so use a fixed safety stop.

A window perch and a cat tree give a kitten a safe place to look outside and climb. Place them away from open window gaps and from fragile items.

Other household risks

• Check recliners and sofa beds before you change position. A kitten can hide in the mechanism.
• Block gaps behind appliances and under furniture where a kitten might wedge itself.
• Keep candles, essential oil diffusers and potpourri out of reach. Many essential oils are harmful to cats, so ask your vet before using any in a home with a cat.
• Secure fireplaces and wood stoves.
• Keep doors closed or watch them. Kittens dart outside when you carry in shopping.
• Cover or remove fragile ornaments on low shelves.

Common mistakes

• Assuming the kitten will leave things alone. It will not. Remove the risk instead of hoping.
• Proofing once. A kitten that cannot reach a shelf in week one may reach it in week three.
• Using cheap screens. A flimsy screen pops out when a kitten leans on it.
• Trusting the label on a plant or product. Look up each plant. Ask your vet when unsure.
• Leaving string toys out. Wand toys and string stay put away after play.
• Treating the kitten yourself after a poison scare. Call a vet or poison line instead.

When to call a vet

Go to a vet or an emergency clinic at once if the kitten:

• Chews or swallows a lily, medicine, cleaning product, antifreeze, chocolate or any plant you cannot name.
• Vomits repeatedly, drools, retches or paws at its mouth.
• Has string visible in its mouth or bottom.
• Falls from a height, even if it seems fine afterward. Some injuries show up hours later.
• Has burns on the mouth or tongue.
• Breathes with difficulty, becomes limp or cannot stand.

Take the packaging or a sample of the plant with you. Do not give milk, salt or oil, and do not try to make the kitten vomit.

Summary

• Check each room at kitten height and again as the kitten grows.
• Secure string, small objects, cords and bins.
• Keep lilies, medicines, antifreeze and household chemicals out of the home or out of reach.
• Fit strong screens on windows and keep balcony doors shut.
• Give the kitten safe things to climb and chew.
• When in doubt about a swallowed item or plant, call a vet.