Page 204 - The Complete Cat Breed Book (DK)

202 C ARE AND BEHA VIOR

PREPARING FOR ARRIVAL

Is your house ready for a cat or kitten? Before bringing a new pet
home, take a good look around and ask yourself a few key questions:
is there anywhere you don’t want your cat to go; is there anything that
could be hazardous to a cat; and which of your own habits might you or
your family need to change when you have a cat? A little preparation
A kitten is
will turn your home into a safe environment for the new arrival. life-changing

Become cat aware Safety indoors
Cats are inquisitive and athletic, and you should take this Cats love climbing, so remove breakable or valuable objects
into account when evaluating your home. If you regularly from low tables or shelves that they could leap on to. Be
leave doors and windows open, assess whether your cat aware of possible pathways that would allow your cat to
could escape through them or enter areas you want to keep reach high shelves or work surfaces, and move furniture
cat-free—and close them when necessary. Also, start looking accordingly. Stools, floor lamps, wall hangings, and curtains
behind you when going through a door, since a cat can easily are all scalable to a cat. Consider temporarily putting double-
slip through a gap at your feet. Close the doors of washing sided sticky tape, plastic sheeting, or aluminium foil around
machines and dryers when not in use, and always check the the edges of furniture you want to remain off limits until
whereabouts of your cat before switching them on. your cat learns to leave them alone; cats dislike these
textures and will avoid stepping on them. Climbing and
scratching are entirely natural behaviors for a cat, so make
sure you provide outlets for these activities, such as a
scratching pole and something safe for him to climb on.

TOP TIP
Household chemicals are an
obvious hazard. Keep them
securely shut away in places
a cat cannot reach. Mop up
spills right away. Also check
whether any products are
toxic to cats—for example
carpet cleaners and bug
control sprays. Do the same in
any garage or shed that a cat
could access. Even seemingly
innocuous substances may be
dangerous to cats, especially
since their first instinct is to
lick themselves clean if they
get something on their coat
or paws.

WINDOW SCREENS
Using window screens will enable you to leave windows
open for fresh air and in hot weather, safe in the
knowledge that your cat cannot escape.