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A Complete Checklist for Kitten Proofing Your Home

A Complete Checklist for Kitten Proofing Your Home

Are you a new kitten owner? Or do you look forward to adopting one? Congratulations! Kittens are cute, cuddly, and fun to hang out with. But adopting a kitten also means that you are responsible and caring. Apart from the regular feeding and grooming, you should adjust your life and home to accommodate your new fur baby and her queer behaviors. We call this kitten-proofing your home.

Here is a checklist of the changes you can make to your lifestyle and home. 

Adjust your budget - you have a new member in the family

Owning a kitten requires more resources than the purchase or adoption costs. You should adjust your budget long before the kitty arrives. Make provisions for your fur baby’s food, healthcare, toys, accessories, and other stuff she might need. 

If this is your first kitty, consider adopting one rather than buying from a pet shop.

Why is adjusting your budget crucial?

Some kitten behaviors such as foraging from garbage bins and playing with your clothes result from owner neglect. So, adjust your budget to accommodate your kitty's needs. 

Adjust your schedule - she needs you (and you need her)

Gone are the days when people kept kittens and cats solely to chase mice and other rodents. Today, kittens are companions, not utility animals. And that means they deserve your time and personal attention. So adjust your schedule and make time for your kitty. 

How does it help to kitten-proof your home?

Spending time with your kitty helps you understand her. You will know what she likes and other behaviors. You will get crucial tips on how to adjust your home to meet her needs and avoid conflict. Spending time with your kitty also helps to exercise her mind and limbs - it helps to ward off undesirable kitten behavior. 

Adjust your home - your kitten needs some space

Whenever someone mentions kitten-proofing your home, many people think about blocking access and making life hard for the kitty. But as you have read, there is more to it than just erecting barricades and locking stuff away. The following changes to your living space will help you and your cat adjust to each other’s presence. 

Keep the home clean and tidy

There is a reason why we say “curiosity killed the cat.” Cats are instinctively curious animals and will explore anything and everything within their environment. Kittens are even more curious than adult cats because they want to know more about their world. 

As LOLcats explain, “Your kitten will be curious about loose cables, dangling blinder cords, open closets, clothes lying on the floor, garbage on the floor, and other items. Kittens could choke or swallow something dangerous like rubber bands or plastic wrap. So keep your home clean and tidy at all times.” 

Keep unauthorized areas inaccessible

Keeping the home clean and tidy at all times could be a stretch for many people. If that is you, you can go around it a different way. Restrict access to sections of the house. For example, if you like to keep your closet open, consider locking your bedroom door, and take steps to stop your cat from scratching the doors.

The following tips will help to keep your kitty safe:

  • Keep toilet lids closed and locked at all times. A curious kitten can fall in and drown. 
  • Always have the garbage can with the lid. A curious kitten can swallow something harmful. 
  • Keep the refrigerator locked. Cats learn by watching. Your kitty could learn how to open the refrigerator door and get in and freeze.
  • Put a pet-gate across open stairways. Your kitten could attempt to go up the stairs and stumble and fall.

Remove anything that could potentially harm the kitty

Although you consider your home to be safe, there are plenty of items that could harm your kitty. Remove such items before letting your kitty run free across the room.

You can begin by stowing away any dangling electrical cords and pulling up any hanging blinder chords.

Watch out for the following items that could harm your kitty:

 

  • Rubber bands or plastic wrap.
  • Packaging peanuts and styrofoam. 
  • Detergents and other household chemicals. 
  • Indoor plants that could be toxic to your kitten.
  • Instruments for your needlework.
  •  

Purchase and install crucial cat furniture and equipment

Now that your home is safer for your kitten, make it more comfortable for her. Purchase and set up cat furniture, equipment, and recreation items. The following are must-haves:

 

  • A clean litter box and flushable cat litter. 
  • Scratch posts.
  • Enrichment toys
  • Cat shelves and perches. (not too high though, she is just a kitty)

A final word - kitten-proofing starts in the kitty’s mind 

This checklist will help you to kitten-proof your home. But it is incomplete if it is without working on your kitten’s mind. Enrichment activities will keep your kitten’s mind busy and her body active. They go a long way in kitten-proofing your home. Activities such as playing with puzzle toys, hunting games, and exercise will keep your kitty’s mind and body active and away from destructive or undesirable behavior. Also, ensure your kitten is spayed or neutered. Fixing the kitty stops hormone-driven destructive behaviors and keeps your home safe for your kitty and comfortable for you. 




 

2023 Year End Numbers

  • Animals Adopted

    787

  • Animals Transferred

    268

  • Pets Returned Home

    283

  • Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return (TNVR)

    776

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