Kitchen Safety Precautions
With the Easter celebrations right around the corner it is time to review the kitchen and home precautions for our cats. The kitchen will be a busy place with guests and pleasing aromas. Your kitty will want to be right in the middle of it.
Home Precautions
With the season comes the decorations. New houseplants are part of every ones home. Are your houseplants safe for your cat. The Easter Lily is a toxic plants for cats. Other plants include Jade plants, Azalea, Geranium, Aloe, Corn Plant, Dieffenbachia, Daffodil and several others. When ever we bring a new plant into the house we always do an internet search to check for animal toxicity.
The Kitchen
This is where all the action happens. The Chefs are busy and they don’t need snoopy help. If you can’t tolerate kitty watching perhaps they should be isolated in another room. If you don’t mind the help take the necessary precautions to prevent accidents. Other foods to avoid for your pets are chocolate, tea, coffee, grapes and raisins. Uncooked yeast dough can be fatal. Hot stoves and oven door can cause serious injuries. I place pots with water on hot elements as they cool.
With meat preparation it is best not to let the cats eat raw meat because of salmonellosis. This is a symptomatic infection caused by bacteria of the salmonella type. Do not let any pet munch on onions. This is due to an ingredient called thiosulphate which is toxic to dogs and cats. If your cat drinks cows milk you can expect a session of diarrhea soon.
Cooked poultry bones will splinter and pierce your kitties insides. Other foods to avoid for your pets are chocolate, tea, coffee, grapes and raisins. Uncooked yeast dough can be fatal. As your prepared food comes off the stove the cats will try to lick everything. Aluminum foils meat wrappings and plastic can be eaten by your cat with disastrous results. Cooked meat soaked string can be eaten by your pets. This will require a vet visit. If you see string hanging out of either end of your cat do not pull it as it could be tangled around something. This will require surgery. Be careful and have help with your pets. We all want to have a nice weekend that means not being at the vet.
Unattended cooking is a common cause of kitchen fires. If there is no one to watch the kitchen while you are out of the room shut every thing off. I think things in the oven are fine. Stuff on top of the stove can be dangerous.
Guests
Prepare your guests for your pets. Tell them ahead of time that you have pets then they can mentally prepare for the visit. I will not tolerate rough handling of my pets and I set rules. If you have a puppy that might chew strangers shoes have a place to store jackets and boots. I have found that if you feed your pets before your main supper they just might not hang around the table. With seven cats and two dogs I have had little trouble with meal time and guests if I feed the cats and dogs first.
The Bathroom
The bathroom must be clean and free of any cleaning chemical in order to be safe for your cats. I always keep the toilet bowl clean. The bath room also includes all your cats litter boxes. Be sure they are all clean and deodorized before your guests arrive.
Surprise Pets As Presents
This season has some folks thinking that giving a kitten, puppy or bunny as a gift is a nice gesture. If this has not been prearranged and every body is on the same page giving a pet is a poor idea. After the Easter thrill has worn off bunnies have been released into the wild. This is cruel. Don’t do it.
How long Is Pet Care? – Its FOREVER.
Movie Review
I have recently watched the movie DUMA. This movie is set in South Africa and is about a young boy and his orphaned pet Cheetah cub. The movie is based on the book “How It Was with Dooms”.
It is a marvelous movie for the whole family. A great story, a good message and beautiful scenery.
That’s my story for today. I would like to thank everyone for reading Car Care. Please leave a comment below and if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask.
Now hug a kitty and do something green for the environment.
Trevor
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