**New Series** at BBHQ ~ Cat Hazards ~ The Art of Keeping Your Cat Safer ~ Household Items Are Not Cat Toys

  Happy Monday supurr pals

Welcome to Cat Hazards ~ The Art of Keeping Your Cat Safer ~ Another Brand New Series at BBHQ 

Today we sharing Part One of this new series, which we've been planning it for quite a while, so we do hope mew enjoy it.

If mew're new to being cat staff or cat pawrents, then maybe there are a few things mew haven't thought about, and we're here to point mew in the right direction so mew can learn what's safe and what's not. And for those seasoned and veteran cat staff and pawrents, do feel free to add more suggestions in the comments as...

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

...and could help avoid and avert all kinds of kitty related disasters.

We don't know about mew, but we see some purretty strange stuff on the interwebs which results in cats ending up at the vets through silly errors that could so easily be avoided.

Just recently we saw that a poor kitty ended up in surgery due to the owner allowing him to play with her hair elastics - like WHAT THE FLUFF!  He'd swallowed a lot of them over a period of time and it had blocked his intestines. Didn't his owner wonder where her hair elastics were disappearing? Seriously, this type of stupidity astounds us. 

While it may be funny to watch Fluffy pounce and chase hair bands/accessories for a Tik Tok video or whatever, this is not a good idea; it's supurr dangerous and could seriously harm or even kill your cat and cost mew thousands and thousands.

Purrlease use common sense - we know this is in supurr short supply for a few peeps - but really dig deep and find some, Fluffy will thank mew for it!

Also, Cat Toys are called CAT TOYS for a reason, they are specially designed to entertain your cat safely; some under pawrental supervision and others which can be left out freely.

So let's look at today's example list of what NOT to let your cat play with, bat around, chew or chase:

HAIR ELASTICS  = NO

RUBBER BANDS = NO

PLASTIC RING PULLS = NO

ANY JEWELLERY = NO

PAPERCLIPS = NO

MARBLES = NO

BALLS SMALLER THAN GOLF BALL SIZE = NO

PLASTIC BAGS = NO

COTTON BUDS = NO

SMALL KIDS TOYS = NO

BOTTLE TOPS = NO

SWEET WRAPPERS = NO

TINY BITS OF SCRUNCHED UP TINFOIL = NO

CABLES AND WIRES* =   NO

SMALL BITS OF PLASTIC = NO

RANDOM PIECES OF STRING OR TWINE = NO

SHOELACES = NO

HEADPHONES = NO

THE CORD ON WINDOW BLINDS** = NO

etc...etc...etc...

*If your kitty has a habit of chewing things they shouldn't, mew need to either: A. Remove it and put it away safely, or B. Discourage your cat from playing with it altogether.  

What we have done at BBHQ in the past if someone is a serial-offender is use the squirt method; fill a small spray bottle with plain tap water and put a few small stones in the bottom, so they make a rattling noise. When Fluffy next misbehaves squirt once near him/her but not on them and never in the face, eyes or ears and gently shake the bottle so he/she hears the noise. Soon mew will only have to shake the bottle for Fluffy to stop misbehaving. Training your cat is easy if mew stick to it. Use this method only as a last resort, and remember that it is NOT a game, it is for training only.

**We have heard many times over the years of poor cats and kittens getting caught in the cords of window blinds and being strangled while their pawrents were out at wurk, which is absolutely terrible. Though obviously mew can't take all your blinds down, but mew can either tie the cord up out of the way or use a bulldog clip to fasten the cord safely out of reach and temptation, it only takes a minute to make them safe.

Remember NOT everything is a toy but your cat doesn't know this, and while it may be funny for 20 seconds your cat could get hurt or wurse.

Obviously, there are many other household items that mew shouldn't let your cat play with and we can't list them all here, but mew get the idea; use your noodle, if there's the minutest chance it could possibly hurt your cat, remove it immediately.

Let's Talk Real Cat Toys

At BBHQ we have a designated toy box full of all kinds of fun cat toys, some shop-bought and others which we have made, mew can see some of these examples on our Crafting with Cats page. Anyhoo we always put our toys away aftur a good play session, and then that way there are no trip hazards for the pawrents either. We also rotate toys too, so we never get bored of the same thing, this also gives your toys a longer life.

Do try to check all toys on a regular basis:- if they have become damaged, frayed and ripped or things have come loose such as tinkly bells and bobbly eyes etc... purrlease dispose of them safely. They aren't made to last forever, and even if your budget is small or tight and mew can't afford to buy more, mew can make news ones easily enough for very little outlay. In fact, most of the time mew can literally make them for nothing if mew upcycle fabrics; we do this all the time - see our Crafting page above.

Before we head off our final thing today is:- Wands and Teasers with long strings or elastic cord - NEVER EVER LEAVE YOUR CAT WITH THESE ITEMS UNATTENDED EVER!  

When mew've finished playing wind the cord around the wand - see pic below of how we store ours -  and put away in a cupboard or drawer, these things are lethal if your cat gets ravelled up and mew're not there to free them.

This is a really fun catnip teaser toy we made a few years ago - completely no sew.

It doesn't take long to make your home a safe place, and mew'd do it for a baby/toddler/child, so do it for your cat too, and our K9 buddies of course!

Next time we'll cover some house plants mew need to avoid, just in case Fluffy takes a shine to them.

If mew're looking for more advice on being a cat pawrent, check out our Top Tips for Cat Pawrents page too.

Thanks for joining us today and we do hope mew like our new series, feel free to share the post on your social media and we'll be back on the morrow with the grand finale in our epically epic adventure, The Clockwurk Labyrinth, so if mew missed any episodes, click here to go catch up.

Until then...

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team

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