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Cat Safety - Keep Your Cat Indoors
Saving Animals From Euthanasia (SAFE) & the
American Bird Conservancy
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Human Foods that Poison Pets
Dr. Cam Day, BVSc, BSc, MACVSc,
Petalia™, Petsite.com Ltd.
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Indiana Plants Poisonous to Livestock and Pets
Rebecca J. Goetz, Thomas N. Jordan,
John W. McCain, Nancy Y. Su,
Cooperative Extension Service,
Purdue University
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Information for Pet Owners
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
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Killer Lilies
Dr. Cam Day, BVSc, BSc, MACVSc,
Petalia™, Petsite.com Ltd.
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Leashed is Loved
Golden Retriever Rescue of Mid-Florida, Inc. (GRRMF)
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Pets and Disasters (for kids)
FEMA for Kids,
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
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The Wrath of Grapes
Charlotte Means, D.V.M., ASPCA®
(Adobe PDF file)
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Pets serve us as companions, friends and protectors. They give a
great deal to us and ask little in return — just the love of a
caring master who will shelter and protect them, just as we do our
children. If you’re a pet lover, you may in fact treat your pets
like children and even consider them as such.
The relationship between pets and humans appears to be symbiotic. Studies
have shown that pets are good for us in numerous ways. Stroking an
animal is known to lower heart rate and blood pressure and brighten mood.
A study found that simply watching fish in an aquarium made patients
waiting to undergo medical procedures less anxious.
While we value our pets for what they provide for us, many of us forget that
pet ownership carries with it responsibilities. Our pets are dependent
upon us to meet their needs; they cannot do this on their own.
Pets require proper shelter, feeding and, when ill or injured, medical
attention. Pets having fur or hair require grooming. Dogs and cats
require quality time spent with their owners at play. Dogs and horses
require daily outdoor exercise. Fish and birds are highly susceptible to
environmental stress, but may not display symptoms until it is too late
to prevent death.
All pet owners should be vigilant in watching out for situations and
conditions that might bring discomfort or harm to their pet(s).
This involves:
- Employing common sense when caring for your pets;
- Understanding that domesticated pets such as dogs and cats are
neither people nor wild animals;
- Learning as much as you can about the type and breed of pet
you have or would like to own;
- Maintaining proper diet and living conditions for your
pet;
- Being proactive in avoiding situations or conditions that
might result in harm;
- Learning how to interpret your pet’s behaviors so you can be
attuned to behavioral changes that might signal a problem;
- Talking to other pet owners who have similar pets;
- Seeking veterinary or other expert assistance when you are unsure
if there is a problem.
VERY IMPORTANT!
All pets communicate, but not in ways we can readily understand.
In the absence of overt symptoms such as an open wound or vomiting,
behavioral changes are your pet’s ONLY method of telling you
when something is wrong. Often these changes in behavior will be subtle,
because an animal’s instinct, acquired from the wild, is to not
show weakness. It is therefore imperative that you know your
animal and their patterns of behavior. Visual inspection of feces
may also provide clues to a pet’s health.
Some helpful hints (“do’s and don’ts”) for
pet owners and persons considering pet ownership:
- NEVER, EVER leave an animal (or a child or elderly person,
for that matter) in a closed vehicle on a hot day. How often
have you burned yourself on the buckle of your seatbelt when getting
into a hot car? Temperatures inside a closed vehicle — even with
windows cracked open — can, within minutes, soar to 120° F.
(49° C.) — enough to kill or cause heat stroke. This seems
obvious, yet each year hundreds of animals (and some children) die just
this way, often at the hands of otherwise conscientious owners who
“simply forgot”. Remember, too, that a shady spot may not
remain shady. Leave your pet inside your cool(er) home (NOT IN THE
GARAGE, which can get nearly as hot as a car!) if you must travel
on a hot day.
- During the winter, don’t leave pets outside in below
freezing temperatures. Animals can get frostbite on exposed surfaces
such as their feet and ears nearly as easily as people can. If you
must keep your dog outdoors when it’s cold, be sure he or she
has a well-insulated dog house containing soft, insulating material on
which to lie.
If you must leave your pet outside during the day, be certain they have
a protective shelter to which they can retreat that will protect them
from sun, cold, wind and rain. Be sure an outdoor cat has an emergency
perch well above ground level to which it can retreat if pursued by a
dog or other aggressive animal.
- Don’t put the cat out at night. Cats left outside at
night get into fights with other cats and can fall prey to wild
animals. In the Southwestern U.S. and Southern California, it is a
well-known fact that cats and even small dogs left out overnight are
coyote food. While we’re on the subject, the average life
span of cats kept indoors is much greater than that of cats
allowed to roam free.
-
Keep your dog on leash unless you are in an approved
fenced-in area such as a dog park. We all think we know our pets, but
they can surprise us by running away, running into the roadway, or
pursuing an animal, person or vehicle. Remember, too, that many
municipalities have leash laws. If an altercation ensues in
which your dog bites an animal or person and your dog is off
leash, even if your dog was provoked, you will probably be held
legally responsible.
- Identify
your pet so that it can be reunited with you if it becomes
lost or escapes.
- Always be sure your pet has plenty of fresh water to drink.
Change the water several times per day. If your pet is outside, make
sure the water stays cool and that your pet has access to a shady area.
- Don’t feed your pets “people food”. Also,
some “pet treats” are not especially healthy for animals.
(Kinda like people snacks — you know?) Diet is extremely
important for your pet’s health and longevity; research pet foods
thoroughly so you can choose the right food for your pet. Dry foods
tend to keep an animal’s teeth cleaner than moist foods. By the
way, a morsel of table food once in a while won’t really hurt;
let’s face it, we all do it. But this should be a rare event,
and don’t feed your dog or cat the fatty scraps you wouldn’t
eat yourself.
Don’t allow your dog to chew on natural bones such as the
one from the Sunday roast. (A few types of natural bones may be OK,
but do you know which ones?) Bones can splinter under chewing
pressure; chicken bones are extremely dangerous in this
regard and should never under any circumstance be given to a pet.
A splintered bone can lodge in an animal’s throat, presenting a
choking hazard, or perforate the intestinal wall if not thoroughly
digested within the stomach. Purchase synthetic bones from your local
pet store or through our
Pet
Products & Supplies section instead.
Discard food scraps, bones and spoiled food in pet-proof
containers and make certain those containers are tightly closed.
You might be amazed at what animals will eat and how ingenious they
are at getting to a forbidden food item. I knew a golden retriever
who chewed through a plastic container to ingest an entire quart of
lard. Another golden wolfed down a rotten goose egg she found under a
bush as I walked her in the park before I even knew what was happening!
(Both dogs were ultimately OK, although the first mentioned did not
feel too well for a few days. We discovered later that the quantity
of lard ingested could have proven fatal.)
Some common houseplants and outdoor plants are toxic to animals.
Furthermore, pet owners often have misconceptions regarding
what plants are toxic. Poinsettia, thought
by many pet owners to be highly toxic, is actually far less toxic than
are lilies, which can be fatal to cats. Plants
should be kept away from animals who are curious or like to chew, or the
animals should be kept away from the plants. It may be necessary to
eliminate toxic plants from a pet’s habitat altogether to avoid
poisoning.
Finally, some people foods are toxic to animals.
Chocolate is toxic to many dogs, but did you know about
grapes?
Onions, garlic and macadamia nuts are other people
foods which can cause significant distress in pets or result in death.
- Make sure your pet is properly vaccinated and gets his or her
required booster shots. Vaccination is now available for most
but not all common dog and cat diseases, some of which are potentially
fatal. An unvaccinated indoor cat may be at risk — even if it
does not come into direct contact with an infected cat — from
secondary contact and because some feline diseases are airborne. Also,
indoor cats often temporarily “escape” a brief encounter
while outdoors, or walking through an area where an infected animal
has been, is all that may be necessary to infect your precious family
member. Get those shots!
- Most canine diseases are not transmissible to cats. Most feline
diseases are not transmissible to dogs. Most animal diseases are
not transmissible to humans. Most does not mean all.
Always use common sense and proper hygiene. Parasitic diseases and
fungal infections are most easily transmitted between species. So
before you let your dog kiss you, ask yourself, “Where has that
tongue been?” On the other hand, don’t get freaked if the
neighbor’s dog licks your child’s face.
A cat’s mouth is actually considered to be much
“dirtier” than a dog’s, having a much higher
concentration of bacteria. By the way, the oft rumored
cat scratch fever is, in fact, real, but
is neither common nor a major health concern. Any animal scratch should
be thoroughly washed and disinfected to remove bacteria that may reside
on the animal’s claws. An accidental animal bite, if shallow and
from a known and trusted animal, may be treated in the same way. Any
bite from an unfamiliar animal (such as a dog that you have never seen
before), a deep bite, or a bite from a wild animal should be immediately
treated by a physician. Bites from wild animals or from unfamiliar
animals for whom an owner cannot be located may require innoculation
against rabies, and should be reported to police and health
authorities.
- If you have both a dog and a cat that get along well together, care
must be taken with regard to the dog’s safety. Cats
can get a bit aggressive in their play, and on occasion will
attack a dog’s eyes. While a dog under this sort of playful
“attack” will usually simply close its eyes or turn its
head away, an errant claw might cause significant damage to a
dog’s eye. I can personally tell you that a friend’s cat
has been with five different dogs over the course of seven years, has
exhibited this behavior frequently with them all, and has never done
any damage. It always pays to be safe, however. Cats generally
perform this play in front of their masters as a form of Alpha
behavior; simply shooing the cat away, then praising it when it
complies, is usually enough to stop an attack.
- Despite the danger posed by a cat’s claws, do not have your
cat declawed unless there is an overriding reason for doing so.
Declawing can result in permanent physical and psychological changes
to a cat. Worse, a declawed cat that escapes outdoors is defenseless
and cannot climb to reach safety. Please examine options other than
declawing if you are concerned about the damage a cat can do with its
claws.
Authored by Kenneth L. Anderson.
Original article published prior to 13 April 2003, updated
11 December 2005.
Follow links to the right to find further information relating to pet safety.
Ten Spider Enterprises provides information and resources that can help you
locate and acquire a pet, protect the well-being and health of your pet,
and maximize your pet’s quality of life. If you desire to become
a pet owner, check out
Pet
Adoption & Rescue. If you already own a pet, you may be
especially interested in
Pet
Care & Pet Health and
Pet
Products & Supplies. Our Pet Safety SiteMap
immediately below will help you to quickly locate additional pet safety
topics on our website.
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