Week three of fostering and I’ve been kitten proofing bit by bit. When I filled out the application to be a Foster parent, I put adult cat (1+ years). The youngest cat I had was 2+ years when they came into my home. I’d never socialized a kitten. Shadow was 2 years old and a feral when she came into my home. I had no idea what I was in for, but eventually she and I found a common ground on which to live. There was always a bit of a feral in her. Hayden, Hoshi, and Lilly were never ferals.
So my experience with ferals and kittens was limited. I had a lot of reading to do. Let’s face it — I was not prepared! Walker and Monroe are approximately 4 months old. This week, they are going it to be neutered and spayed. So I’m taking this opportunity while they are at Classy Cats to enhance the kitten proofing of my home.
The basic premis of kitten proofing is not much different from child proofing. Think of what you need to do to protect a toddler in your house. Now shrink that toddler down to about 4 lbs and able to get into tiny places and with the ability to climb and jump. Then ask yourself — is this safe?
For the first two weeks, I was going through the house taking all sorts of items off of shelves, especially breakables. The positive note is my house is really decluttered now! But I still have things to do.
First up Electric Cords!
One of the most prevelant injuries to kittens is electric cords. They have a tendency to chew on them. I’ve read a wealth of hypotheses about why some cats chew cords and others don’t. Kittens may simply start to chew on cords as part of their exploring behavior. As with any toddler, exploration needs to be limited to safe places. My adult cats never chewed on cords. But we don’t want to leave the opportunity available for a kitten while that kitten is learning new behavior. Therefore, we want to make cords unappealing so they explore elsewhere. Thus, as adults, they won’t be interested in cords.
I had two places that needed some attention: the entertainment center in the living room and the computers in the office. You can purchase cord protectors that prevents pets from chewing on cords. It’s basically a plastic tube that wraps around the cord. Cord protector along with zip ties and packing tape, and I was ready to clean up my messy electric cords.
The before picture is on the left and the after picture is on the right. In the before picture, I’d already put the cord protector around the cord for the power strip. The rest of the cords are dangling or lying on the floor. I zip tied the cords, then used packing tape to attach the cords to the back to the TV stand. It’s not pretty, but at least they are out of the way.
My office is a little different. I have four monitors on my desk with two lap tops and two docking stations. The power strip is on the floor and cords are everywhere.
The power strip is now on top of my desk. All the cords are zip tied and taped to the underside of the desk. The cord to the electric outlet from the power strip is wrapped in the petcord protector and it is up off the ground. Nothing is dangling to tempt kitty to play with the cords.
Of course, when I rearrange my office, it’s going to be a LOT more work. But I’ve realized there are a few more products that could help folks with kitty proofing. I’d really love to have an attachment for my desk to simply encase the cords.
Next up Windows!
Unlike toddlers, kittens will climb. It’s in their nature. Drapes simply tell a kitten — CLIMB ME! You can simply hook your drapes up over the curtain rod. I opted to remove the drapes. The second thing we need to consider are the cords for blinds. Those cords look a lot like the teasers we use to play with a cat. You can’t blame the kitten for thinking those are simply teasers ready to be played with. So in with the window blind cord safety wraps.
Cabinets and Tiolets
I hear a lot of folks tell me to simply put kitty in the bathroom during convalence or during the introduction to the house. I don’t agree with that. The bathroom can be dangerous. We store chemicals under the sinks, toilets have water. Kittens have drowned in toilets. Plus, that water is not sanitary. If you have a dog, you don’t want your dog drinking out of the toilet.
There are a variety of child proof locks for cabinets as well as toilet locks. The good think about kitten proofing is that it doesn’t need to be a long-term solution. Kittens become adults much quicker than human todlers become teens. I choose options that were less permanent and easy to remove when no longer necessary.
Final Touches
The safest option is to close the door to any room you don’t want kitty to explore in.
Dryers/Laundry Rooms
Fortunately, my pantry/laundry room has a door. I’ve been training myself to keep it closed. Cats love warm, snuggly places and if you have warm clothes in the dryer, kitty will find that a welcoming place. It is way too easy for the human to not realize kitty is in the dryer, close the door and start it up. Plus, kittens can get caught behind the dryer and if it is started while the kitten is behind the dryer, the kitten can get overheated and seriously injured. The simple solution — keep your kitten away from the laundry room.
Refridgerator
I’ve read where some people have unknowingly closed the door to the refridgerator without realizing kitty had jumped in. That has never happened to me. However, what I realized was the space between my refridgerator and the wall was a very interesting place for a kitten. What is in that dark tunnel? My solution? lock with pillows. On top of that, I’m using a spray bottle with water to train kitty to stay away from the refridgerator. Eventually, I won’t have to worry about kitty jumping in the fridge while I’m putting groceries away or getting caught behind the fridge!
Kitten Training
Regardless of how much you kitten proof, there comes a time when you simply must teach kitty “this is a no no”. Yelling only stress kitty and makes it hard for kitty to trust you. However, you do have options besides loud noises.
If you don’t mind it getting a little wet, simply use a squire bottle with water. Kitty will learn quickly to stay away from the spot where they get squirted.
Of course with electrical equipment, water is not an option. So a quick blast of air will do the same trick.
Final option would be a at deterrant spray. I used this outdoors when stray cats were turning my yard into a litter box and it worked well.