I grew up with cats. They were all strays who sniffed out my grandma's cooking, I assume, and decided we were good enough for them. Fortunately for my family, the cats who we adopted didn't arrive all at once. They came and went, replacing those who got lost. The biggest number of cats we had at once were five. As our cats were free to roam in and out of the house, some went missing after a night's adventure. I would cry buckets for weeks before another cat would arrive.
There was nothing much we could do as we felt bad trapping them in the house though caging them for the night would have been a better option in hindsight.
When my hubby and I were preparing to move out of our first temporary house together, a stray yellow brown short hair cat somehow managed to sneak into the house while we were away on a short trip. In the past few weeks before this incident, this fella had always come to our house to get his meals and would disappear.
This time, we found him looking battered and worn from a cat fight that must have left him incapable of moving for the past few nights. He was stinky and dirty but who gave a care? I quickly poured him his cat food and refilled his pail of water. He later went off to his nightly duties and left me to a good night's sleep.
He came back the next day looking worse in the daylight. It was decided that we would bring him to a vet before we went for a weekend visit to my mum's out of town. Just as we were ready to leave, he was nowhere to be found! We felt pretty useless but we couldn't wait for him to come back so we left.
We came back the next day and I was greeted by a sick-cat pong inside the house as I opened the door. Uh oh! I was hoping it was just a smell from the outside but no!!! It was him behind some bags, not looking very healthy. He had spent the night there! We must have missed him on our way out the day before. As it was a Sunday, most vets close early so I made a few calls to cat lovers I knew and got a vet in Taman Tun. Oh! But that's only the beginning!
I had no cage! As we were moving, we had some extra boxes so we decided to seal him into one of the boxes (with breathing space of course!) Oh but he was strong and resistant and he pee-ed in the box in his state of anxiety. Sigh..we managed to capture him and hold the box lid down with the only thing that was heavy and big enough at that time- the dustbin!
After 20 minutes of travelling we reached the vet only to find it closed. The darkest thoughts entered our minds. What were we supposed to do with him now?! Hubby noticed a mobile number on the vet's door and promptly made a call. Luck was on our side as the vet said that he was on the way to the clinic to feed the pets there. Yippee!
Sure enough he arrived in 10 minutes, looked at him and declared he needed stitches to close a hole under his chin. Poor thing had a puncture wound and maggots! He convinced me to also castrate the cat so that he can be kept indoors if we decided to keep him. Well duh! He was our responsibility now! Without much contemplating (I could only picture my dad, grandma and in-laws shaking their heads in disapproval), we decided that he was going to move WITH us! ( Below: Smokey, when he arrived, getting comfortable in our new home).
So-Cat Proofing Your Home- yes, that 's the topic of this post. Got a bit carried away there. As we were moving into a condo, Smokey (hubby won in name-picking) had to be kept in a cage because of his wounds. That made it easier for us to settle in. Smokey is a smart fella. He potty trained himself in the cat litter in his cage so when it was time to let him out, we didn't have any issues of him marking his territory.
Whenever we went out, we made sure all windows were kept closed. We know of cats flying out of windows when they catch sight of birds. Bless their souls. We're not so much into fragile decorative items so we didn't have to worry about him breaking anything.
Other Cat Proofing Tips are:
BATHROOM AND LAUNDRY
Try to get all family members into the habit of leaving the toilet lid down. Cats, especially small kittens or less agile older cats, can fall in and drown. Smokey's new companion, Lily (a two month old kitten then), whom we adopted last year, was very much curious about holes and toilets when she arrived.
Many bathroom essentials are toxic to cats. Make sure any medications and other toxic items are stored securely. Stow all breakable items and hazardous objects safely in cabinets, cupboards and drawers; if your cat figures out how to open doors (some do), use baby proofing latches to keep him out.
In the laundry room, always check your dryer before starting it (cats love taking naps on — or in — the dryer) and store detergents, bleach and other chemicals in a kitty-proof container.
TRASH CANS AND CONTAINERS
Don't underestimate your cat! Curiosity can get the best of any kitty and those paws are capable of turning over a trash can or even knocking a lid open.
Keep garbage, a source of such dangerous items as bones and sharp tins, in a trash can with a sturdy lid and latch. Plastic bags are as dangerous for cats as they are for small children so make sure you securely stow your plastic bags or keep them in a sealed recycle bin.
One day, I actually found another cat of mine,Toby, manoeuvring his way home with a tin can covering his head . We were lucky its edges were not sharp.
FURNITURE AND RECLINING CHAIRS
Cats will investigate anything they can fit into, and they can fit into tight spaces. The warmth and darkness of furniture makes it an attractive nest. Also check furniture with mechanisms — recliners and sofa beds — before using or closing them. Kittens love playing with chairs legs so watch out before making sudden moves.
ELECTRICAL CABLES
Chewing an electrical cord can be fatal, and pulling on it may bring down an appliance that could injure your cat. Lamps can be strangulation hazards. Bundle all cords or tie them off out of reach.
NEEDLES AND THREAD
Strings, yarn, dental floss, elastics and especially needles and thread are highly enticing, but if swallowed they can do serious, often fatal, damage. Store anything string-like and any items small enough to swallow in a drawer or somewhere that feline paws can't penetrate.
No comments:
Post a Comment