Snuggly though they may be, house cats aren’t always the ideal roommates. However, whether you are bringing home a new kitten for the first time or you are moving to an apartment with a long-time furry friend in tow, there are a few measures that you can take to keep your apartment cat-friendly. Use these 5 tips to cat-proof your apartment so you and your cuddly companion can coexist in peace.
1. Hide Your Hazards
Cats love to jump up onto counters and shelves to play and explore. That’s why keeping cleaning chemicals, medications, and other hazardous substances out in the open can be a danger to curious cats. Make sure that bottles in danger of spilling or breaking are safely hidden in a cabinet or closet, so a feisty feline won’t accidentally knock them over and ingest their contents.
2. Put Away Your Precious Items
With a cat in the apartment, no horizontal surface is safe when it comes to keeping breakables out in the open. Tabletops, cabinets, sideboards, and bookshelves are all part of a cat’s playground. If you want to have any art pieces, picture frames, vases, keepsakes, or other valuable items sitting out, make sure they will land on a soft surface if knocked over, or put them high out of reach of your cat.
3. Treat Hanging Cords with Caution
To your cat, the pull cords for blinds just look like dangly little toys. And though they may have fun batting them around, window decor could pose a serious threat to a careless cat. To keep cords from getting wrapped around a neck or paw, bundle the cords together or tie them up out of reach.
4. Designate a Cat Corner
Even pet-friendly apartments require a security deposit, and if your cat has a tendency to take out pent-up energy by scratching your flooring, you could be losing a hefty chunk of change when you move out. To keep your carpet from going to smithereens, designate a corner with plenty of scratching posts, climbing towers, and toys so your cat has a human-approved place to play.
5. Trash Cans and Dryers
To mitigate your cat’s tendency to explore, be wary of containers and appliances your cat could get stuck in. Keep Fluffy from going through the spin cycle by closing the washer and dryer when they are not in use, and check them every time before starting a load of laundry. Same goes for trash cans; make sure to keep the lid closed, and that the can is weighted enough that it can’t be knocked over easily.
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