Cat safety - kitten proofing your house.

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CAT SAFETY

**Substances Toxic to Cats**
Antifreeze Aspirin Bleach Boric Acid Brake Fluid Cleaning Fluid Deodorants Deodorizers Detergents Disinfectants Draino Dye Flea dips Fungicides Furniture Polish Gasoline Herbicides Insecticides Laxatives Metal Polish Mineral Spirits Mothballs Nail Polish & Remover Paint Paint Remover Photographic Developer Pine-Sol Rat/Ant Poison Rubbing Alcohol Shoe Polish Snail/Slug Bait Suntan Lotion Tar Tylenol Weed killer Windshield Washer Fluid Wood Preservatives Note: Cats have barbs on their tongues and the roofs of their mouths that all point backwards. If a piece of string or tinsel gets in their mouths while playing, it's very difficult for them to spit it out. Long pieces of string, yarn, tinsel or rubber bands can end up tied tightly around tongues or wrapped around intestines. Here is a list to keep close at hand of "accidents waiting to happen". Put childproof latches on cupboards containing cleaning supplies, insecticides, and sewing utensils. Cover holes, gaps or crevices in walls, in-between or beneath kitchen cupboards, cabinets and closets. Also, make accessible heating ducts and vents inaccessible. Make sure self-closing closets and cupboards don't contain a kitten! Make sure doors or windows can't slam shut in a draft. Before closing doors (garage to house, basement, closets, etc.) know where your kitten is. Important!! If you suspect your cat has been poisoned by a plant or chemical, consult a veterinarian or poison center immediately! NOTE: The lists contained on this web page are by no means all-conclusive. Check with you veterinarian for more information about plants and substances that are harmful to cats. Did you know that antifreeze is one of the deadliest toxins known to cats? A very small amount can kill your cat. When a cat walks under a car that has leaked antifreeze, he can get enough on his paws to kill him because he takes it internally as he grooms himself by licking his paws.

**Poisonious plants**
Baneberry and Doll's-eyes
Amaryllis
Andromeda
Appleseeds (cyanide)
Arrowgrass
Avocado
Azalea
Belladonna or Deadly Nightshade
Bleeding Heart, Squirrel Corn, Dutchman's Breeches
Bittersweet
Boxwood
Buttercup
Cabbage, Turnips, Broccoli, Mustard
Caladium
Castor Bean
Celandine
Cherry pits
Chokecherry
Climbing lily
Commercial Onions, Wild Onions, Swamp Onions, and Chives
Corn Cockle
Crown Vetch
Daffodil
Daphne
Delphiniums and Larkspurs
Dieffenbachia
Dogbane
Elephant Ear
Elderberry
English Ivy
Ergot
Fiddleneck
Foxglove
Hemlock
Horse Chestnut, Buckeye
Hyacinth
Hydrangea
Iris
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Jimsonweed, Downy Thornapple, Devil's Trumpet, and Angel's Trumpet
Lamb's Quarters
Larkspur
Laurel
Lily-of-the-Valley
Locoweed
Marigold
Marijuana
Marsh Marigold or Cowslip
Milkweed
Mistletoe
Monkey Agaric, Panther Cap, Death Cap, and Death Angel Mushrooms
Monkshood, Aconite, or Wolfsbane
Mushrooms
Narcissus
Nightshade
Oleander
Peach
Philodendron
Pigweed
Poison Hemlock
Prickly Poppy or Mexican Poppy
Rosary Pea
Tung Oil Tree, Candlenut Tree
Water Hemlock or Cowbane
Yellow Star Thistle

Cornell Poisonous Plants Home Page - This site shows you what these plants look like and
explains the chemical toxins that the plant contains.

**Kitten proof your home room-by-room. Here's what to keep away from kitty!**
*Kitchen:* Cleaning supplies (can be tracked on paws and licked) Bleach Carbon tetrachloride Chocolate Metal Twist Ties Wax (floor or furniture, don't let your kitten cross a wet, freshly waxed floor) Metal polish Mineral spirits Fish bones (can stick in throat) Chicken bones (splinters and sticks in throat) Trash cans (Garbage toxins) Trash compactor Aluminum foil Hot Stove (while you are cooking something tempting or when burners are still hot) Hot (or cold!) Oven Refrigerator (they do climb in!) Iron (don't leave cord dangling or upright iron unattended) Plastic Bags Chlordane Disinfectant (don't let kitten walk on wet, disinfected surfaces) Dishwasher granules Drain cleaner Floor polish Lye Oven cleaner Shoe polish Bedroom: Lamp cords Nylon stockings (chewed and swallowed) Buttons Clothing tags from new clothing Mothballs Cords on drapes, blinds or shades Laundry: Clothes dryer (a major source of tragedies. Always check for kitten intruders before turning it on) Washing machine (never leave open and unguarded, with or without water in it) Fabric softener sheets Garage: Antifreeze (Cats find the sweet taste of this deadly poison appealing) Carbon monoxide Insecticides/Pesticides (tracked on paws and licked) Ant poison Rat or mouse poison Roach poison Snail bait Gasoline Kerosene Paint (lead based) Shellac Turpentine Weed killer Car engines (if your kitten is missing and it is cold outside, be sure to check inside your warm car engine)	Bathroom: Acetaminophen (Tylenol) Acetone (nail polish remover) Alcohol Aspirin Amphetamines Boric acid - use cautiously for show grooming Cosmetics Deodorants Deodorizers Hair dye Hexachlorophene (in certain soaps) Laxatives Perfume Pine oil Sleeping pills Suntan lotion Toilet bowl cleaner Other Cleaning Supplies All Medicines (latch cupboard, if accessible) Dental floss (don't dispose of used floss in the trash!) Toilet Seat (keep seat down, especially if you use tank additives.) All Rooms: Electric cords and wires including stereo wires, lamp cords and Christmas lights (use bitter apple or vinegar to discourage chewing. Determined kittens will need to have cords run behind baseboards, over doorways or through special tubing made for this purpose) Cigarettes (Even when not lit, they are hazardous if ingested) Matches (safety matches are non-toxic) Pins Thread Needles Threaded needles Push pins Thumbtacks Nails Paper clips Rubber bands (can wrap around tongues) String (very deadly if swallowed) Yarn (also deadly if swallowed) Venetian blinds cords (hang them high, out of reach) Shade cords (tie out of reach) Fringe on rugs, etc. Toys (with eyes, ears, plastic accessories that are small enough to come off and be chewed or swallowed) Mylar cat "teasers" (keep them out of reach when unsupervised) Sofa beds (always open very slowly and carefully) Rocking chairs (watch for paws under the rockers!) Window screens (fiberglass or lightweight metal screens can be easily torn. Use heavier gauge metal mesh. Tape frame to house or use nails to tack loose corners.) Christmas decorations Tinsel Angel hair Gift wrap ribbon Audio tapes Marking pens Photographic developers Niickknacks (irresistible, especially if glass or ceramic and very fragile. Anchor to shelves with adhesive clay used for this purpose.)