Even the most careful human can mess up occasionally. Most of you are aware that the following household items are dangerous to cats. This is just a reminder to never leave them sitting around, not even for a moment. We kitties can get ourselves in trouble as soon you turn your head in the other direction! (Something else you no doubt are already aware of.)
So many other worthy posts and articles focus on toxic and poisonous items, so I’m only mentioning the non-poisonous things. This list is by no means comprehensive.
- String Things
This include items like yarn, thread, interactive cat toys, and dental floss. They can cause havoc in your cat’s intestines and cause a life threatening emergency. If you are a crafty person, keep your yarn and thread (and needles!) in a box or bag that your cat can’t get into.Interactive cat toys — the ones on a pole and string that your cat enjoys so much — should be put away in a secure drawer when you are not playing with your cat.
Never toss your dental floss in a non-lidded trash can. In fact, if you have cats (and dogs too), all your trash cans should have lids because we kitties love digging around in them! When we’ve stayed somewhere that doesn’t have lidded trash cans, my human wads up her dental floss after using it and flushes it down the toilet.
- Rubber Band Things
This includes plain old rubber bands, of course, but also items like hair ties and hair bands. Anything containing elastic. These can also be dangerous if swallowed. My human doesn’t even keep rubber bands in the house. I’ve shown no interest in hair ties, so she just keeps them put away in her makeup drawer, which I’ve never shown an interest in. If I was intrigued by her hair ties, they would be locked away somewhere. - Plastic Bags and Wrapping
I think a lot of you already know to keep plastic bags away from your cat. He could possibly suffocate if he got tangled in one, and if the handle got caught around his neck, at the very least it might cause him to panic. At worst, it could cause him to strangle himself. But also remember to toss plastic wrapping in a lidded trash bin. That’s another suffocation, choking or blockage danger. Don’t even leave it on the counter for a second. My human bought some “fancy cheese” (her term for it, not mine!), and when she tore off the wrapping, it went in the trash immediately. If she’d left it on the counter and walked way, I would have been on it in no time! - Tin Foil
Wadded up tin foil is not a toy! No matter what your cat says. If chewed on and pieces swallowed, it could be a choking or strangling hazard. It’s also another item that can cause intestinal damage. - Mothballs and Dryer Sheets
I said I wouldn’t include items that were poisonous, but these two are worth a mention in any list of dangerous household items. Sometimes people forget about these, and mothballs can actually kill a cat. Mothballs have been suggested as a wildlife and stray cat deterrents — never, ever use these!As for those fabric softener sheets, at the very least they can cause skin irritations — or they can cause pulmonary edema and kidney issues. My human uses wool balls (affiliate link) to stop static cling on her clothes, and they work well.
- Small Plastic Kids’ Toys
I know it’s a pain for parents to pick up after their kids, but some of those small plastic toys can be dangerous to your cat if chewed up and swallowed! I know this sounds like more of a dog thing, but kids aren’t the cleanest beings around. If they play with their toys while having a snack, their fingers may leave those toys with an enticing smell that will attract a kitty. - Electrical Cords
Kittens and some cats can’t resist chewing on these things, risking electrocution, or at the very least ruining the cord. There are bunches of electric cord covers arounds — there is no excuse not to pick up a few.
Did I leave out any other items that are dangerous to cats that you think I should mention? Let me know in the comments.
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These are great reminders for those of us who have been cat parents for a while and know to keep these things up and out of reach as well as an important resource for new cat owners! With so many movies, cartoons, etc. showing cats playing with string, for example, the stereotypical cat with a ball of wool comes up often in my time doing rescue. Usually it just comes up in conversation as we warn new kitty parents but occasionally that conversation starts with a trip to the veterinarian. It’s always better to learn before that appointment is needed!
Thank You SO Much for the Reminders, Summer!!! I just got a new Kitten from the Shelter. He is 3-6 months they say and I believe he is closer to 4. He wasn’t socialised in the Shelter and i think he had been there most of his life. I had been without a Kitty for almost 4 years and its been Many years since I’ve had a Kitten to train <3 Amazing How Much I had forgotten. He seems to like chewing on his Litter Maid cord so I Will be getting Cord Covers!!! Thank You for putting some Great Choices on here!!! I didn't know that dryer sheets were potentially harmful :O I will look into the alternatives.
CONGRATS on being a Presenter!!!! You & your Human are AWESOME!!! Hopefully You will being Presented with an Award again SOON!!!!
Thank You for ALL the Entertainment & Information You & your Human have provided over the years. Keep ' Coming!!! Love You Summer!!! Julie & Puffin <3
Grate post Summer! Guess what mee takess outta garbage?? Dental Floss…mee just grabss it an goes. Mee not chew or anything. Grate Aunty Mingflower used to do THE same thing….
LadyMew has bin xtra carefull puttin thingss innto kitchen garbage…..
Peepell use moth ballss outside??? UCKY!
Thanx again fore sharin….
**purrss** BellaDharma
People often forget how quickly an everyday object can turn deadly with pets around the house. Thanks for the reminders.
I, Pipo am into the plastic shrink wrap…and even sandwich/snack zip lock bags…
Minko was the cord chewer around here…Angel Suki was a string eater…sheesh.Kitties!
Thanks for great tips and reminders.
PS: We have a lid on the trashcan in the bathroom…and Minko was still able to open. it to get out the dental floss…what a rascal he was!
Great post Summer! Mom says anything bad for a human child is bad for us kitties too. We are house-free rubber bands and many other things. Anytime mom see’s something foreign on the floor in the trash it goes. And yup, she has lids on the trash cans too. Olivia is a big time cat burglar and likes to steal things, we gotta key an eye on her. Foreign bodies are deadly. Mom has seen too many in her line of work. Thank you for posting this valuable information. Love, hugs, and Purrs
We’d add ladders. From personal experience. 🙁
Good reminder, Summer ! Purrs
Good tips!
Lots of good reminders here. And the Human thinks that a houseplant she’d been told was okay for kitties was NOT okay after all (she looked it up). She and the vet suspect it might have been the cause of the seizure I had back in March 🙁 The people who passed it on to her told her it was safe for cats, and she believed them as they have cats, but *their* cats were not plant eaters and I definitely am. I consumed a LOT of that thing.
Beware of some box fans. Our human has an Oriental Shorthair who gets into everything and annoys all of us other cats. The openings on the box fan are such that he can slide his skinny little paws through them. If the fan is turned on…it could be the last time he ever does that! In order to keep the little twerp safe, the human had to disassemble the fan and put screening underneath the covers on both sides in order to keep him safe.
That is great advice, Summer. The only one of our cats who would occasionally chew stuff was Moosey. He’d chew through shoelaces on occasion, so we learned to just put them away in the closet, like we are supposed to.
Great post! There are so many dangers for kitties. I have been lucky none of mine are cord chewers, but my niece’s Maine Coon has chewed numerous phone rechargers, tank top straps, etc. Luckily, he never needed surgery.
Excellent reminder! I have a confession to make – I’ve always given my cats tin foil balls! It never once occurred to me that they could be chewed on and ingested. Thank you for the heads up!
Excellent suggestions Summer. A lot of this I knew but I learned some things too. Take care of yourself and your human, sweet Summer and thank you for sharing!!
Thank you for the important advice! We humans must be vigilant to protect our fur family!
Some flowers and plants are poisonous. I lost a cat to poisoning from a Mother’s Day bouquet with lilies in it. All he did was bush by the bouquet on the mantle and he was in pain and very sick the next day. Don’t bring my mom flowers unless they are fake!
I could do a whole post on poisonous (and safe!) plants.
Lexy is obsessed with dryer sheets! Mommy always has to be careful when she folds the laundry.
Great post!
Paper clips, sewing needles, pins, safety pins, rocking chairs, recliners, sofa beds, sharp edges on metal works, large openings on floor heating vents, and so much more.
Great list! My human has never had a rocking chair because of their danger to cats.
That is good advice, Summer. You should prepare your hame like you have a todler.
Yep, those are some real hazards sweet Summer!
I guess my peeps are lucky I don’t chew on things except them. Still TW is very careful with her floss and yells at Pop cos he likes to leave the lid open on the trash cans. TW always shoots coated hair ties and foam rockets for me to chase. I wouldn’t even dream of eating them. Faith’s fave playthings were aluminum foil hockey pucks and one you didn’t mention, metal money. She loved the “Where’s the Penny” game and sometimes Gramma used to find 25 pennies under the rug where Faith hid them after she slid around the tiled kitchen floor on them. TW won’t let me near coins.
Thanks for this reminder, Summer.
Good list – I did not know all of these already.
Admiral was so bad about chewing electric cords, most particularly the phone cord that mom got her first cordless phone because of her.
Thank you for that very useful reminder, Summer!
Purrs,
Tama and Genji
Janiss, as a cat person for a long, long time, I have know about these things and have often told my friends. However, good reminders cannot be repeated too often. So thank you for devoting a blog to them.