How do you cat proof your home?

United States
June 12, 2007 10:16am CST
My cats are getting into everything. They're more adventuresome than my three year old. And, I'm worried that they'll get up in the kitchen cabinets and eat the ant poison. Or, end up hiding out in the closet and shredding my sweaters. Do you have any suggestions on how to keep my cats out of danger, while still giving them the freedom to roam?
1 person likes this
5 responses
@WC1989 (595)
• United States
12 Jun 07
I never felt the need to cat-proof..except by making sure the door to the basement was always closed. My cat doesn't like to scratch all that much. He prefers sleepy by the window and playing...I guess to him, I'm the scratshboard. However, if you want to reduce damage, just let your cats go outside. They'll come back too worn out to destroy things.
@WC1989 (595)
• United States
13 Jun 07
My dad keeps the yard very clean, so he doesn't get too dirty. As far as fleas go, he just doesn't get them. It might be because of the flea collar, but he lost it a few days ago and still has no fleas. I guess the only way to ensure no fleas is to have a well-groomed yard (and not to let your cat go out when it's muddy).
@marinarovi (1318)
• Argentina
13 Jun 07
I don't think you can cat-proof your house. They'll just do whatever they feel like doing. At least my cat does. But don't worry, they're not stupid as others pets may be, it's almost impossible to poison a cat, let alone the cat poisoning himself. About the closet... my cat gets in mine every morning, and just sleeps on my sweaters. Never touched one, thank god. How many cats do you own?
@ESKARENA1 (18260)
12 Jun 07
to me the only way to make your home safe fotr cats is to treat your home as if you had a toddler in the house and carry out all the same precautions. The only difference is that this toddler can jump lol blessed be
• United States
12 Jun 07
We put child locks on all the lower cupboards because some of our cats like to open them and sleep inside. Whether they sleep on our dishes (and get hair all over them :) ) or they crawl over breakable things and knock them over. Thankfully they don't break often. But since we've done that one of our cats has started opening the higher cupboards in our kitchen bu climbing on the counters and reaching up! What a pain! =P lol
@myfanwy65 (1030)
• United States
12 Jun 07
We've had to put things away. Most of my tables and shelves are bare now that we have cats. They have even gotten into the toaster oven. I have to be sure it's unplugged except for when I use it. And, do like the other people suggested, put toddler locks on doors you don't want them in. Also, they need something to play on and scratch. So, you might purchase something along those lines. Pet stores and even someplace like Wal Mart all have cat trees and scratch posts. If they have something else to play with, they might not want to get into the cabinets and closets.