You know how cats like to knock things off counters and table edges? It’s for that reason that you should never place a holiday snow globe where your cat can get at it. If in her curiosity she keeps batting at the glass globe filled with snow-covered pine trees or Santa in his sleigh, it could fall and break — and she could end up licking the spilled liquid and becoming gravely ill. That’s because some snow globes contain ethylene glycol, the same odorless but sweet-tasting chemical that’s in antifreeze. It doesn’t take a lot to prove fatal.
Here are some other holiday dangers to keep out of your cat’s reach that go beyond low-hanging tinsel.
Medications. We’re not talking about your medications, which you know to stash away. We’re talking about your Aunt Josephine’s, or the drugs of other guests who have come to spend a few days with you but are not used to being around cats. They might leave their pills on the nightstand next to the bed in a plastic day-by-day reminder case. Or they could keep their pills in an unzipped suitcase — on the floor, where a cat can easily find them and help herself to a few before settling in for a snooze.
If the possibility of a cat swallowing a visitor’s pills sounds far-fetched, consider that the ASPCA lists other people’s medications as one of the top five holiday dangers for pets. For that reason, be sure that any guest who comes to stay with you puts all of their drugs in a closed cabinet that would not be possible for your cat to access.
Gift-wrapped food gifts. If you’ve seen what a cat can do to a scratching post or the arm of a couch, then you know it wouldn’t take all that much effort for your pet to make her way through some wrapping paper. If chocolates or other treats are inside, they could prove poisonous even in small amounts. It takes only a half ounce (dark chocolate) to an ounce (milk chocolate) to put an 8-pound cat at risk for signs ranging from vomiting and hyperactivity to rapid breathing and seizures. If there’s a cat in your home, food should not be left under the tree but proffered only when gifts are being exchanged.
Lights left plugged in when you’re not home. We all know about cats and strings — or anything that’s long and skinny, including electrical cords. Cats are often tempted to chew through them, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) points out. And when you’re not home, the odds of injury increase exponentially. That’s why the AVMA advises unplugging decorations before leaving. The last thing you need is your cat getting a burned mouth — or worse — by chewing on a wire that’s connected to an outlet, which can happen even if the tree or window lights are off.
Salt-dough ornaments. All ornaments are an accident waiting to happen. Ingested tinsel (another “string”) can cause an intestinal blockage. A tug on something shiny can make the whole tree fall over. But salt-dough ornaments, which a cat might perceive as a tasty treat, present a particular hazard of their own. Ingested, such ornaments can cause life-threatening electrolyte imbalances because of the salt overage. That’s why the AVMA says that homemade ornaments, “particularly those made from salt dough or other food-based materials,” be kept out of reach of pets.
An open front or back door. Even if your cat is comfortable around people, the AVMA says, she may try to make a break for it when you’re welcoming guests you may not have seen for a while and collecting coats. And the last thing you want at holiday time is a lost pet. Watch your cat closely when letting people in or out, and make sure she is microchipped and has a stretchy collar with your contact information. That way, you can be reached before she even ends up a shelter, where her chip would be scanned.
