Make your Home Cat Friendly
10 Things to do to make your home cat friendly
Written by Dr.Laxmi Iyer

1.No smoking! Make your home a no smoking zone. This is vital for you and your cat's health. Recent research indicates that your pets are like canaries in a coal mine. When they fall ill with cancer, then it's a warning sign to tell you that your home environment is not right.

Cigarette smoke is a big killer. Watch out! A simple thing as making sure that no one in the family smokes can do wonders to your cat's health and of course to the health of your family too. There are more than 3000 cancer causing chemicals in cigarette smoke! Be careful!

2. Fix the windows and the upholstery
Make sure that there are no broken window panes, broken grills, sharp edges and sharp nails on the window panes etc. and other parts of the house.
That can hurt your cats. When your cats rush in and out through the windows, the chances of them injuring themselves is very high.

Worn out upholstery can be very dangerous if your cats are still in their kitten days. Kittens until the age of up to 2-3 months have the habit of experimenting with non food materials. They may swallow sand, paper, strings, beads etc. Take care!

3. Litter box care
The litter box should be placed in a quiet, well ventilated private place of the home. It should be kept clean and emptied frequently. Try to make sure that you have at least one litter box more than the number of cats in your home.

4. Stay cool! Get some sun!
Sunshine warms, comforts and heals. Of course, sunshine does not mean leaving your cats out in the terrace in the blazing hot, afternoon sun. It means letting the sun rays warm up your room, not heat it up like a geyser.

You do know how much cats love basking in the sun. Make sure you create a special corner for yourself and your cat in the sunniest part of your house.

In case, you live in a place where there's not too much sun, then there's still a way to go about having something like the feel of the sun.
Have central heating, a good fireplace and a huge glass windows all over the house to let some light and warmth inside.

5. Do a quick check on your plant list for safety
Make sure that you have no plants that are poisonous for your cats. Many cats love chewing grass and get a high with catnip.
They are often adventurous and love trying out the taste of new plants. Take care to make sure that you don't buy ornamental plants which can be toxic to your cat if eaten.

6. Insecticides hurt cats too!
Don't use organo-chlorine insecticides. That means avoid using any compounds which have active ingredients written like lindane, gamma BHC etc.
These compounds are especially dangerous as they are easily absorbed and stored in the body of both animals and humans for decades.
An effective way to keep insects away is to use dried tobacco leaves, neem oil and powder and boric acid.
Growing plants like chrysanthemum can also help! Having wire gauze on all the windows of the home is another way to keep the home insect free.

7. Watch out for Peeled off Plaster and Paint
Make sure that the plaster is not peeling off in any part of your house. Peeling plaster, paint and wall paper may mean an open invitation to your cat to try out the taste!
Cats are naturally curious creatures. And if your cat happens to be a chronic woolsucker then you need to be doubly careful, because all that peeling paint, crumbs of wall paper and plaster are going to be swallowed.

8. Avoid using room fresheners
Room fresheners may be a great way to get the room freshened up but it can also cause your cat to have a runny nose, wheezing, cough and a bad bout of asthma. Cats are very sensitive to fragrances.
Not everything used in conventional room fresheners are all that safe. In susceptible cats - allergies and respiratory infections may come as a free gift!
A safe way to freshen up the room is to use a pot-pourri of dried orange peel, rose petals, dried flowers and sandalwood.

9. Use cat friendly doors
Cat friendly doors are those that have been designed to let your cat enter and leave rooms easily. Use your imagination and check out with some good architects and interior designers on how to go about getting those doors, hinges and door knobs in place.

10. Keep your house clean
It is essential to vacuum the interiors regularly. A simple thing...but needs to be done regularly. It's amazing what a difference regular cleaning can do to the dust quotient in the home.