Okay, this is my service post for the season. The humans have a lot of holiday traditions that can be a problem for cats. They have things that are good to eat, but deadly. They spike the water with deadly poisons and some of their favorite treats can make us sick. I’m certain they don’t do this on purpose but sometimes as cats, we have to watch out for ourselves. This time of year that’s especially true. Humans are running around all over the place and sometimes they barely have time to feed us those extra treats for our trouble!
At any rate, the first deadly toxin is the Poinsettia. I know. These lovely red and green velvety plants make you just want to chew on the. The leaves look great with our coats and the colors set off the coats of most cats wonderfully. If you have a human who understands color, they may even get you a white one to set off the red one and then you! It’s a gorgeous tableau. The poinsettia calls you. It’s leaves and it’s flowers look so appetitizing. Perhaps there’s a breeze and suddenly you want to chew! Suddenly you have a face full! STOP!!!!
Poinsettia’s are highly toxic plants. You can die from eating them. Avoid this flower. Suggest your human get a fake one if they must have it because really, those leaves, that flower, just CALL to be chewed on.
So you’ve avoided the poinsettia. You’re napping under the indoor tree that humans bring in each year, wondering why this delightful thing isn’t around all the time. A tree inside. You are under the tree, there’s no rain, it’s warm and you can see everyone and no one sees you. You decide to explore and there, right by your head is water. You decided to drink. STOP!
Check out the tree water. Is it just water? Some humans add chemicals that they think will keep the tree alive longer. Unfortunately some of those tree chemicals can be hazardous to our health. Remind your human that cats can’t resist water in unusual places. Then remind them that you are more important than that stupid tree.
Everyone is eating. Eating. Eating. You love this time of year. Clothing that can no longer be gotten into lays on the floor. Sweats come out because those are the only clothes that are comfortable and you get to lay on them. Ah. Sometimes those sweet, dark pieces of chocolate fall on the floor. You’re tempted to see what the big deal is. STOP!
In any quantity chocolate can be toxic to dogs and cats. Stop that chewing. I know a little bit might be okay but watch the amounts. It’s better to just avoid it altogether.
As bonus, I’d like to share a little factoid that I learned on one of the cat fact pages online. Someone thinks that cats don’t taste the sweet flavor. Imagine. Do you think a cat really said that?
At any rate, I hope my little warnings have allowed you all to have a safer holiday season!
verry fine PSA! we also herd ’bout a kitty DYING frum eatin’ sum tinsel when it got stuck in the poor kitty’s insides, an plus you could choke on it. an candles kin be bad too – don’t want kitties knockin’ ’em offur or burnin’ their furs.
Oh! So that’s why Mom won’t let me lick the bowl when she’s hadded chocolate ice cream. I beg an beg but she says no. I always gets the vanilla though. Unless Rascal gets there first.
We are kind of wondering about a tree this year with Precious. She is so into climbing and getting into most everything, we don’t know if it would last very long.
Patches
Those are furry important points Chey. We are glad you dispensing this important information for us poodies. About the sweet part, my Mom always laughs when someone says cats can’t taste sweet. She had a poodie when she was a kid who always licked the frosting off of cakes, ate the custard pies and any other sweet he could get his hands on including candy. So much for cats not liking sweets, he LOVED the stuff even gum drops. And Merlin loves marshmallows ~
Yup, yup, yup – furry good advice!
Come visit us for Meezer Monday!
Thank you for the safety tips Chey! Very important things to know during this holiday season.
I don’t have to worry about tree water – my humans have a fake one. I guess my dad, and one of my mom’s littermates, are allergic to the real trees.
My mom says that our humans should also avoid decorating with tinsel. If we eat it, it can really mess up our insides.
furry informative and edmucational Chey. Mommy buys the fake poinsettas, but I still has to put the bitey on them. – Sammy
My four cats thank you for these tips ! but fortunately none of them likes any plants, except the pots to pee in when they were babies, and our Christmas tree is not a real one, because the little darlings used to climb in there and play with the decoration ! So since years we have a big, but fake christmas tree ! But they like to play with little father Christmas and angels which they think are a strange race of mice.