Okay guys, I am getting very nervous

HI my new friends...

I have been reading so much about cat care, that now I am having irrational fears. I am so afraid my little Danielle will get into some kind of harm in my apartment.

I am catproofing as much as I can, but there is still a limit to what can be done. I know, no dental floss laying around, no rubber bands, string. That is the easy part.

My cousin told me that they like shoelaces. I envision Danielle starting to ingest the shoe lace on a pair of shoes, and I know cats cant spit things out, so what happens then, does she choke????...

Or am I being irrational??? What if she gets into something that I Just can't control, or didn't foresee? OOHhhhhh me...aranoid3 hno
aranoid3

HELP!!!!!!!!

Val the panicky :

WOW, you are nervous!!! Calm down, you will be a wonderful cat mom. If there's something she gets into, you will put it up if you need to. If there's something wrong with her, you can take her to the vet. Cats were a live and learn for me. Mind you, all the big things like chemicals,cleaners,strings had been put away. After that was the q tips, paper towels, plants, ashtrays, delicate breakable things, and generally the bathrooms. Now, keep in mind that All of these things they HAD acess to at one time. After a few mishaps, it was taken care of. You guys will be just fine. She is probably going to be too scared to get into much the first week or more, so you both will have plenty of time to adjust. Besides, if there's something you need to question once she is home, you know we are all willing to throw our ideas and tips at you. Take a deep relaxing breath and enjoy bringing your new baby home.

OOH good grief Q-tips! Didn't think of that... well,that's easy.
But my worry is what if I am out for a few hours and she gets into trouble...

What do cats do to paper towels? I would assume the same goes for toilet paper? I have to leave these things out.....

Val the neurotic

Mine wrestle the loose toilet rolls. It's still absorbent but awfully shredded when they're done.

Are q-tips a problem? I mean, they're a little messy but Blackie loves them so . . .

Ok call me dim but.....what are Q tips? - I've never heard of them before in England! (well here they are the tips that go on the top of Pool/snooker cues! - but I guess thats not what you're all talking about!! ha ha ha ..)

Apologies for my dumbness!! :laughing2

Q tips are the little sticks with cotton on the ends. Most people use them to clean ears with.
LOL...Q tips are okay, except one of my cats HAS to eat them. After ahwile, it became a choking hazard for her. As for the Toilet paper and paper towels. I have 3 that have decided that it is fun to make confetti out of them. With 11 the messes seem to be on a larger scale. So we keep the bathroom doors closed unless we are in there with them and I keep the paper towels under the kitchen sink with the cleaners

Ahhhh now I see!! Thanks Sandie!! (they're called cotton buds over here you see...) Hee I can imagine a cat would find them rather fun! - we've only had a couple of incidents with the toilet roll/kitchen roll, but the most popular thing to shread in our house seems to be loaves of bread!! Many a time I have come home to shreaded bread decorating the kitchen floor! the bag has been ripped open and through a relatively small hole they somehow manage to pull the entire contents out! (in bits obviously..)

I really have to try and remember not to leave bread on the sides! (or rather I should say, I really have to remind Hubby not to leave bread on the sides! hee hee)

Thanks for clearing that up Sandie!

Not a problem....I have had some laughs over the language difference. We all speak the same language but have some very different meanings. Hubby used to frequent New Zeland when he went to Antarctica. He was at an airport and asked for a napkin...LOL the lady looked at him very strange and was wondering what he would want with a feminine sanitary product
When we leave the house for the weekend, I need to leave a note for the "babysitter" about leaving certain things out. If you leave a cup with a straw in it out, I have 2 that will dump it to get the straw and run with it. I actually had 3 cats working together once. I have a shelf unit that hangs from the pantry door. I had one on the middle shelf of the cat tree prying the door open, one at the top working very hard to knock the herring treats out of the basket and one at the bottom ready to catch it and open it. I dont think you can find entertainment that good anywhere else

You're sooo right Sandie!! Since we've ahd cats we'ved watched far less TV!!! Ooo that was sooooo funny about the napkin!! (though I would have asked for the same thing too as it means a papertowel/cloth thing here too!!) oh that made me chuckle!! :laughing: :laughing2 I love seeing the cats working together like you mentioned - I love to see three (or sometimes more) little fury paws poking through the doorway trying to push the door open - its soo cute. Speaking of cute, I think I have mentioned my fat cat called Bod before - (I think I said about him liking Peshwari naan bread or something)well anyway, last night was a rare occassion that my husband decided to cook, so he did us both a nice beef steak, we sat down to eat and got in to a deep conversation, when I looked back at my plate I just caught a glimpse of my steak being haulled off!! I looked down at the culpret (sp?) and saw Bod there on the floor having a good munch on it!! - the funny thing was it looked sooo big compared to him!! :laughing:

Okay,

I have come to the conclusion that I must have my entire apartment and all the contents BRONZED solid!!!..... ahahahhahahaha :laughing2 :laughing2

Just Kidding!!!

Thanks everyone...

Val

Vjoy,

Believe me, cats are pure entertainment! Mine (I have 7) have found a way to climb into my top cabinets and they love sleeping in my towel closet. My Turkish Angora wannabe climbed into my cabinet under my sink and THEN into the top drawer where my silverware is! If I hadn't needed a spoon for my ice cream at 10 o'clock at night, I never would've known she was stuck! She couldn't budge.

Speaking of paper towels and toilet tissue? I had a Korat, Tucker, who was a real whacko when it came to those two items. I bought a 3 pack of paper towels one day. I put them in the closet and closed the door, not knowing that Tucker was lying in wait. Lo and behold, I opened the door when I heard a noise and there he was, all 3 rolls were shredded to pieces. I just rolled my eyes and started laughing.

They also LOVE catnip. I have found an entire container of catnip all over my kitchen floor one morning when I woke up. They are such little devils. Ya gotta love 'em.

Donna

:LOL:

Why do I feel I am not going to get ANY sleep from worrying for ......ever?


Val aranoid3 aranoid3

you have no reason to worry. sure, they get into things, but if you just keep the basics out of the way (the list Sandie gave you) you won't have any major problems.

I just got 2, and besides the animals we had growing up they are my first pets. Solely my responsibility. they were approximitly 4 months old when I got them and basically still kittens. that was 4 months ago. I haven't had any problems with them what so ever.

I feel bad for you because you're worrying yourself unnessecarily. It's not as hard as you think it is. There is no reason to have so much anxiety, but I don't suppose it will go away until you realize that for yourself.

Vjoy,

No need to worry. Relax and enjoy her once she comes home. Everyting will be fine, I promise.

Donna

Lay down on your stomach with your head raised and look around you. This is the point of view of the new arrival. Make sure that all electrical sockets are blocked, kitties love to chew on cords of many types. Just look from that vantage point for a few minutes and see what kind of obstacles lurk about? When I have new kittens merging into the clan, I make sure the electrical cords are covered. I usually use a cardboard box inverted over them. I block off any access to the heater, the back of the stove or under the :censor::censor::censor::censor:. You can worry yourself to death wondering what a kitten will get into. I have one cat Kahuna that loves rubber bands, and I know that these are not good for him, but he knows where the rubberband ball is kept and I have caught him opening up the cupboard going after it! So now I put the ball inside of a jar so he can't get to it.

Just relax, once your kitty arrives, you will have to much fun discovering each other!

Okay, Sandie, I must know:

In the US and apparently the UK, it's a napkin. In Canada, it's a serviette (the French influence, at least in eastern Canada). What they heck do they wipe their faces with in New Zealand?

Vjoy, sweetie, relax. All you need is a little common sense and the patience to keep cleaning the messes until the cat gets the idea. Once you have the basic do's and don't's, everything else is about your particular cat, because they have tons of personality and they are all different. But you and your new fuzz love will figure it out as you go, just like any other relationship. Don't fret, you're going to be just fine.

Thank you Hissy....

My cat is 5 years old, so I hope she is a bit mellower than a kitten.

I found this stuff that you spray on things you don't want the cat to chew on. (not applebitter)... I am thinking of trying that for things like cords, or othe parts of my home that she sees as chew toys. I will let you all know if it works, although I am hoping she is just not into cord chewing.

I am already rearrainging my closets, puttin away rubber bands, told hubby "no more dental floss remnants on the floor!!" :LOL: and taking note of where there might be problems...

I realize I will just have to watch her, and see what she thinks she owns,

Val

vjoy - you are such a nervous new little mom - RELAX - things will be OK! You are taking so much care, your darling will be the healthiest - best cared for cat in the neighborhood!
You will be OK!

Val, please don't worry so much!! I didn't do much of anything to "cat proof" my house with Merlin, mostly because I didn't realize I should, and he is fine!!! He has never had any problems with anything around the house....except when he was younger he loved to shred the toilet paper, but that was My problem, not his!