My Xmas tips for a safe festive season for...humits !

It was silly humit's idea...ho, ho I'm Santa Paws...not!!

It's this time of the year again when humits need to keep in mind when doing all of their Christmas decorations and preparations that kittens and young cats tend to overreact during holidays because this is an exciting time for all (and their natural urge is to explore everything new and the unusual activity of the house can also affect them). This is why these silly humits need to follow some rules here: 

● To stat with all humits need to make the Christmas tree as stable as possible. (Any kitty at home might try to climb all over it sooner than later so the base of the tree needs to be heavier than the top). 

● Since humits like keeping real trees indoors this time of the year(??) (we, kitties, love them too...) therefore it is important that they should never let their kitties drink from the water in the tree stand as it might contain chemicals which are often used to help preserve the tree and these can be very very bad for cats and even the tree itself releases toxic sap into the water...

● Humits, now, you should avoid using tinsel, strings and hooks as part of the tree's decorations. These are extremely dangerous to cats if swallowed (use red ribbons instead, more fun to play with, sillies...). Broken ornaments can be also dangerous (to kitties and silly humits too) so keep all breakable ornaments out of the cat's reach.

● Now when it comes to Christmas foliage don't forget it can be toxic! Holly, mistletoe, poinsettias, ivy and Christmas roses, as well as the Christmas tree itself are all harmful to pets. Holly and mistletoe can be fatal. Poinsettias and ivy bring on bad digestive upset and pine needles when swallowed can pierce internal organ (bad, very bad).

● Also let me remind you about candles too, which can also be a danger! So only burn candles safely. Inquisitive cats can burn their nose, ears paws or tail getting to close to a flame.

● Finally don't forget that Christmas can be very stressful for some cats. All the changes with the decoration, having guests over or simply changing the familiar routine can stress and upset your kitty. So all humits need to make sure to spend enough time with their fur babies (at least 15-20 minutes a day, grooming, giving her/him attention and playing interactive games). Also make sure that you kitty has also some privacy in the house away from noisy humits!. Litter trays and the feeding areas must be away enough from the festivities, so they don't disrupt your kitty's normal habits.

● Now to the most important part, FOOD!! When it comes to food you cat needs to keep her regular diet and not to overeat Christmas treats and leftovers as most of the foods humans like are (unfortunately) bad for cats and may cause upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhoea. Also the humit carer need to make sure to tell all visitors and guests not to feed the kitty without permission.

Finally and a warning to all humits! Never, never give a kitten or a puppy as a Christmas present!!! Adopting a cat or a dog is a life-long commitment that should receive the special consideration it requires.

That's all for now. Happy Holidays to all kitties out there and their humit servants...hmm I meant friends!

(the same tips – more or less – are also available at my site...http://www.daily-meowing.com)

Sheng Chi & the rest!!