Cat Dangers

Indoor

Even in the safety of your home cats can get into a lot of trouble. Kittens are especially vulnerable, due to their lack of experience and eagerness to explore. They will probably misjudge a lot of dangerous situations, like the height of furniture or the temperature of the stove.

Common dangers around the home

• house plants: cats love to nibble on plants, but some of them can be toxic. Such plants are lily, fig, orange, daffodils, begonia, aloe vera, etc. For a complete list of plants that are toxic for cats, click this link: http://mistyhorizon2003.hubpages.com/hub/Houseplants-Poisonous-to-your-Cats
• opened windows: Dangerous especially for cats living in apartments on high floors. While it is true that cats can rotate their bodies during falls, they don't always land on their feet. They can also hit objects while falling, like window panes, tree branches, fences, etc.

          I had a patient a few years ago that died after falling from a window on the 5th floor. After performing all clinical investigations, it was clear that there were no internal injuries, no broken bones, no hemorrhaging. What killed that poor cat was the shock of falling.

• shiny objects that can be swallowed, like needles, safety pins, jewelry and so on. Cats are attracted to small objects they can play with, but due to their size these objects can also be ingested.
• open fire: never leave a candle or a stove unattended while a cat is around. A simple wave of the tail through the flame is enough to start a disaster.
•  medication: a cat will certainly be attracted by a bottle of pills, because it can be rolled around and it produces a rattling sound. This is an easy way for the cat to come in contact  with the pills inside (lick/chew/swallow them). Many human drugs can be fatal for cats, even in very small amounts.

Outdoor

• car accidents: it is very easy for a cat to on the other side of your yard's fence. But once she finds herself in a new environment she can become disoriented and confused. It is very easy to end up in front of a speeding car.
• poisoning: cats will rarely eat poisonous substances. Poisoning in cats is usually associated with feeding on poisoned pray (rodents).
• animal attacks: not all dogs are friendly to cats. Being bitten by a large breed dog could cause life threatening injuries to a cat. Severe wounds may render her unable to move, so your cat won't be able to return home.
• getting stuck in trees: when a cat feels threatened in the outdoors, a tall tree may provide the only means of escape. For them, getting up the tree is easy, getting down is the real challenge.

          When climbing trees, a cat uses its claws and muscle power generated by the hindquarters. When facing down a tree trunk, the claws face the wrong direction - they can't support the weight of the cat. To avoid this, many cats will try to back down a tree.