A word of warning.... (indoor cat dangers)

[Molliesmum]

Hello all, just wanted to share something that happened to us last night with our 12 week old tortoiseshell Mollie.....

We have a sliding patio door in our kitchen, with long slat blinds over it, which are all connected at the bottom with string and beads. We have had Mollie for over a month now, and these blinds have never posed a problem - until last night. It was about 11.30pm, and this is when she has her "funny five minutes" where she goes crazy for a bit and runs about like a mad cat! She managed to get her back leg tangled in the string and beads and couldn't get free My Fiance and I tried to free her but couldn't so I cut the string in the end.

She was crying out and hissing at us, and I was so worried she was going to do damage to her leg because she kept trying to run away, but couldn't. It was such a relief when I managed to find the scissors and cut her free. Her leg seems fine, and all she did once she was free was shake it and then go straight to her food bowl for some biscuits!!!

I have now taken off the string. We were just so glad it happened while we were at home and were able to free her within a couple of minutes, and not when we were at work.

I just wanted to share that with everyone, just incase someone has the same kind of blinds.

[jason]

i added some text for better searching to the original post for this topic.

i had a similar experience with a gift bag. its the kind of bag that is typically small (can be large) and has tightly wound twine or cardboard for handles. my cats love bags (duh), so i would leave gift bags out for them to play in.

once, my java got the handle stuck in her mouth and around her neck, its really hard to explain but it had her mouth wide open and was wrapped around her neck...she was thrashing and screaming with all claws out, was quite an ordeal...the both of us needed a stiff drink after it was over.

also be careful with chairs that have slats on the back of it...java once again got in trouble with this. she climbed to the top of the back and slid/fell off. as she fell, her neck got caught in between two of the slats and they narrow as it goes down...was another ordeal that if i was not there, im not so sure what the outcome would be.

maybe others can chime in the help other cat owners. indoor accidents can happen but thank goodness its alot less likely than outdoor ones. this thread will obviously prove that cats need consideration no matter where they are but dont get out of hand with "indoor vs outdoor" please...thats just annoying and illogical unless you manufacture razor blades in your home.

[Traci]

Also keep electrical cords covered and out of reach, no matter what they are (lamps, appliances, blow dryers, etc etc). Years ago, I inadvertently left a blow dryer cord on the bath counter and left for only a moment, but that moment could have proven fatal for my cat. When I returned, the cord was wrapped around his neck, and tight I might add. Scissors to the rescue...can always replace something material, can never replace a loved pet.

There are many indoor hazards, one must kitty-proof a home as though they were child-proofing.

Thanks for the warning post...