Christmas can bring a lot of unfamiliar sights, sounds, smells, people, and things into your home.
Many of these, like drunk Uncle Bob, are relatively harmless to be around. Others, especially common holiday plants, decor, and foods, can be both tempting and dangerous to the most important beings we share our homes with—our cats.
Of course, this shouldn’t dampen anyone’s festive spirit, but you should double-check that you’re not inadvertently introducing any Christmas cat dangers into your home. Here are some of the most common things to keep an eye out for to ensure your furry family enjoys safe and happy holidays.
Holiday Plants to Keep Away From Cats
Poinsettias
While the arrival of poinsettias at local grocery checkouts is a sure sign that the festive season is upon us, if you’re a cat owner you likely don’t give them a second glance. Though it’s true poinsettias are poisonous to cats, the reality is your kitty would have to ingest massive quantities of the leaves for them to be truly dangerous.
Because they don’t taste good, it’s unlikely that will happen. Instead, most experts point more to the dangers of the pesticides (and even sparkle spray) these bright plants are frequently doused with—ingestion of this residue can be more dangerous to your cat, so…best to keep on passing them by.
Mistletoe and holly
The leaves and berries (both fresh and dried) of holly and mistletoe contain various substances that are toxic to cats. Depending on the size of the cat and how much is ingested, these can cause anything from severe intestinal distress and breathing problems to seizures and death. Perhaps it’s best to leave the garlands and mistletoe hanging outside your home, out of paw’s reach.
Lilies and daffodils
These cut flowers may be pretty and bright, but they’re also downright poisonous to cats. Just a few bites of either flower can be deadly to kitties so, if you receive them, you’ll want to put them somewhere completely out of reach of your cat. If your only option is outside, you might go straight for the rubbish bin to ensure the safety of any outdoor cats that may pay your garden a visit. Keep in mind that both lilies and daffodils frequently come in mixed flower bouquets—you may have to spend some time picking through that gift after saying thank you.
Amaryllis and paperwhites
These plants, which flower from an exposed bulb, are extremely popular holiday gifts: easy to care for, delicately perfumed, and pretty—pretty dangerous, that is. Both the flowers and bulbs of these stunners contain noxious substances that can give cats anything from a bellyache to tremors. Nature’s beauties sure can be beasts!
Christmas trees
Cats are famous for their Christmas tree antics, but there are also some real dangers attached to these festive centrepieces for our felines. If eaten, tree needles can cause blockages and internal punctures, while their oils can cause vomiting and gastrointestinal upset. Even worse is the water keeping your tree alive. Because it’s not fresh, usually just refreshed, it’s a petri dish of bad bacteria—keep it covered so your cat isn’t tempted to take a swig. Find out more about cat-proofing your Christmas tree in this guide.
Christmas Decorations to Keep Away From Cats
Tinsel
Let’s call a spade a spade here: everything about tinsel is a mess. It is impossible to clean up, non-recyclable and gets absolutely everywhere—including into the bellies of cats, which can easily cause blockages. Never mind the expense of buying presents, one piece of ingested tinsel can leave you with an eye-watering vet bill, or worse.
Candles
Candles lend that certain holiday glow to a festive home. But when you share your home with one of nature’s most talented ‘knocker-over-ers’, i.e. cats, they can be a recipe for disaster.
Get a multi-pack of different-sized LED candles instead of the real thing. They’re amazing because they’re reusable as well as non-flammable.
Electronics and cords
Sparkly things! Noise! Movement! Get the picture? Many fun decorations, from twinkle lights to train sets, require cords that are usually somewhat thin and very easy for a cat to get his formidable fangs on. Chewing on electric cords can lead to burns and even heart problems.
Holiday Foods to Keep Away From Cats
Turkey
Okay, yes: most cat food has turkey in it. But most cat food turkey hasn’t been basted, braised, rubbed with garlic, stuffed with butter and sprinkled with herbs and spices. There are just too many variables here to safely give your cat scraps. Opt for a special, kitty-specific treat if they absolutely must partake in a family dinner. This goes the same for ham—it’s too salty for cats!
Garlic and onions
Alliums are toxic to cats, and include onions, scallions, garlic, chives, shallots, and leeks. Eating these foods damages red blood cells in cats and leads to anaemia, not to mention vomiting, diarrhoea, and nausea.
Bad news: It’s pretty much guaranteed that these are in the foods on your holiday table, from stuffing and green bean casserole to mashed potatoes and gravy. Just another reason to keep cats off the table.
Sweets and chocolate
Some cats really like sweets—from fruit to frosting—but just as for most of us, sweets really aren’t the best to ingest. While things like pumpkin, yams and sweet potato frequently appear in the ingredients list of your kitty’s favourite food, they’re not slathered in butter, soaked in sugar, or melted with marshmallows first. And they also don’t contain artificial sugars such as xylitol, or spices like nutmeg, both of which are highly toxic to cats. Remember, that chocolate is also life-threatening to cats if eaten.
Takeaway
There’s plenty of festive fun to be had with your cat at Christmas, provided you’re on the lookout for the potential hazards the holiday season poses. If the worse does happen, and kitty gets their paws into something they shouldn’t, be sure to contact your emergency vet.
