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November 3, 2024

I don’t know about you, but I am starting to get excited thinking about decorating for the holidays! Pets and holidays can be harmonious with a little thoughtful, advance planning.

Live versus Fake Christmas Trees

One thing that never occurred to me was how deadly my live holiday tree potentially was to my cats and dogs. Once I realized this, the fake tree won hands down. While the pine fragrance of a live tree is lovely, pine needles are mildly toxic and downright dangerous if ingested. Real trees are also preserved with toxic chemicals that make their standing water dangerous to pets.

Avoid These Plants:

Other potentially risky décor items you should avoid in a pet household are toxic plants such as yew, ivy, holly, mistletoe, and poinsettia. It’s better to not have them around as a chewing temptation for feline and canine family members.

Nix These Décor Items:

Tinsel and low hanging glass ornaments are major hazards for cats and dogs. Tinsel can cause choking and injury if swallowed. Glass ornaments can be easily swatted and broken, causing injury.  Choose wooden, plastic or non-breakable ornaments to decorate your tree.

Thankfully, the internet is filled with lots of excellent pet care resources so we can learn all these important safety tips before anybody gets hurt. No one wants a last-minute emergency trip to the vet!

Invest in Your Cat’s Safety:

Always provide your pets with their favorite toys to divert their attention away from holiday decorations and to keep them occupied and safe.  Cats love catnip, silvervine and honeysuckle-filled grab toys, teaser toys to chase and treat puzzles to satiate curious minds. Providing them with their own cat tree to climb and scratch will likewise distract them from your holiday tree.

Dedicate a space in your home exclusively for your cats to enjoy while the guests are partying. You will find it is a great solution to help keep your furballs happy and secure. Set up their food and water bowls, litter boxes and toys, as well as a cozy bed or blanket for napping.

Have a purr-fect holiday season!

No one likes to leave their fur babies at home.  This applies whether they go away on vacation, for the holidays or even for a quick get-away weekend. Even if you have pet-sitter extraordinaire caring for kitty, you know she gets lonely for you and only you. So what’s a good pet parent to do? Take her with you, of course! Travel with your cat!

According to the Roanoke Times, 78 percent of Americans travel with their pets each year.  That’s a lot of people and animals taking to the road and airways!

Travel Tips

Traveling with any animal can be challenging. Fortunately, MyThreeCats.com offers easy solutions.  We want to make your trips relaxing, safe, and even loads of fun for both your human and your furry feline friend.

Keeping your beloved pet safe is always your priority so a sturdy, durable cat carrier is a must for short day trips to the veterinarian or long rides to your family cabin or favorite beach. Your cat will love the new Expandable Cat Carrier with its foldaway canopy and poly lounge pad that makes it paw-sible for her to stretch out and get comfortable for the ride! You will love the lightweight,  stylish carrier that folds flat for storage and travel, making it both attractive and functional. Take a close look at this innovative new Carrier.

So, you’ve reached your destination! Now, how do you keep your cat both safe and happy? She’s meowing up a storm to get out of the carrier and explore her new surroundings, but you can’t just let her have the run of the beach. Problem solved! She can be safe both indoors and outdoors playing in her durable Portable Cat Playpen that’s a breeze to set up and folds flat to fit back into its convenient travel bag. Durable polyester and mesh vents allow your pet to enjoy fresh air.  Plus she has a purr-fect view of all the tempting creatures outside as she does at home in the front yard. It’s available in two sizes so dogs can also enjoy it and the rousing attention from onlookers walking their envious pets nearby.

You’ve been traveling all day and like you, your feline companion is ready for a nice long cat nap! Her portable cat playpen is now folded and safely stored in the car.  You’ve reached your destination, so she is now meowing loudly, reminding you that it’s time for her favorite hideaway, the Lucy Cat Cave (mythreecats.com).

The lightweight home is shaped like a cone with a comfortable, washable cushion. Easily rolled up for travel, the cave serves like a familiar “mobile home” wherever your travels take her. As with all furniture featured at MyThreeCats.com, the Lucy Cat Cave is designed to blend with any home décor. See more luxurious and charming cat cave designs at Luxury Cat Beds for Sale | Quality Cat Hideaway Beds (mythreecats.com)

So, plan your next trip and pack your car! Kitty is excited about his next excursion, and with help from mythreecats.com, you can be, too! Don’t be surprised if she creates her own travel blog!

Here are a few pointers on how to create and keep harmony in your multiple-cat household:

• The first introduction of cats to each other should be gradual and free from stress. If possible, keep the new cat in a separate living area of your home, with their food, litter box, and toys.  Your “incumbent cat(s)” will know about the new cat, but not have the stress of direct contact.  After a few days, gradually allow your “incumbent” cat(s) to approach the new cat, keeping their contacts short and sweet.  After a few more days, you will have achieved a successful introduction.
• Our strongest recommendation:  invest in vertical play spaces.  Cat trees, shelves and window perches are ideal ways to give your cats privacy in an off-the-ground location.  Cats like height, so vertical options are a purr-fect solution.
• Your cats need outlets for exercising and scratching.  Leave plenty of scratching devices around your home.  Whether they are horizontal, vertical or slanted pads, they will protect your furniture as well as your sanity!
• Give each of your cats a separate food bowl! If you have common water bowls, have several in different areas.  A water fountain designed for multiple cats is a great way of managing this. Just make sure to keep the fountain and the water it holds both clean and fresh.
• Keep as many litter boxes in your home as the number of cats then add one! One of the worst problems can arise when cats have to use the same box.  Territorial issues may arise, causing them to “spray” the litter box, which signals to the other cats to stay away. No one needs to have cats using undesignated areas of the house.  Once that “out-of-box” behavior starts, it’s hard to stop.
• Finally, watch your cats’ interactions.  Observe body language and catch an early warning signal so that you can diffuse any tension and avoid an out-and-out battle.  One great technique for diffusing attention is to introduce a stimulating wand toy to immediately redirect their attention away from one another and onto the moving object at the end of the wand.

Congratulations on your growing feline family!  May you and your cats enjoy many harmonious and joyous moments together throughout their nine lives!

Cats are intelligent, active creatures that need daily stimulation just as we do. Helping your cats tackle boredom can keep unwelcome behaviors to a minimum.

Constant, compelling meows, scratching furniture, and urinating outside the litter box may be symptoms of medical issues that should be treated by a veterinarian. In healthy cats, those behaviors can be avoided by keeping your feline companions entertained throughout the day.

Try these solutions:

• Here’s a simple way to entertain your cats for hours at a time.  Place a sturdy,  multiple-tiered cat tree with a good scratching surface such as sisal next to a window with an exciting view! They’ll ogle at birds, passing cars, and anyone walking by.
• Before you leave your cat home alone, turn on calming music or nature sounds to soothe and comfort him. Go a step further to delight your furbaby by finding a compelling video for him to watch on “Cat TV”, a television channel created specifically for cats.
• If you have empty wall space, quench your cat’s need to climb by installing perch wall units which create safe pathways for him to launch to tops of bookshelves and other high places.
• Indulge the natural hunting instincts in your cat by hiding treats or dry kibble in your home. Use a kitty food puzzle that will provide your cats with a stimulating activity. The challenging activity appeals to the natural love of hunting and will stimulate them both mentally and physically.  Change the locations frequently to keep things interesting and encourage your kitty to embrace his inner stalker!
• Shake things up by surprising your cat with new toys to sniff, play with, and explore. Catnip toys, puzzle toys, teaser toys and tunnels all make wise investments that will go a long way toward keeping your cat healthy and happy.
• Introduce your indoor cats to one of many attractive models of secure cat enclosures for the yard. They allow your kitties to enjoy some of the perks of being outdoors without any of the risks! Enclosures that can be folded up for easy travel are a bonus!
• Treat your cats to quality one-on-one playtime and cuddle time as often as possible. It is as good for you as it is for them!

Since your cats have a distinct personality just like you do, experiment with several of these entertainment options,  then pick and stick to the ones they like best! You’re sure to find just the right options for your cat at MyThreeCats.com.