Tragically, many times we learn lessons too late. It isn’t until the kitten gets burned at the stove or swallows some thread that we rearrange things in our home. Don’t think that just because you put the crystal vase up on a shelf, that a curious, adventurous kitten won’t find a way to get up there and knock it over.
Before you bring the kitten home and everyone gets caught up in the excitement is the time to go through your home and create a safe environment.
Especially if it is a kitten you are bringing home, you’ll need to go room by room through the house, because her energy, curiosity, and lack of experience will cause her to try some potentially dangerous stunts. If it’s an adult cat you’re bringing in, you’ll still need to “cat proof,” but it’s the relentlessly curious kitten who will have to depend on you to keep her out of trouble.
Later in this chapter, I’ll discuss how to bring your kitten or cat into the house and create a room for her so she can begin to adjust to her new life. For now, though, you have some preventative kitten-proofing to do.
