Kitten proofing tips

[regentrude]

Hit me with your best tips for kitten proofing a house.

What's the best way to secure exterior doors so the kitten doesn't dash out when they're opened?

Thanks.

[Indigo Blue]

When you floss your teeth, don’t leave it as to be visible and enticing in the trash can. Mine doesn’t get into the trash, but if she did floss would go into the large kitchen bin. It’s very dangerous.
 

If you decorate for Christmas, don’t use tensil (sp?). Use cat-safe decorations. I have about one broken ornament per year due to cat damage, but it’s just accidental. Mine doesn’t generally mess with the tree.
 

If yours tends to chew on cords, manage them. You can order clear, thick  sleeves on Amazon to encase them that will keep them from biting into the cord. 
 

Window blinds with dangling cords…I put tiny hidden hooks into the wood frame (up high) on every window and I just loop the cord over it to effectively shorten the cord. 
 

Don’t buy dangerous/cheap cat toys. Buy ones that look safe, no easily detached small parts just as you would for a child.

Keep your toilet lids closed at all times. 
 

Pay attention when you put clothes into the dryer. Or even open your dishwasher or fridge. It happens. My sons cat was bad about this. She’s better now. 
 

Teach the word “no”. When kitty approaches the door to go out, tries to get into the dryer, or bites a cord, gently push him back with a hand, hold him firmly in place, and say “no” at the same time. Do this over and over until he understands. 
 

As they mature, they learn what to do and what not to do. And they mellow out. 

[wintermom]

Great tips from @Indigo Blue!  It may not be an issue as your dc are older, but don't leave nerf bullets laying around, as they are just the right size for cats to eat whole.

Computer cords seem to be especially enticing to our kitty. Sometime you just have to remove kitty from the room when they're in a cord-attacking mood.

Our vet recommended not using enclosed litter boxes as it tends to keep the fumes inside, which aren't great for the cat. 

Enjoy your kitty!! 😊

[klmama]

Good suggestions.  Your kitty will show you other things you need to do, lol.  Some put sheets of aluminium foil on the kitchen counters to discourage jumping up there.  If your kitty has front claws, provide a flat, vertical surface for clawing - no guarantees, though, as they often prefer the back of your favorite chair or couch.  

[regentrude]

Thanks for the tips. No kids in the house, so toys not an issue.
Countertops are cleared. Knickknacks removed from bookshelves. Electric cords are at absolute minimum in cat-accessible spaces. Will change to cordless blinds (right now, cords are rolled up and tucked away).

A few questions that may seem stupid - I did have a cat for 16 years, but never a kitten:
do I need to worry about kitten opening cabinets and drawers? I 
can kitten open toilet lid, so do I need a lock?

And, most importantly: how do I secure the exterior doors so people can enter and leave before kitten has learned not to go near the door? This feels like the biggest problem right now; it's very stressful to use my outdoor spaces.

 

[Indigo Blue]

3 minutes ago, regentrude said:

do I need to worry about kitten opening cabinets and drawers? I 

Yes. 

If you have a really heavy toilet lid, it should be fine for a kitten . My sons adult cat has climbed into the toilet while lid is open, but he now keeps them closed and she hasn’t since. She is a VERY curious one. 
 

About the door, I can’t think of anything other than to say just be vigilant while she is a kitten. Be training her to learn “no” and to stay back in the mean time. It’s like that stage with babies when they first begin to walk but don’t know better about danger. Maybe someone else has a good idea. My adult cat will walk into the threshold of the open front door to great me. She doesn’t generally step past it. Once, the door wasn’t closed tightly and it sort of popped open while I was outside. I turned to go back and saw her standing almost with her whole body outside and just her rear end inside. First time she ever did that, but she did have a clear opportunity. I just told her “no” and put her back inside. It’s just something you’ll have to be really careful with. My cat does know, and she doesn’t just bolt. She just gingerly and slowly poked her head out that day. They are all different, though. Yours may learn and you’ll never have a problem. Some are just more stubborn. Try to train early and be consistent.

[elegantlion]

For getting out of the doors, I would pick up the kitten, step outside with the door a bit open and then put the kitten inside as you shut the door. I've also seen cats wear harnesses and leashes and go outside like that. It can take some trial and error with a harness as some kittens can manuever out of them easily. I never left them on my cat, just used them when I took him outside.  

Another option is put the kitten in another room with the door shut while you're outside. 

[Indigo Blue]

Even my sons curious, stubborn cat has learned outside is a no no, and she never bolts. 

[elegantlion]

The other thing I would watch is the dryer. If you have a frontloading machine, kittens can get in there if you keep the door cracked (we did for ventilation when ours wasn't running). 

[Indigo Blue]

Never trust a harness on a cat unless you are with them 100 percent of the time.

[regentrude]

Thanks, all.
Dryer not a problem, as we line dry and the door is always closed. I will make the laundry room off-limits, as those cabinets contain the household chemicals.

Re cabinets and drawers: does that mean baby-proof locks on every set of doors??? Wouldn't the plastic draw even more attention?

Harness training is on the list, but not right now.

The door thing worries me. The joys of open floor plan and the cat area being the uncarpeted living room/kitchen/half-bath. I can't shut up the cat in a room. Also, I need to have sitters enter the house and cannot simply rely on the kittens to be trained to know not to dash.
I was hoping there is some good barrier/screen solution.

[Starr]

Doors are a serious issue for some cats. Often in the beginning they are afraid and don't go far but that doesn't last long. You really have to look as you leave or enter. Move them away and dash. 🙂 or if the door is open for a while put them in a room with a shut door. Some people use a water spray bottle and give them a shot of water when they are doing something they shouldn't, along with a firm "no." We have a door on our mudroom we always kept closed. They thought getting that far was fun and it was another stop before the outside. It's the same with scratching furniture. You have to continually move them and work on the "no". Exhausting and darling at the same time. Have fun!

[regentrude]

4 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

Never trust a harness on a cat unless you are with them 100 percent of the time.

I wouldn't ever - the leash seems to me to be a dangerous hazard. Harness and leash training is a thing for the future, not concerned about that at the moment. But I need to be able to leave the kitten(s) alone in the house during the day.

[KSera]

21 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Thanks, all.
Dryer not a problem, as we line dry and the door is always closed. I will make the laundry room off-limits, as those cabinets contain the household chemicals.

Re cabinets and drawers: does that mean baby-proof locks on every set of doors??? Wouldn't the plastic draw even more attention?

Harness training is on the list, but not right now.

The door thing worries me. The joys of open floor plan and the cat area being the uncarpeted living room/kitchen/half-bath. I can't shut up the cat in a room. Also, I need to have sitters enter the house and cannot simply rely on the kittens to be trained to know not to dash.
I was hoping there is some good barrier/screen solution.

We’ve never had to do anything with cabinets and drawers for any of our cats or kittens. I would wait and only address that if you see them start opening them. I know that’s a thing for some cats, but I haven’t personally known anyone who had to baby proof cabinets and drawers for their cats.

You could try some kind of freestanding baby gate barrier around the front door area. They make some with multiple hinged panels for blocking off larger areas. They would likely be able to scale or jump it, but it would slow them down enough to not be able to dash right out the door. We eventually ended up resorting to aversion training with our one door-dashing cat. It was just too much of a risk if she got out due to the amount of predators around. We did a number of sessions where someone waited out of sight outside the door with a super soaker type heavy stream water squirter and then someone else would open the door inside and leave it open. It only took two or three attempts of the cat stepping a foot outside and getting hit with water before she decided that was not something she wanted to do anymore. 

[regentrude]

3 minutes ago, KSera said:

You could try some kind of freestanding baby gate barrier around the front door area. They make some with multiple hinged panels for blocking off larger areas. They would likely be able to scale or jump it, but it would slow them down enough to not be able to dash right out the door. We eventually ended up resorting to aversion training with our one door-dashing cat. It was just too much of a risk if she got out due to the amount of predators around. We did a number of sessions where someone waited out of sight outside the door with a super soaker type heavy stream water squirter and then someone else would open the door inside and leave it open. It only took two or three attempts of the cat stepping a foot outside and getting hit with water before she decided that was not something she wanted to do anymore. 

This is brilliant! Thanks.

Yes, we've been thinking about a gate-type thing. They can jump quite high, but they'd have to aim at the small segment where the door opening is that is needed to step through (you wouldn't fling it wide open)... may experiment.

[East Coast Sue]

If you can enter/exit through a garage door, then you can make sure the door is closed before you open the door into the house. That gives you a safety zone in case the kitten bolts through the door. Ours has done that a couple of times and I’m so thankful we close the big garage door before we open the door into the house. 

[Carrie12345]

1 hour ago, regentrude said:

do I need to worry about kitten opening cabinets and drawers? I 

I think that depends on the weight/hinge tension of your particular stuff.  My cats didn’t really get into kitchen cabinetry, but my entire bedroom dresser is clawed to death.  They would just scratch and scratch until they got a drawer or two open, and then settled themselves either inside a drawer OR BEHIND the dang drawers, inside the open space they made. Not as tiny kittens, but they grow fast!
Sigh.

[regentrude]

1 minute ago, East Coast Sue said:

If you can enter/exit through a garage door, then you can make sure the door is closed before you open the door into the house. That gives you a safety zone in case the kitten bolts through the door. Ours has done that a couple of times and I’m so thankful we close the big garage door before we open the door into the house. 

yes, we've been doing that. But the kitten getting lose in the garage wouldn't be ideal either. 

[KSera]

And also, this thread is useless without pictures 😬. 

[regentrude]

7 minutes ago, KSera said:

And also, this thread is useless without pictures 😬. 

 

[regentrude]

So I read cats hate walking in aluminum foil and spread foil in front of the door....

He LOVES it! Is sitting there making the crinkling sound, bahaha

[Ali in OR]

I just want to say congratulations! Sounds like you have a couple of kittens? So exciting. Sorry, no great advice here. No way my cat could ever open a drawer or cupboard or toilet lid--not worth worrying about in my mind. He's mostly scared of going outside but can get more brave or it's just more enticing when it's dark out. Be extra alert at night. I like the baby gate idea and the "no" training.

[Indigo Blue]

One more thing….check to see if you have an opening at the top of your toe space at the base of your cabinets, like at a corner. These openings are invisible until you get on your hands and knees and tilt your head up and look. My kitchen has them as well as ds’s apt. My husband took some material off his plumbing van…not sure what it’s called but it looks like a really skinny pool noodle. He cut them in half lengthwise and made them about 4 to 5 inches long. He stuffed them in the openings. They’re wedged in really tight. We had to do this at the apartment and here. His cat totally disappeared at his place and she had stuffed her chunky self through the opening and was literally inside the cabinet but underneath the bottom, in the cabinet crawl space, so to speak. Scared him when he could find her no where. She has tried to pry out the “pool noodle”, but it’s too tight. So, she comes to my house and I see her scoping out ours and trying to find a way in. Dh had to be one step ahead and cut more pieces to stuff up there to keep her out. Ds had used cans of beans until Dh fixed it and made it effective and invisible. The things they can think of to get into. 

[MEmama]

In addition to washing machines/dryers, consider double checking cabinets before closing them (one of ours is *fast* and loves to dash into kitchen cabinets and dresser drawers), as well as the refrigerator. Basically, expect them to get into everything and climb everything at least once. 🙂 

Love the photo of kitten in the bookcase. Both of ours like to hide behind books, too. 😻
 

Congratulations on your kittens, and have fun! 🙂 

Edited July 7, 2022 by MEmama

[wintermom]

Your kitten is simple adorable!!! I love the orange tabby!

[catz]

The big things at our house are covered garbage cans and just watching what we leave out.  Like early on, one of our kittens bit through like 5 pairs of ear buds!  Did not chew on the wires and play with them.  Just bit them clean through and walked away.  Another one of our cats has ALWAYS been obsessed with any plastic film and will literally eat it, so no plastic is left out.  You get to know your brand of crazy as you get to know your babies.   🤣

Oh, and closed toliet seats!  Though one of ours learned to shimmy their head in for a drink and did that for a while.  

These are the first cats we've had and managed to be 100% indoor.  One of them has always been cool with that, doesn't dash.  The other one is still trying to dash 6 years later.  Luckily our front and back doors have "air locks", so we go out 2 sets of doors to get out and that helps.  I do often shimmy backwards out the doors.  In too, this cat hears us coming!

[wintermom]

Since I know you love paddling, some cats can become tolerant of boating/paddling. My brother used to take his cats out on the canoe with him. 

[regentrude]

5 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

One more thing….check to see if you have an opening at the top of your toe space at the base of your cabinets, like at a corner. These openings are invisible until you get on your hands and knees and tilt your head up and look. My kitchen has them as well as ds’s apt. My husband took some material off his plumbing van…not sure what it’s called but it looks like a really skinny pool noodle. He cut them in half lengthwise and made them about 4 to 5 inches long. He stuffed them in the openings. They’re wedged in really tight. We had to do this at the apartment and here. His cat totally disappeared at his place and she had stuffed her chunky self through the opening and was literally inside the cabinet but underneath the bottom, in the cabinet crawl space, so to speak. Scared him when he could find her no where. She has tried to pry out the “pool noodle”, but it’s too tight. So, she comes to my house and I see her scoping out ours and trying to find a way in. Dh had to be one step ahead and cut more pieces to stuff up there to keep her out. Ds had used cans of beans until Dh fixed it and made it effective and invisible. The things they can think of to get into. 

Oh crap... just checkd, my cabinets have that... who would have known. Thank you

[Indigo Blue]

This is what I mean by the hidden opening in the cabinet. You can see where Dh plugged it up.

[Terabith]

My best kitten proofing tip is to seriously consider a second kitten.  

[KSera]

6 minutes ago, Terabith said:

My best kitten proofing tip is to seriously consider a second kitten.  

Somehow I had gotten the idea there were two, but if not, definitely.

[regentrude]

9 minutes ago, Terabith said:

My best kitten proofing tip is to seriously consider a second kitten.  

Oh absolutely. Already in the works.

[Clarita]

A second kitten or young cat helps otherwise it's all up to you to entertain it or it seeks out trouble. As two single people who adopted a kitten we would spend 2-4 hours playing with the kitten. Launch a foam bouncy ball down the hall and watch the kitten bounce off the walls trying to get it. Then we'd put obstacles and kitty cubes and it was a whole thing. Then we got the 2nd kitten a month later and they would play all day. Jumping up and down kitty trees, doing pull ups on the kitty tree, wrestling with each other, playing tag, etc. 

I train my cats like I train my kids, lots of outlet for what they want to do. All different scratchers everywhere. Lots of perching area to look out the windows and/or just high places to see the house. I actually would place some of there toys on high surfaces they were allowed to be on so they have things they can knock over for fun. We used a lot of spray bottle, redirection, time-outs, and clicker training for the kittens/cats. (Clicker training is so they can feel more useful. We made them sit for meal times. We did a little bit of obstacle course training too.) Unlike older cats I read that younger cats and kittens actually like jobs and it's good for them.  

[Pippen]

1 hour ago, catz said:

The big things at our house are covered garbage cans and just watching what we leave out.  Like early on, one of our kittens bit through like 5 pairs of ear buds!  Did not chew on the wires and play with them.  Just bit them clean through and walked away.  Another one of our cats has ALWAYS been obsessed with any plastic film and will literally eat it, so no plastic is left out.  You get to know your brand of crazy as you get to know your babies.   🤣

Oh, and closed toliet seats!  Though one of ours learned to shimmy their head in for a drink and did that for a while.  

These are the first cats we've had and managed to be 100% indoor.  One of them has always been cool with that, doesn't dash.  The other one is still trying to dash 6 years later.  Luckily our front and back doors have "air locks", so we go out 2 sets of doors to get out and that helps.  I do often shimmy backwards out the doors.  In too, this cat hears us coming!

My current cat loves to chew on cords, and better yet if they're small like earbuds and phone chargers.

I can't leave food out at all if he's in the room. He will get into cupboards with accessible food in them, with bread being a favorite. This includes the cupboard over the range.

Make sure meds are locked up! 

No unattended water anywhere. My last kitten loved water and once jumped into a full bathtub. If he found water in a glass anywhere he would dump it out to drink, because it was so much better than the same water we filled his dish with.

My cats have all had an affinity for string, ribbon, rubber bands and plants. This includes grocery greenery -- current cat had a vet trip for eating the tips of some leaves from a pineapple. Now I cut the leaves off before bringing it inside. 🤢

I keep a pet taxi out in our main living area and put him in when I'm answering the door, during meals, when repair people are here, etc. He's not in there a lot, but I'm glad he has a place he's used to being when I need him there.

Edited July 7, 2022 by Pippen

[Indigo Blue]

My cat will eat tape. I have to be very careful with that. She has a tape (or anything sticky) obsession.

Obviously, when you’re opening packages, be mindful of little pieces of trash, styrofoam, and cardboard. You won’t even notice it, and they’ll spot it before you know it and swallow it. 

[heartlikealion]

It's been a long time since mine was that little, but once in a while I'd just pick her up and hold her when opening the door (if someone came to the door). Other times I'd secure her in "her" room (mudroom). But if you can't do those things, or it's not practical, maybe a temporary baby gate (before they get into jumping high) or even a large cardboard box. Mine used to sit in the cardboard box really early on sometimes.

When we got ours I was paranoid she'd chew cords but I don't think she ever did. The worst thing she does is claws certain furniture so I try not to buy furniture of certain materials. I know the ideal method is to get them interested in a scratching post, but mine doesn't want anything to do with most of the typical materials to scratch (cardboard, sisal rope). Mine likes to claw rugs and I did get her a smallish area rug that was just for her. 

[klmama]

Each cat is an individual.  One of my cats never got into trouble.  Another liked to bite puncture marks in photos and paperback book covers.   A third liked to race across the couch and leap onto tall potted plants nearby, riding them down as they fell over.  That one also liked to jump up on high shelves and knock everything off one at a time while watching them fall.  A fourth insisted in lying on any elevated flat surface and would jump up on the table, stick a paw in our water glasses, and pull them over, dumping water into our laps.  

[Catwoman]

4 hours ago, regentrude said:

 

Clearly this kitten is perfect for you. He’s already a voracious reader! 😉 

He is irresistibly adorable!!!