| Unless you want to make an unscheduled trip to the | | | | swallowed is not a good thing. Especially if they made |
| vet, you always want to check out any toy you give | | | | out of plastic or manmade material. |
| to your favorite cat. Cats will play with just about | | | | Sharp objects - Anything that has a sharp edge or |
| anything, even something that might be dangerous to | | | | point can be a real problem. Metals of any kind should |
| their health. A quick check to see if the is any | | | | always be checked. |
| potential for harm is always a good thing. It can save | | | | Poisonous materials - Depending on where the item |
| you some time and money too (emergency trips to | | | | was manufactured (recent China issues come to |
| the Vet are not cheap). | | | | mind), they might have used materials that are |
| If you have an outdoor cat, there's no telling what | | | | poisonous. Always check the manufacturing source or |
| they might find and drag home for future play. Semi | | | | country of origin. |
| dead animals are always popular; we get those often | | | | Laser lights - These have become very popular and |
| at our house. We have one cat in particular that is | | | | most cats love to chase the light. But you should |
| way too skilled in hunting any animal that is his size or | | | | always be careful not to shine the light directly into |
| smaller. The best one was a pretty good size snake | | | | your cat's eyes (or humans either). |
| that still had a lot of life and was very difficult to | | | | Many cat toys have some type of moving material |
| catch. | | | | to make it more attractive and fun for the cat. But |
| Unwatched cat doors are convenient but can present | | | | as these toys start to exhibit wear and tear, it's a |
| an opportunity to bring in things you don't want in | | | | good idea to take them out of action. When we see |
| your house. I can't tell you how many times I've | | | | one that is starting to unravel or fall apart, in the |
| gone into the laundry room (where our self serve cat | | | | trash it goes. Better safe than sorry with worn out |
| door is located) and found a surprise. It's a good | | | | toys. |
| thing to keep an eye on any entry point. | | | | It's always a good idea to go look at what your cat |
| Cat toys at local pet stores or other outlets can | | | | is playing with if you haven't provided the toy. One |
| present some inherent dangers. If you have a cat | | | | or ours loves to grab key rings off the counter or |
| toy that requires human participants, you can push | | | | dining room table. I can't tell you how many times we |
| the risk a little bit since you are there and observing. | | | | had to go search for someone's keys for about an |
| But if you're like us, cat toys are all over the place | | | | hour. And this little devil loves to slap the keys so |
| and are often played with unsupervised. | | | | they go under a piece of furniture to make it more |
| We usually inspect the cat toy and remove or | | | | fun. |
| eliminate any items that might present a problem. | | | | Most cat toys are pretty safe, especially if there is a |
| Even something as harmless looking as a stretch of | | | | supervisor. But one $200 trip to the Vet will make |
| string or yarn can be swallowed and cause serious | | | | you a believer in checking the safety of any cat toy. |
| problems for your cat. Here's a quick list of things to | | | | I like my Vet, but I don't need to put his kids |
| check out before letting your cat have at any toy. | | | | through college. So the best path is to eliminate any |
| Loose Parts - Anything that can be chewed off and | | | | possible dangers before they become an issue. |