The joyous celebration of Easter is here. Easter is a time of new beginnings, the arrival of spring and time spent with family, including our furry feline family members. Even though, Easter is a fun holiday for all, it poses several safety risks to our cats.
Keep Chocolate Bunnies and Eggs away from your Kitty
Although Chocolate and bunnies and eggs are cute and delicious for us to eat, chocolate can be toxic and even fatal to our cats. Chocolate contains alkaloid theobromine which is the toxic property that affects cats. Ingestion of theobromine can result in an increased heart rate, shaking and seizures. Chocolate also contains caffeine and a high amount of sugar, which is also potentially harmful to our feline friends. Always remember where you hid the Easter eggs and keep a list for the Easter hunt.
Keep the Peeps and other Easter Candy away from your Kitty too
Although Peeps and other Eater Candy is a delicious Easter treat, they pose a hazard if ingested by our cats. Ensure to keep all candy away from our feline friends. Candies, containing artificial sweeteners such as Xylitol, can be dangerous to cats. Cats can also be attracted by the shiny wrappers that the Easter candies are wrapped in. If a cat ingests the foil or candy wrappers, it may cause an intestinal blockage that can be life-threatening. A visit to an animal hospital in Guelph the day after Easter is no treat!
Avoid Using Easter Lilies for decoration in your home
Even though Lilies are the flower of choice for the Easter celebration, all parts of lilies are extremely poisonous to cats. Even a very small amount ingested by a cat can result in severe kidney damage that can be fatal. In fact, even just the pollen of a Lily can kill a cat. Always use extreme caution when bringing any new flowers or plants into your household and ensure it is cat-friendly.
Keep the Easter Basket Grass Away from your Kitty
The bright colours of Easter grass that lines your Easter Baskets can be very harmful to our cats. Many cats may enjoying chewing on the grass in the baskets and if ingested it may be fatal. Ingestion of Easter grass can cause an intestinal obstruction, which may require emergency surgery at a Guelph Emergency Animal Hospital.
Avoid Sharing your Easter Dinner with your Kitty
Easter meals contain lots of goodies cats love to eat. Ham and turkey are okay in small amounts, but the bones and fat can cause significant problems for cats if eaten by accident. Garlic and onions used in stuffing are toxic to cats and can cause damage to red blood cells. Keep kitty away from your Easter dinner to avoid problems.
Dr. Maggs and staff at the Guelph Cat Clinic hope that these safety tips will help you and your cats have a safe and Purrfect Easter!!
