Keeping Your Cats Healthy And Safe This Autumn

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MuseCleanPlate #CollectiveBias

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons. It’s a magical time of year for my whole family. Not only do we get to cool down from the blistering Texas summer heat and enjoy delicious new smells in the kitchen, we get to spend more time with each other. Even the cats!

The Fall means watching my kids take part in school activities, football playing on the TV, and ramping up for holiday gatherings. While all of this is amazing I have to be extra careful with my “girls”.

In case you didn’t know, I live in a house full of boys. It is testosterone city with my husband, two active boys, and my live-in grandfather. I am the only female unless you count my “girls” which I OF COURSE do. I have four live-in girlfriends. Girlfriends that are always there to make me smile with their antics and comfort me on bad days. My cats!

While I love Autumn it means new dangers for my cats. Here are some important health and safety tips to keep your felines going strong all season long.

Foods

Ahh, delicious foods are one of the best parts of the Fall. Seasonal desserts, candy, and savory foods come by the truckload this time of year. While we pack on the pounds, I have to make sure my “girls” don’t eat something they shouldn’t. They are all very curious and are often not too far away from all those tempting treats.

Many dinners this time of year are seasoned with extra onions and garlic which are toxic to animals. Think Thanksgiving appetizers and sides. From roasted garlic mashed potatoes to green beans with caramelized onions. The list goes on and on.

We normally serve the foods buffet style around my kitchen island before heading to the dining room table. The cats can easily jump on the island or any table for that matter and get into trouble. This is Pepper’s downfall. She HAS to be everywhere we are and inspect EVERYTHING. We swear she’s a dog at heart.

Then there’s the Halloween candy. My boys are notorious for leaving it out in random places and my cats LOVE the sound of the wrappers. That crinkling sound is just music to their ears and they HAVE to mess with it. They may not be all that interested in chocolate or candy, but those wrappers are a choking hazard. Polly, our youngest cat has a strange obsession with plastic. She loves the sound and wants to eat it. This means we have to be very careful and store candy out of her reach.

Make A Cat Safe Room

When my family comes over for gatherings that means it’s girlfriend time for the cats. We gather them all and place them in a safe room with food they can eat. Food like Purina® Muse® from Petco.

Lately, my “girls” have been chowing down on Purina Muse Charmed with Chicken dry food and Masterpieces Natural Arctic Char wet food. They literally fell in LOVE with this stuff the moment it came through the door.

When I got home from buying it, I strategically placed the food somewhere I thought the cats wouldn’t notice it and went forward putting things up. No lie, a few minutes later I hear crumpling noise and of course, it is Pepper trying to get into the bag. I swear that girl is part hound dog, but you can’t fault her for knowing something good when she sees it. TRUE STORY.

Introducing Purina Muse

Purina Muse Charmed with Chicken dry food is a perfect fall recipe for cats. It features natural chicken, egg, and pumpkin with a tad of spinach. Did I say pumpkin? Yes, I did! Cats can now join the fall pumpkin trend too. In case you didn’t know, pumpkin is a great healthy seasonal treat for cats!

I love that my cats can indulge in a seasonal fad. Plus without having chicken by-product meal, corn, wheat, or soy I know they are getting the essential nutrients they need. And getting something they love – REAL chicken!

Did you know cats need a balance of wet and dry food in their diet? That’s why I also give my “girls” Purina Muse Masterpieces wet food like Natural Arctic Char. This balance is very important for your cats oral and digestive health. While dry foods help clean teeth and give cats that crunch they love wet food provides extra hydration, weight management, and a healthy balance of proteins.

Purina Muse cat food is made with natural ingredients that I feel good about giving to my “girls”. I love not having to worry about their nutrition because Purina Muse is the whole package. They get all the nutrients they need in a food that they love. And if they didn’t love it, they offer a money back Clean Plate Guarantee. It’s the best of both worlds!

Look out for a new range of Masterpieces Dry Formulas coming in February of 2018!”

House Guests And Company

Speaking of all of those holiday gatherings, it is the time where a ton of new people come and invade the house. They bring new smells, sounds, and wonderment to your cats. This change can make your cat feel anxious and scared. For us, this means Bella and Lilo.

All you have to do to remedy this is make yourself available to them just as you always have. No matter what is on the jammed packed holiday itinerary. Keep things on schedule and give them lots of extra attention.

These events can stress me out too and there’s nothing quite like being comforted by my “girls”. During events, I randomly sneak off to their girlfriend room for some quiet and play with them. It gives me time to relax and reassures them at the same time. It’s really a win, win.

Decorations

I love decorating during the holidays. Who doesn’t? This means bringing out decorations that have new and fun textures, colors, sounds, and smells. And especially if it is string-like, shiny, or makes a funny noise, you can be sure they will be right there trying to “play” with it. This usually involves swatting and trying to eat it.

If you didn’t know, cats do chew and try to eat things just like dogs do. This can lead choking and foreign body obstruction. Or even possible electrocution. Pepper and Polly have chewed through cords before. So be careful about what you choose to decorate with and stay very vigilant. Remember, the saying about cats and curiosity.

Cleaning Products

Getting ready for holiday guests also means A LOT of cleaning. I clean my house from top to bottom this time of year or anytime I have a lot of guests coming over. With cleaning, comes many potential dangers to cats who stay indoors like mine do. Cats have an amazing sense of smell and potent chemicals can be toxic to them. Even seemingly benign things can harm them.

We once had an unfortunate experience with Pepper and lemon essential oil. My son is obsessed with the scent and wanted her to smell it too. It was a horrible idea! It caused her to foam at the mouth and completely freak out. We had to give her an intense bath to get rid of any remnants of the oil. Now all essential oils and strong chemicals are kept far FAR away from the cats.

Want to try Purina Muse?

There’s a special Facebook LIVE Sampling event that will be happening next week for Purina Muse products! On Wednesday, October 18th at 9pm ET Budget Savvy Diva will be giving out free samples of Muse wet and dry food for guests to claim. Be sure to stop by, supplies are limited!

If you can’t make the event, no worries! Just head to your local Petco and check out Purina Muse there. Even your finicky cats will love you even more for it! HEALTHY + TASTY = HAPPY CATS AND HAPPY OWNERS!!

Home Jobs By Mom

Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.