by Mewsette
Having warned about holiday hazards in this issue, I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you there are a lot of other things that may be in your house all year or any time, which are also hazardous to you. Most of these are things we are inhaling, and the toxins in them can lead to serious conditions such as kidney disease or failure. I know our humans are careful not to do things like leaving a puddle of antifreeze around, but there are other dangers they may not think of. Household toxins that cause kitty pollution and eventually make us sick if they don't right away.
If your house is like mine, there are times of the year when it's all closed up, like now in the winter. With no outside air ventilation, there is no place for toxic fumes to go. So you are breathing them. There is no place for toxic particles floating in the air to go. So they are settling on your fur. And you knew who washes your fur with whose tongue.
Here are some household things that are poisonous to us and/or emit toxic fumes we should not be exposed to, or leave toxic particles in the air that we end up ingesting.
1. Household cleaners containing pine tar or pine oil.
2. Paint and varnish fumes, both from the containers and whatever they were applied to.
3. Formadehyde fumes, commonly coming from particleboard furniture, wood finishes, possibly from any new furniture, and nearly always from new carpeting.
4. Chemicals in commercial carpet cleaners.
5. Chemicals in air fresheners, especially the aerosol sprays, and especially Lysol, which is also sprayed on surfaces to clean them.
6. While we're on spray cans, your meowmie's hairspray qualifies, too. In fact, anything in an aerosol can may be toxic. Except whipped cream.
7. Glue. Not the white school-type, but some glues humans use for crafts, such as jewelry glue containing tetrachloroethylene, have very dangerous fumes. So do the glues they put down floor tiles with.
8. Residue or fumes from bug killers, including most flea products. Including some they might put right on you. Including that flea collar you might be wearing around your own neck, causing you to inhale a toxic cloud all the time.
9. Cigarette smoke. I know, a lot of humans smoke, but that isn't good for us, either, especially in a closed-up house. They go outside and get fresh air. We don't.
That's only inside the house. Some of those things might be stored in a garage. Garages are dangerous places. If you have one, I hope you don't go in it. Not only are there antifreeze, de-icers, and road salt (if you live where there is snow and ice), but the highly poisonous weed killers, pesticides, fertilizers, bug sprays, fuel for grills, and other chemicals used outside in warmer weather could be in there, too, giving off noxious fumes.
Let's all make a New Year's Resolution.
Let's put an end to Kitty Pollution!