Injuries from falls and poisoning are common among domesticated cats, two animal welfare advocates said, urging cat owners to pay attention to the safety of their pets.
“Placing netting over metal window grates is a common and important measure to protect cats from falling,” said one of the advocates, who used the alias “Cuddy.”
Some owners let their cats roam outdoors, but doing so could be dangerous for the animals, said the other advocate, who used the alias “Mark.”
Photo: Pan Tzu-chiang, Taipei Times
As cats love high places and have hunting instincts, they can easily endanger themselves when trying to pounce on birds or bats from a high place, he said.
“It is a common misconception that cats cannot injure themselves by falling, as they generally have a good sense of balance,” he said.
A cat must fall from a height of at least 90cm to right itself and land safely.
However, cats can sustain broken limbs or jawbones if they fall from a height greater than 7m — a phenomenon identified as “high-rise syndrome” in a 1987 study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Owners should not rely solely on window and door screens to keep cats indoors, as the animals can cut through them with their claws, Mark said, adding that in some cases cats have been known to ram screens and break through them.
Owners who keep cats in apartments accessed through a balcony should install robust netting to prevent falls, he added.
They should also use retractable metal rods in the bases of window frames to prevent their cats sliding the windows open, Cuddy said.
While cats are at higher risk of falling when outdoors, they could also sustain a fall indoors, she said.
“My cat loves to dart about, and once it slipped on the floor and fell down the stairs, breaking some of its teeth. I later installed garden netting made of durable material so that my cat can recover and stand up if it slides into it,” Cuddy said.
Tainan veterinarian Hsu Chia-chan (許嘉展) said that owners should also prevent their cats from eating plants or food found outside, which could cause poisoning.
“Most pet owners are aware that things like chocolate, onions or garlic can make a cat sick, but they must also prevent their cats from eating plants, some of which can be poisonous even in small quantities,” he said.
For example, Rohdea japonica, poinsettias and Indian azaleas can be toxic to cats, he added.
Owners must also be careful to avoid leaving residue from cleaning solutions on surfaces, as cats might be attracted to the smell and lick the surface, he said, adding that farming families must be cautious with cats near fertilizer and pesticides.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
RSS