As December gets underway, a veterinarian in Santa Clarita is offering cat owners in the community a few safety tips when it comes to holiday decorating.

Dr. Jaimie Ronchetto of Cinema Veterinary Centre noted that cats tend to get into trouble with holiday decorations because of their naturally curious nature and inclination to think everything is for them. 

“Most cats are curious enough that they want to be part of the action and see what’s going on,” Ronchetto said. “But in addition to that, the world revolves around them, … and a lot of them think that it’s all toys for them.” 

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In addition to batting around ornaments and playing with holiday figurines, many cats are drawn to tinsel and ribbon, which Ronchetto noted can be dangerous if ingested. 

“I don’t know that they do it on purpose necessarily, but it certainly happens,” Ronchetto said. “What happens is, it will get stuck in their small intestines, and the intestines try to push it through but it’s stuck on one end… That can actually end up causing it to almost cut through the tissue as it tries to move it through and can be really dangerous.”

A veterinarian in Santa Clarita would typically need to surgically remove the foreign material, making it worth the sacrifice for cat owners to avoid tinsel and ribbon altogether to prevent this situation from taking place, according to Ronchetto. 

“I would recommend not having tinsel and ribbon and things like that,” she said. “Try to make sure, if you do use ribbons, they’re really secured to your gift packages, or use them on places where your cat can’t get to.”

In addition, Ronchetto advised finding a way to “cat proof” the Christmas tree by making it difficult for them to get underneath it and climb up, or drink the water in the tree stand. 

Ronchetto’s last word of advice to cat owners this holiday season is to skip the poinsettias, or keep them somewhere guaranteed to be out of a furry feline’s reach.

“They’re absolutely beautiful plants, but they are very toxic (to) dogs and cats,” Ronchetto said. “Just be careful with your decorations.” 

Ed. Note: This article is a KHTS Feature story based on a recent radio interview with Cinema Veterinary Centre.

Dr. Jaimie Ronchetto, DVM, is a Santa Clarita veterinarian who opened her own veterinary hospital in Valencia after spending several years in private practice as an associate veterinarian at other SCV hospitals. Ronchetto and the staff at Cinema Veterinary Centre strive to give every dog, cat and pocket pet outstanding quality care in the areas of medicine and surgery. A Hart High School graduate, Ronchetto earned her BS degree from UC Davis and graduated with Honors from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. Those looking for a veterinarian in Santa Clarita or a “veterinarian near me” can contact Cinema Vet today for more information. 

Cinema Veterinary Centre

23460 Cinema Drive

Valencia, CA 91355

(661) 253-9300

Cinema Veterinary Centre – Valencia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXdphKFLcJI

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