Last Friday, I unlocked my front door and discovered my cat serving himself chicken marengo in the living room. He was perched on the surge protector with his dripping prize. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, sauce dripped down the wall where he had overturned the crock-pot. When I complained to my friend, she scolded me and said that I should take it as a serious warning: She’d read about a feline who’d gotten a wall outlet wet which started a serious house fire.

I was lucky and I learned from my mistake. To help you avoid similar disasters, here are nine critical fire-safety tips that may save your cat’s nine lives and possibly your home:

1. Never leave food cooking unattended; avoid keeping food, which might attract your cat, on stove burners. Cats accidentally turn on or ignite burners.
2. Don’t leave heat-generating appliances such as irons or heaters unattended. Cats get that “bees buzzing in brain” attitude and anything might get knocked over.
3. Cats are climbers: Be aware that your playful little cheetah can knock flammable materials such as curtains, scarves, paper, or holiday decorations onto hot incandescent light bulbs.
4. No candles! Cats are attracted to the flames and can burn their fur or whiskers. More than half of house fires started by candles were caused by flammable materials left near a burning candle.
5. Forget about using those little hotplates people use to melt fragrant wax!
6. Keep those curious felines away from ovens, wood stoves, and fireplaces. Use glass fireplace doors to keep your pet from investigating.
7. Many cats think electrical cords are snakes. Keep your cords out of sight, so that your pet does not pull down appliances and cause fires.
8. In case of fire, get the ASPCA’s free “Pet Alert” signs for you window so that firefighters know pets are inside.
9. And finally, always ask someone to check on your pets if you must leave them alone for long. Leave a map of your cat’s hiding places.

Follow these nine tips to keep your kitty and your home safe from accidental fires.