I used to have a cat who would gnaw through plastic bread bags and nibble just a bite of every slice in the loaf. We had to keep our bread in the microwave.
Boris eats the plastic bags but ignores the bread. I also keep my bread in the microwave.
I keep my bread in the refrigerator. That way it never gets stale or moldy.
Before you get the idea that all cats will destroy your house, let me assure you that they aren’t all like that. My girl doesn’t care about potpourri, yarn (unless I’m actively knitting with it), fabric, paper, miniblind cords or plastic bags. The only flowers she likes are baby’s breath, so I just take that out of my arrangements. She is very graceful, so I never worry about her knocking over anything when she climbs on shelves and such. She’s 10 years old, but she’s been this way since she was 1.
Just keep a close eye on a new cat for a month or so. You’ll very quickly learn what their problems are or are not. After all, you could get rid of all the things listed in this thread and then find that kitty likes toilet paper or shoes or the carpet.
Enjoy the new kitty and try not to worry too much. You’ll figure it out as you go.
I came home the other morning to find that my cats had dumped all the bread out onto the floor, pushed the slices together, and were sleeping on them.
Pretty much everything I own is crap, so I’m not too worried about the cats messing it up. I do have a potpourri warmer on my coffee table - the kind that burns a little tealight in the base - and I’m careful not to light it unless I’m going to be in the room the entire time, but the kittybrats have never really shown any interest in it. I’ve had to have Stern Words with my Luna regarding her habit of trying to chew on my hairsticks every time I pick her up, but other than that she and Oreo are pretty non-destructive, though they occasionally knock a book or something off the coffee table as they hurtle around the house trying to tackle each other.
Generally speaking, cats are some of the easiest pets to take care of. Just put away anything that might be harmful to them or that you don’t want broken, resign yourself to the fact that some things will get broken or scratched up, provide food, water, and a litter box, make sure they go to the vet regularly, and then relax and enjoy your servitude.
Well I was going to be a smart aleck and say a dog but then I’m pretty sure I saw a thread about a pitbull getting mauled by one. :smack:
When you first get your cat is the time to think about what rules you want for the cat. Ours are not allowed to sleep in the bedroom at night, and not allowed on the coffee table, the dinner table, or the kitchen counters (all the places where we prepare or eat food). They get on these things when we’re not around, of course, but I can leave my dinner on the table for a length of time and not have a cat chowing down when I come back.
When you bring a new plant into the house (from the non-poisonous list), leave it down for the cat to sample at first. Some plants will be completely ignored, and are safe to leave in pots on furniture. Other plants (like spider plants) are like kitty candy and must be put up in hanging baskets if they are to be left alone. They should let you know pretty quickly which one the plant will be.
Cats are very good at avoiding knocking things over, but some (like my husband’s cat) make a game of pushing things off of other things - I’d lock up the Spode.
Short answer to OP: Anything you don’t mind being bitten, eaten, peed or pooped or shed on.
Ok, what the heck is up with cats. My ex bought hers lots of lovely baskets and cushions to sit in, where do they sit? In the lid of the plastic laundry basket of course :dubious:
Our own cat Joe sits in a throne of cushion, in a basket, ontop of polystyrene for insulation in a box. Spoiled? Joe? Probably 
Two cats about age 9, had one from kittenhood (Azul) and one from about age 5 (Diana.) Right now we are host to Sascha, roomie’s kitty (just now leaving kittenhood.)
Broken/destroyed:
-One glass vase of potpurri, from the coffee table. Azul as a kitten.
-Potted plant, crashed to floor. Azul, adult. She was startled from a window where she was not allowed.
-Many christmas ornaments, before I got wise (I wire 'em to the branch.) Azul. All her.
-Handful of perfect daffodils from vase on the dining room table. Diana. Now I put all live flowers up and away.
-Some small objects, Sascha. He’s an active kitten and likes to knock stuff over.
-Bags of cat food or treats left out, shredded by Diana. She likes food and will get her own.
-Homemade cinnamon buns, 2001, eaten (throught the plastic cover) by Azul. She’s never since or before eaten anything not in her cat dish.
Lost:
-Numerous jewelry pieces. Azul likes the shiny. Almost always findable, she’s not out to hide them but rather to hoard them.
-S/O’s $400 eyeglasses. Gone. No idea where they are almost two months later. Sascha is suspect #1.
-Small objects from trash. Diana and Sascha. Both like q-tips.
-Four thousand fuzzy mice. Most under couch, stove, fridge, etc. All cats.
Found:
-One dry, dessicated, petrified avocado, under the couch. Better than a critter, at least.
Damaged:
-Azul as a kitten liked to chew power cords. I unplugged them all and coated them in bitter apple spray, she never touched one again.
-Several sets of plastic mini-blinds, edges broken off by all kitties so they can see better.
-Old futon cover, Azul shredded. I keep an ugly blanket over the futon now.
-Lots of scratches on leather couch. It’s okay, I bought it “scratch and dent” anyway.
-Azul-snot everywhere, on anything. She has sinus issues. I choose to ignore it.
In spite of all this, we have a very nice home!
However I usually have cat hair on most everything I wear…
This is Cory’s favorite hobby. He will sit on the coffee table and systematically push things off the edge, one by one. Or off the bathroom counter. Or wherever he is, really. He just likes making things fall off of things.
That reminds me of the trail mix with dried cranberries incident. I didn’t anticipate my cat wanting to eat it, so I left it out in the living room. Next morning, the bag was chewed through and the trail mix sampled at least, if not outright eaten. Cats is weird.
Never mind cat hair on everything you wear - it’s cat hair on everything, full stop.
Bad kitty.
It’s especially bad when he pushes my hair brush off the counter…into the trash can 
Dammit, beaten to it AGAIN. But you forgot knocked over, dragged about, and hidden in strange places. My mum was woken in the middle of the night by the distinctive sounds of a cat playing with its prey on the stairs. She blearily confronted Bilbo the mighty hunter, who was flinging his victim up and down the stairs, pouncing on it, and generally being savage. The poor runner bean had to be thrown away.
In general, locking lids and/or doors are the way. Your Spode needs to go in a proper glass-fronted dresser, I submit.
an open sand box.
I am building a sandbox for my son in the backyard and everybody wants to remind me to have a lid for it.
lots of “outdoor” cats in the 'hood
There is nothing in a house that is safe from a cat. Likewise, everything that people put on their lists has been safely kept in a house with cats before. Everything is totally dependent on the cat in question. We’ve grown catnip in the garden without trouble before, and other times we haven’t been able to keep wires uncovered. It’s a total crapshoot.