Safe Home For Your Pets

There are two ways to view this. Either you want to puppy-proof and kitten-proof your home against them causing costly damage, or you want to make your home a friendly and safe place for them to live in. Both points of view are valid and important, of course, and the following 7 steps to achieving a pet-proofed home recognizes this, but probably leans more towards making your home a safe environment where your pet can grow up without you having to worry all the time.

  1. Tablecloths look nice on a table, and by all means use one when you have dinner, but at other times when the table is not in use, take it off. Kittens are the main culprits here. They love to climb, and if the tablecloth is at all within reach, they will leap up and grasp on to the cloth in order to climb up. This will usually cause the cloth to slide off the table, taking whatever is on the table with it.
  2. If your main living room window has drapes or blinds that have cords, either ornamental or for controlling the blind settings, be sure to tie them up out of reach of a kitten or puppy. Young pets love things that dangle, and will naturally play with them. However, a young kitten or puppy could easily get snarled up in a cord and be strangled. Best to keep loose cords out of reach where possible.
  3. Always put the lid down on a toilet seat if you have young pets that are free to wander all over your home. Kittens and puppies are naturally inquisitive and might decide to see what’s inside. Once up there they could fall in, and if there was no one near at hand to help, they could easily drown.
  4. If you have a cabinet or sideboard that has delicate objects displayed on it, you should think about stowing them away, at least until your pet is older and less exploratory in their habits. Of course, you should train your cat not to jump up on furniture, but because they will, at least sometimes, put all delicate and breakable objects away if you value them.
  5. Remove all toxins from your home that a kitten or puppy could access. This includes certain plants. Lilies and poinsettias, for example, are poisonous and your pet might decide to chew them. Also, if you have bug repellent or rodent repellent lying around, remove it.
  6. Lock up all cleaning supplies and other toxic substances. Use child-proof latches on cabinet doors to be certain that a determined kitten or puppy cannot get gain access.
  7. Your pet will leave your home in the blink of an eye, if they can. While you may work hard to always keep that outside door locked, there might come a time when they do manage to escape. For that reason, you need to have an identity tag on your pet. They can also be microchipped, of course, but nothing beats an ID tag that everyone can see, and with your name and address on it, it’s likely that a finder will bring your pet safely back home.

If the safety of your pet is important to your family, you may find this article interesting as well.

https://guardianpetsitters.com/peanut-butter-artificially-sweetened-with-xylitol-is-dangerous-for-your-dog/