Tips for Making Your Home Pet-Friendly

A new pet is a reason for celebration! And while the animals we love can sometimes be destructive, we wouldn’t trade them for the world. If you have a new animal coming into your home, or even just for a visit, read on for helpful tips and tricks to ensure they stay safe… And so does your stuff.

Keep It Locked Up

Use childproof latches on kitchen and bathroom cabinets to keep animals from getting into food or chemicals that can hurt them. Store dangerous and/or tasty items high when possible, and be wary with fragile items like vases, lamps and knickknacks.
You’ll learn to see your whole house the way your pet does, whether that’s a dog’s-eye view or you have a particularly acrobatic cat.

Chewing and Scratching

Also hide all those wonderful possibilities for your pup to chew on, like your wallet or your shoes. Of course, you’ll need to redirect that energy with proper toys for them to bite and chew. Cats can scratch your things up, by way of analogy, so make sure they have a proper scratch pad or post so they can do it safely.

String Things

Nothing is more fun for a dog than a stick or a cat with a string. Dogs are well-known to snap at anything that flops around, especially things like string, thread and fringed clothing.

Also, hide wires from lamps, gaming consoles, TVs and other technology. Your pet could get a nasty shock from biting or playing with them, and possibly damage something very expensive in the process.

Dangerous Plants

The list of things your dog or cat can’t safely eat is a mile long, and there are plenty of things on it we haven’t listed here. Avoid hazardous plants like azaleas, chrysanthemums, English ivy, lilies, oleander, tulips and yew, along with poinsettias.

And a word to the wise: it’s always worth checking online to find out if a given food or plant could be dangerous. Your pet will obviously stay safe if you avoid them, but you could be turning down things you really love for no reason.

Waste and Laundry

Keep garbage cans covered and stored away in a closet or cupboard. Even without food odors, garbage smells heavenly to a dog or cat, and they will make a mess. This is also true of your delicious laundry, so hide it away. They could choke on the buttons or zippers, in addition to destroying something you love.

Bathroom Safety

Keep your toilet lid down. Smaller animals can fall in, and larger ones could be exposed to chemicals and waste if they get curious (or thirsty!).

Wear Apparel

Keep your laundry and shoes in closets or proper bins, so your pets can’t eat them. Not only can pets ruin your clothes quickly and with vigor, but small pieces like buttons and zippers can be choking hazards.

On the Floor

Go for hardwood or tile flooring, if possible. Any rugs or carpeting you do put down should be low-pile, for sensitive claws and paws, and ideally of the indoor-outdoor variety (for the stains that can come with our four-legged friends). Messes are going to be a fact of your life, so it’s better to start prepared with a potty pad tray.

Hair Everywhere

Stock up on lint rollers, accident cleansers, and clothes and decor that won’t show hair. Regular grooming will also help dogs keep themselves clean and your house relatively dog hair-free. If you go shopping for a new vacuum cleaner, look for one with a high-efficiency particulate air filter. There are also plenty of pet-specific models on the market, so keep an eye out for deals.