We've been seeing great tips for sharing your space with furry (or feathery) friends for September Pet's month, and if there's one issue that deserves more coverage, it's the issue of keeping pets safe in our homes...
Roundup: Pet Proofing Your Home
Austin
Whether you and your pet have been cohabitating for awhile or you are thinking of adopting soon, you'll want to review this list to make sure you and your pets can live safely and happily.
- Keep the toilet lid closed While Fido might love getting a drink every now and then, toilets can contain harmful chemicals from cleaners that could become dangerous to thirsty pets
- Keep medications, cleaning supplies and other reachable cabinets safely locked We knew a cat who's favorite hiding spot was under the kitchen sink next to all the cleaning supplies. While this particular pet was satisfied with just laying there, some pets might like to lick, smell or chew on these harmful bottles
- Put a tight lid on the trash can Not only do you not want to come home after a long day of work to pick up all your trash off the kitchen floor, trash can contain harmful things for pets to eat
- Becareful with insecticide use As much as you may hate bugs in your home, those powerful doses of chemical to kill bugs could harm pets. Read labels carefully and try and use more natural products when possible
- Protect exposed electrical cords and electrical outlets Some pets just can't resist chewing on these dangerous items
- Take care that window screens and doors are securely attached No one wants their favorite pet accidentally escaping or worse, falling out of a window. Make sure your home is safe from little escape artists!
- Make sure to keep sinks and bathtubs rinsed of all cleaning chemicals and make-up/hair product residue To some pets, these leftover chemicals all over the bathroom might prove tempting to taste
- Avoid using dangerous and harmful houseplants We all know how much pets love to nibble on greenery within reach
Tell us how you keep your pets safe or any cautionary tales you've come across before. We want to hear about how you and your pet share a living space safely!
[Photo credit: Taken from Sittercity]
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well said!
view sassydo's profile
my dog can open the cabinet under the sink so we put a magnetic closure on it...works well.
view Enamorada's profile
Cat owners should know that most essential oils are TOXIC to their cats. Even when diffused or heated.
"The liver is most often the organ which is affected by essential oils. Cats' livers are simply not the same as humans' livers, and they lack the ability to properly metabolize the various compounds in essential oils."
( http://cats.about.com/od/housekeeping/a/aromatherapy.htm )
Save the kitty livers!
:)
view alina's profile
I just want to say that this picture is hilarious. Like the bird is using the toilet as a reflection pool or contemplating it as a bird bath.
view maidmoron's profile
hehehe We keep our parrots away from any of the wood furniture- they're under our supervision at all times when they're out of the cages- we let them walk around on the floor and one even flies around the apartment looking for us if one of us gets up to use the pisser. Poor little guy.
Just make sure there aren't any cables lying around. Our computer's powercord looks like a piece of white spaghetti, which they always swoon after... but after, literally 1 second, we had to spend another $80 on one because one of our little guys got a hold of it when trying to climb down the sofa.
Our parrots don't live with us, we live with THEM! :D
view dunklekatze's profile
yes, with pets like kids one must always be alert.
view Haunted_Studio's profile
Rodents in particular love to eat electrical cords. And by rodents I don't just mean mice and rats, I mean guinea pigs and rabbits, too. When I was growing up, we'd litter-box trained our rabbit and let him run around the house. But we had to put all cables in PVC pipes where he couldn't get them. It's worse than baby-proofing because the bunny could get under the couch. We also had a guinea pig that ruined a couple of video game controllers in about thirty seconds by chewing through the cords.
view Risaplata's profile
yes, dunklekatze I am also owned by a parrot who loves the bathroom. Everytime I turn on the shower he squaks to come join me. But for those with birds ceiling fans are the worst! (For obvious reasons) and avocados and apple seeds are as well.
for those cat and dog owners out there, ANTIFREEZE is the worst! dogs like the taste cause it's sweet but it's toxic! Also, my friend's cat died from drinking some camping lamp oil that was in the garage. So sad!
view Stephvixen's profile