Getting a new pet is exciting. Before you bring home a puppy or kitten, get your house ready. Common household items can be hazardous to pets, especially young ones.
Keep Medications and Cleaning Products Out of Reach
Medications, including over-the-counter ones, can cause illness and even death, if pets consume them. The same goes for household cleaners, laundry detergent and other chemicals. Keep those substances out of reach.
Puppies and kittens can be creative and determined. Store hazardous substances in locked cabinets or in places that a pet won’t be able to reach by jumping or climbing.
Your puppy or kitten might not be able to jump or climb well right away, but it will get better with time. Keep that in mind when selecting storage areas.
Get Rid of Toxic Plants
Some common houseplants are toxic to dogs and/or cats. If you have any plants in your house, find out if they’re safe for your new pet. You can easily find that information online. If plants you have will be unsafe for your puppy or kitten, put them in places where they’ll be out of reach or give them away to family or friends.
Look for Hazardous Objects
Pets are curious and often get into danger while exploring. Puppies and kittens haven’t yet figured out which objects are safe to eat or play with and which are hazardous.
A puppy or kitten might be fascinated by the cords that you use to raise and lower blinds. A small animal can get tangled up in a cord and get strangled. A pet might chew on an electrical cord or pull a small appliance off a table or counter and get injured. To prevent a tragic accident, you can bundle cords, attach them to walls or run them under carpet so your pet won’t be able to reach them.
Small objects can be choking hazards. A puppy or kitten might be drawn to anything that can fit in its mouth. Store things like coins, rubber bands and thumbtacks in drawers.
Keep toilet lids down to prevent drowning. Secure the lids on trash cans so your puppy or kitten won’t get injured by an object that someone threw away or eat something that makes it sick.
Use Gates to Keep Your Pet in Safe Areas
You can use one or more gates to limit your new pet to certain parts of the house and keep it out of harm’s way. For example, you might want to use gates to block stairs and keep your puppy or kitten away from a stove or fireplace.
Look at Your Home From Your Pet’s Perspective
A lot of things that don’t pose a risk to you can put your pet’s life in danger. Go through each room and look at it from the perspective of a puppy or kitten. Remove potential hazards and make sure that your pet has plenty of safe toys to keep it occupied.
