Whether you have a hyperactive dog or a very curious cat, you know how much your beloved pets can wreck your house. One minute you’re not looking and Mr. Cuddles somehow got inside the kitchen cupboard in his quest to go to every nook and cranny of the house. Or maybe Spot chewed on the bathroom towels again. These are things that you want to avoid, both for the safety of your pets and the peace and order of your home.
There’s no telling what weird substance or object they’ll be trying to eat, or what kind of furniture or appliance they’ll be knocking over next. Much like having little kids, having pets can be a handful sometimes. Sometimes you’ll feel like you traded the calm and comfort of your house for a fun, but sometimes crazy pet. But how are you going to achieve the perfect balance between happy and safe pets and a peaceful and orderly house?
Pet Proofing your Home
Luckily, all hope is not lost. You can have that calm while still keeping your pet happy and safe. You can make improvements around your house to keep them safe and out of trouble.
Keep Your House Clean
Do your pets keep knocking things over? Sometimes, it’s really not their fault. Most of the time, your Labrador really just wants to cross the living room to get where he wants to be- it’s just that there’s stuff all over! Keeping your house clean and organized is the most efficient way to prevent hazards. Store the things you don’t really need- or don’t want to get knocked over and keep the floor clean, so they don’t eat it whatever falls on the floor. Storing your things immediately protects your pets and your stuff, making your house cleaner as well.
Get Child Safety Locks
You can’t train your dogs to not be curious when there’s food around. That’s their instinct. And if your dogs have a habit of opening kitchen cupboards or pantry, then perhaps a child safety lock is what you need. These little devices are cheap, but they’ll save a lot more money by keeping your food and pets safe from each other. You can install child safety locks on the doors of cupboards, pantries, cabinets, any small door that your pets like to open. Thanks to their design, it’s pretty hard to open them without having opposite thumbs- something you do, and your pets don’t.
Check Your Decorative Plant
Before you join the decorative plant trend, make sure the one you’re getting is non-toxic to your furry friends. Pets like to chew on plants to help with their digestion, but you don’t want them chewing on a toxic plant, do you? There’s quite a list of toxic houseplants to avoid, and it’s best to check whether that decorative plant you’re thinking of purchasing is in that list. There’s a number of equally beautiful, but pet-friendly houseplants too, so you can opt for this alternative.
Dangerous Chemicals Go to Storage
This one is a no brainer, if you have dangerous chemicals lying around, hide them. Put them in a cabinet with a child safety lock. If you’re curious what those dangerous chemicals are, here’s a quick rundown: human medicine, pesticide, cleaning agents. Anything you don’t want a toddler to ingest is something you don’t want your pet ingesting either.
Let Them Play
Part of the reason our pets get so hyperactive is that they have all this energy that they can’t use. Especially for indoor pets, they go running around like crazy because it’s part of their natural habits to utilize their muscles. If you find that your pets get hyper at random times, it’s best to take them out during the day. Let them run, or play for an hour or so. This gives them the exercise they need- and makes them want to rest when they get home.
Don’t Leave Wires Hanging
Human life is part dealing with wires, and part living everyday life. We have too many wires- electrical cords to power our machines, USB cords to connect our devices to each other, earphones and headphones, so we can listen to music, etc. And these wires are among our pet’s favorite chew toys. Wires are dangerous too since they sometimes carry electricity or have dangerous metals in them. For wires that you can’t really tuck away, like electrical cords, it’s best to buy a tube hose to protect clumps of wire cables. These are especially helpful to keep the cable situation of your computer clean and tidy- makes it hard for your pets to chew them too.
Sometimes we just have to look at things from the perspective of our pets to know how to make our home more pet-friendly. And keeping our homes pet-friendly is crucial to keep them safe and happy. Remember, a pet-friendly house is a happy house.
