How to Pet-Proof Your Home

‘Pet-proofing’ refers to making structural or behavioural changes in your home to protect a new pet and your possessions from harm. This article is going to offer some tips on the best ways to ‘pet-proof’ the various rooms in your house to ensure that your pet fits seamlessly into its new home.

Kitchen

  • Keep chocolate out of reach — chocolate is known to be toxic to many animals, including dogs. You need to take extra care to ensure foods that can be harmful to your pets are stored away in drawers that your pet can’t access.
  • Use childproof latches or locks on cabinets that your pets can open — sometimes storing chocolate or other harmful items away isn’t enough. If your pet is particularly savvy, you may need to lock certain cabinets to stop them from prying them open.
  • Check your washing machine/dryer before turning them on. Some pets — cats especially — tend to find comfort by settling in dryer or washing machine spaces. Be cautious when you go to use these appliances and ensure they’re pet-free.
  • Cover your bins. If there’s one thing worse for dogs than chocolate, it’s half-eaten, out of date chocolate found at the bottom of a bin. Keep the lids closed.
Box of chocolates

Living room

  • Protect your sofas. This can be achieved with plastic covers or tin foil. Plastic covers are very effective at repelling dog and cat hairs, but they’re not the best for actually sitting on. Lining your sofas with tin foil, however, can also work effectively. Pets tend to avoid tin foil because they don’t like the sound of their paws on the material.
  • Add a screen to your fireplace. Putting a protective barrier over your fireplace will prevent your pets from burning themselves.
Dog by fire

Bedroom

  • Spray perfume to prevent your pets jumping on your bed. Many dogs find flowery perfumes repugnant and will refuse to settle in any areas with a lingering smell.
  • Get a fleece blanket. Using a fleece blanket instead of a regular blanket on beds is a great way to keep cat hairs at a minimum. The material used in fleece blankets remove cat hair when washed much more easily than regular blankets.
  • Keep jewellery and other important items out of reach. This will reduce the risk of your pets from choking or your items from becoming damaged.
Dog with shoe

Bathroom

  • Make sure baths and sinks aren’t left full or unattended, as these can be drowning risks for small pets.
  • Keep harmful chemicals out of reach. Harmful cleaning chemicals can cause serious internal damage, if consumed.
Taps

General

  • Vinegar can be used to neutralise the odour of cats. A few sprays of vinegar will neutralise the infamous ‘cat smell’.
  • Keep windows or doors shut if they’re unattended and in easy reach of pets. Any exit could be a means of escape for a new pet.

Jaycliffe Pets are experts in ensuring your pets are kept happy. Our kennels and catteries have specialists on site to tend to your pet’s individual needs around-the-clock. For more information about the services we offer, call our friendly team today.