To most of us, our pets are much more than just animals and as such, we want to give them our time and attention and keep them as safe and comfortable as possible. But, when we're buying or building our home, the first priority is our family's needs, not our pets. Even with home improvement projects, pets are still an afterthought.
Since our pets aren’t just our possessions and simply disposable, it makes sense to think about making our homes more pet-friendly. They also have their particular needs that should be considered. For instance, think twice before putting a doggie door if you live on a high-traffic street. If you have an elderly dog, there are ways to help them if your home has multiple floors. Plus, there are many household items that are safe for people, but can be hazardous to pets and should be kept in a safe place.
The following text will shed light on certain aspects of a pet-friendly home that can help you keep your pet safe, but without disrupting your daily routine.
Do a home inspection
To inspect your home and check for potential problems, it’ll help if you can see it from your dog’s or cat’s perspective. Take their point of view and get down on all fours. Check out the area that your pet can get to by jumping or climbing and you’ll find plenty of potential hazardous spots.
For instance, there are many ways a pet can get caught up, electrocuted or suffocated. Keep all the visible and long cords shorter and unplug or cover electrical cords. Don't leave any prescription medication near any food and remove any objects that may serve as ladders that can enable your pet to reach tabletops and countertops. Throw perishable trash out daily so the pets aren't tempted to rummage through it, and keep the odours at a minimum with plain baking soda and tight-fitting lids.
Even lower cabinets can be easily opened by pets which means they’ll easily get access to cleaning products and other dangerous chemicals. Pet-proof your cabinets and if you have separate rooms where you keep these products, restrict your pets’ access to them.
To eliminate the risk of your pet drowning or poisoning, always keep the toilet lid down. With so many cats falling out of high windows, vets have coined a term High-Rise Syndrome. If you keep windows open, make sure you install sturdy screens, as window guards are inadequate for most cats that can easily fit through the bars.
Source: Yuliya kota
Petscape the backyard
Pets love the outdoors and if you have a great backyard, you’ll have more concerns than just tick and flea prevention. Dogs, in particular, are amazing companions and as much love and comfort they give us when we come home from a long busy day at work, they do get mischievous at times and can get in trouble easily. And if you have an outdoor pool, then you better have a patio enclosure or pool cover installed to avoid your pooch from falling accidentally. Dogs typically love to chew on different things so besides establishing whether you have to add some safety structures and invisible fences, you’ll also need to identify toxic plants. There are many plants in Australia that are toxic to dogs and some of them are quite common in many households. There’s an extensive database at ASPCA containing plants hazardous to dogs as well as insecticides and fertilizers that may hurt them, so turning to organic gardening may be the best solution.
Choose pet-friendly materials
Some of the most important decisions you'll be making in creating a pet-friendly home is your choice of flooring. This is always a big investment and if you choose the wrong floor type, it'll also be a very expensive one. The most logical and practical choice may be ceramic tile or laminate floor as these are quite durable and come in modern, wood-like designs that will give your home a timeless look of wood floors, but with far less maintenance.
However, if you do prefer a soft and warm feel under your feet, opt for a darker carpet as it will hide stains more successfully. Even in cases of heavy stains created by your pets, there’s always a solution – find a great local cleaning expert to remove the stains and bring it back to its original state. Also, opt for a low-pile carpet as it’s easier to clean and there’s less chance of claws and nails getting stuck in loops and creating a tear.
You might also choose residential carpet tiles as they come in sections which can easily be removed and replaced if they get stained or damaged beyond hope. It's also easy dealing with area rugs - they add texture and cosines to hard floors but are also easily removed for washing, unlike wall-to-wall carpeting.
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