Interior Pet Safety
 
How to keep your pet safe!
Dog Cages & Crates at PetSmart.com
 
Before bringing our new pet home, we need to look at interior pet safety in our homes and vehicles. We may get very excited to bring the new puppy, kitten, dog or cat home and we may not think about the safety of our new family pet in the interior of our house, yard and vehicle.
 
Potentials hazards to your pet's safety include:
 
  1. Electrical cords – make sure they are tucked away and out of reach of the teething pet
  2. Fireplaces without screens, wood burning stoves and burning candles
  3. Never leash an animal to a balcony or porch from which they could fall
  4. Poisonous plants you may unknowingly have in your home. Easiest to eliminate real plants and use silk plants in the interior of your home to insure the safety of your pets
  5. Ponds and swimming pools – most young cats and dogs can swim but not for long periods. Even the interior of your home includes threats to your pet's safety; bathtubs or sinks are very dangerous for kittens and puppies.
  6. No chocolate for your pets. In fact, it is simply best to only feed them food specifically made for them. Chocolate, coffee, tea, grapes, raisins are all toxic to them
  7. Household chemicals, medicines and cleaning products should be safely put away in closed containers
  8. Brittle toys or food bowls that your pet could chew and then ingest
  9. Open unscreened windows
  10. Tempting open kitchen garbage or trash containers 
Pet safety is of special concern with young animals, especially kittens, as they will thoroughly explore the
interior of your home. If you have looked away, even for a moment, look carefully before you close the refrigerator, microwave, dryer or open the oven. Some kittens even figure out how to open up the cupboards and go exploring.
 
Another safety threat to pets in the interior of your home is recliners. Young pets can easily crawl around, under and inside these chairs, so you will need to know where the pets are before you use the reclining feature.
 
Another interior pet safety tip is to keep all strings, rubber bands, twist ties or the like away from pets as these can be ingested and create serious medical issues. 
 
With small young pets around you should also keep the toilet lid shut for obvious reasons; solving the age old argument between the sexes while keeping your young animal safe.
 
Pet safety in the interior of your vehicle should not be overlooked. Too many times animals are tossed around in a vehicle and injured when you have to stop unexpectedly, even if they are in a carrier or crate. There are many great pet restraint systems available to make sure your pet arrives safely to your destination.
 
Interior crates and gates will also greatly assist in pet safety. If your pet is not completely trained or you need to isolate them while everyone is asleep, this is an appropriate investment to make for their safety.
 
Taking these extra measures to insure that the interiors of your home and vehicle provide appropriate pet safety will make your more confident that you have done everything possible to give your new family member a safe happy home.



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