6 Ways To Keep Your Home Pet-Friendly

We love our pets, that much is clear; from their extensive wardrobe to the premium food that we painstakingly scrutinise to make sure that it contains all the nutrients that our fur kids need. Our camera phones become worshippers of their every moment and even when they get up to their naughty tricks, we often endure it somewhat indulgently for 'fur kids will always be fur kids'. But pampering your pets is not the only way to love them, ensuring that your home is pet-friendly will not only decrease the odds of pet injuries (or accidents), it will also give you peace of mind! Before you go about pet-proofing your home, get down to your pet's level and observe things from their point of view. By doing this, you'll gain a better understanding of what danger zones are lying in wait for your pet—a stray candy wrapper, dangling electrical wires, pills that you accidentally dropped behind the cabinet or small crevices that your pet can easily crawl into.  

Set up restricted zones

Does your pet have free run of your house? If you're worried about your pet ransacking the kitchen or ending up in compromising situations while you're not around, then it's time to lay down some ground rules. Restrict your pets to areas where you're sure they won't get into too much trouble. To enforce that rule, install a baby gate in the doorways. This will keep them safely out of places such as the kitchen where you keep your chocolate fix, which is highly toxic to pets such as dogs and cats. Make sure that you enforce the rules consistently and do take your pets for regular exercises so they don't be bored into chewing up your furniture or belongings. Oh, and don't forget about putting window screens if your pet is a jumper.

 

Cultivate pet-friendly plants

Have you heard the story of how a Valentine bouquet of lilies poisoned three cats? Don't let your beloved pet be the next victim by cultivating pet-friendly plants. Avoid plants like tiger lily, peace lily, lily of the valley, among others. Check with your vet on what kind of plants you can safely put at home without endangering your pet, or visit the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) website to check out their list of toxic and non-toxic plants.  

Invest in A durable Flooring

Let's be honest: your pets are going to have accidents on the floor no matter how well-trained they are. To counter the heart pain you're going to experience when you catch your pets peeing or defecating on your very expensive carpet, go for linoleum flooring. Such floors are often water-proof and easy to maintain. Another option that you can look at is the High End Resilient Flooring from Evorich Holdings, which is both water-proof and termite-proof as it's not made from wood so it doesn't attract termites and other wood decaying agents.

Images by Evorich Holdings

Use pet-friendly paint on your walls

You might think the walls are not a major concern, but painting them in non-toxic paints is beneficial to your pets' health. Choose a paint that is low in or free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to improve indoor air quality. For example, The Nippon Paint's Odourless Easy Wash series is pet-friendly with a wide range of beautiful colours so you don't necessarily have to resign yourself to boring colours to keep your pets safe. In fact, coloured walls that closely match the colour of your fur kid's coat will help to mask shedding and discolouration better. Paints with a satin finish are ideal as well, because it allows easier clean-ups compared to paints with a flat finish.

 

Install Locks

Make doubly sure your pets don't get into your stuff by installing latches or child-proof locks on the cabinets. If your dog has a chewing problem, you might want to consider spraying your belongings with pet-safe products in flavours of lemon or bitter apple since most dogs don't like the taste. You can also make your own by mixing 2 cups of apple cider vinegar/lemon juice and 1 cup of white vinegar into a spray bottle. Be consistent about applying the mist to your belongings like the sofa or cushions so that your pooch will eventually get the idea.  

Keep all dangling cords out of reach

Electrical cords can be a rather tempting thing, especially to playful animals. Keep all your electrical cords out of reach and as short as possible so your pets won't be tempted to chew them into oblivion. Better yet, keep your appliances after use so they remain dust-free and less of a temptation for your pets to knock them off the table. If this is not possible, then arrange your furniture such that they provide protection for hanging cords. Block off gaps and crevices where your cat can easily squeeze into or better yet, invest in wireless appliances. Cords can also be dangerous since they can lead to strangulation or situations where your trapped pet may panic and pull objects off the table.   What do YOU do at home to keep it safe and sound for your pet? Sound us out at our Facebook fan page and share with us your very own tips!