Pet Proofing your home
A new pet is a hugely exciting time for the whole family... not to mention the new arrival itself! Although to you, your home represents a place of safety and security, unless you have made some preperations, your home could represent something very different to your new pet! With all those new places to explore and investigate you will need to have done a bit of forward thinking to keep your new friend safe and spent some time pet proofing your house before introducing them to their new environment.
We have all heard the saying "curiosity killed the cat!" and is a good point to remember when introducing these curious creatures into your home. They will get everywhere - even into places that you would be certain that would be out of reach for one reason or another.
Behind television units is one of the firm favourites in an almost endless list of places your new kitten or cat will want to investigate and of course, cats love to play with anything, especially if it happens to look like a piece of string. The cables in the back of your television will be an irrisistable draw to them, and although it may be nothing more then a mild annoyance if your little cherub pulls out the aerial wire in the middle of your favorite show - try to imagine the damage caused to both pet and television if they decide that the power lead looks more fun?
Horrible as the outcome of this situation could be, it is easy to prevent with one of these two simple methods. You could either buy one of the specially designed cable guards to group the cables together and protect the wires from inquisitive claws and teeth, or you could arrange your room to ensure that the back of the television unit is as blocked off as possible - leaving no gaps that your feline friend could sneak through. Television's aren't the only cables that could pose a danger to your pet, so make sure that these are similarly protected.
Another area that will require your "pet proofing" skills are the windows as these are another irresistible draw to both kittens and puppy's. The outside world is full of so many interesting sights, smells and sounds, which of course all require careful investigation - however if the window is anything over the ground floor you new pet could end up seriously hurt if they manage to fall out of it (and may be fairly sore even if it is a ground floor window). With this in mind, make sure you never leave your pet in the room where there is an open window they can reach - don't forget cats and kittens have a great jumping ability that will put pretty much any window within their reach, including the small top windows and skylights.
Dogs are fairly renouned for the fact that they will eat, or drink anything - including things that they really shouldn't. Puppies are very cute with their huge feet and ears but most don't have a lot of brains. It isn't just the items that although annoying if chewed, won't do that much damage (think shoes, or furniture) that your puppy will be drawn to, the toilet full of bleach, or that bottle of oven cleaner seem as if they are really intresting and acceptable toys if you are a puppy. When cleaning your home make sure you put all the bottles of cleaning products away, and make sure you either put the toilet seat down, or close the bathroom door - or even do both if your new puppy is particularly mischievous.
The kitchen is potentially a very dangerous area for your new pet for a large number of reasons - and it may be a good idea to completely ban your pet from this room of the house. Baby gates are great for keeping dogs out, and you can get the solid ones that would act as a deterant for a cat or kitten.
But even if you do block off the kitchen, or disuade them from going in there, make sure you put any potentially harmful scraps straight into an outside bin far away from curious noses. Chicken bones, which are much loved by both dogs and cats, can splinter when chewed leaving dangerous shards that can jam into little throats, which, even if you are lucky enough that it doesn't do permanent harm to your pet, may do more damage then wished to your wallet in terms of vet bills.
Other dangers that your kitchen holds, include the area behind your boiler, inside your tumble dryers and washing machine and even your oven and fridge if you are prone to turning your back on open doors as the scent of food may well overcome them. Cats typically love warm, dark places, and will choose the unlikeliest of places as their beds, without thinking if it is entirely safe. I have heard frequent stories of cats finding the warm, freshly washed and dried laundry in the tumble dryer and curling up to sleep, and from personal experience, as a child I had a cat who used to sneak onto the embers of our open coal fire in the front room if Dad hadn't seated the fireguard just so, even going as far as to hook her paw around and pull it out of the way if it wasn't weighted - and as she was black, the first clue we would get was the scent of gently roasting fur!
Get into the habit of closing doors straight away, and if the door of the washing machine has been left open and unattended, even for a few seconds, it is worth putting your hand into the drum to make sure there is no unexpected extra's in your wash as once the cycle has been started, it may well be too late for you cat!
Cooker tops are another potential hazard to cats, save burned paws by teaching them while they are young not to jump on the kitchen sides, or have something over the burners when not in use, like a glass top, or the burner covers.
Other areas of the house need similar thought applied. If you have a loft - make sure you keep the hatch down, and ideally, move the ladder away and put it out of reach in a cupboard if you aren't using it. The ladders that retract into the loft are ideal as they can even be pulled up while you are in the loft to stop nosy pets coming to see what you are doing. Once again speaking with a certian voice of experience, cats think somewhere big, dark and not easy for humans to move around, is a great place to play hide and seek (ask any kitten), especially if the reason for the ladder being there is you are trying to install floorboards in the attic...
If you have other pets there are also considerations to make when you bring a new kitten or puppy into your home. There are ways to introduce your new pet to exsisting cats or dogs which can reduce the stress and tension for both parties as well as the rest of the family, if you have fish tanks or small mammals in cages, you may have to consider moving their homes to make them less accessable to curious paws and noses. At the very least you should ensure that your aquarium has a securely fitting lid to keep your fish safe from any unwanted attention.
All this is may seem like simple common sense, but trust someone that learnt the hard way - it is exactly the sort of thing that can be easily missed in the excitement of getting a new pet but by taking the time to pet proof your home, you are ensuring that you and your new friend have plenty of time to get to know each other.