If you’ve brought a furry little friend into the home like a dog or cat or even a pig, now is an ideal time to think about some of the choices you’ve made in the kitchen and how they can be amended to facilitate your new companion’s safety. Whether you’ll be making a few little tweaks on your own or completely redesigning your kitchen to match some of the cool stuff you’ve seen here https://www.milliondollarmakeovers.net.au, you’ll benefit from going through the kitchen from a pet’s eye view. Join us on a trip around the kitchen to see the hazards that reside there…then start pet-proofing your kitchen.
There’s no room in the house that says home like the kitchen. Go ahead and search through your childhood memories and you’ll find that a lot of the most meaningful come from that grotto of sight, sound and aroma that brings pleasure to all the senses through the years spent eating, drinking, cooking and laughing with those closest to us. The kitchen is (like the bathroom) a place of not only function but relaxation. It’s a place where you can relax and be yourself while the weight of your worldly problems lies outside the door. Although the kitchen can be a wonderful and homely space, it can also be a space in which hazards and dangers lurk in the most unsuspected of places.
Our adult human sensibilities are so used to dealing with these hazards that we’ve developed mental shortcuts around them so deftly that we don’t even know the hazards are there until a newcomer makes the home their own. A child or pet can cause us to radically rethink the decisions we make around the kitchen in terms of our day to day use or our interior design.
Pet Proofing Your Kitchen
Pet-Proofing Under the sink
We often keep our hazardous cleaning products under the sink where they’ll be kept from grasping hands… But they must also be safe from prying paws. Many people are unaware that the safety precautions we take for our babies are often insufficient for our furry friends.
Most dogs have an intelligence roughly equivalent to a two-year-old child. Thus, you should ensure that dangerous cleaning chemicals like bleach-based cleaners, disinfectants, and drain unblocker are kept safe using child locks or relocating them to higher ground.
Pet-Proofing Dangerous foods
Domestic cats and dogs may lack the instincts of their wild ancestors, but they’re still natural predators and scavengers. Thus, prowling your home for potentially tasty treats is just in their nature. Thus harmful foods like chocolate and candies (which contain the dangerous sweetener xylitol) can be deadly for your pets. Keep these locked away in a pantry or high cupboard. This is a great way of pet-proofing your kitchen.
Pet-Proofing Appliances
You’d be astonished at how spry and agile some dog breeds can be when they are pups. Jack Russell terriers, for instance, have such incredible power in their back legs. They can jump many times their own height into the air. Thus, they may be able to turn the knobs on the stove or pull down an appliance resulting in a fire hazard to the whole household. Make sure your appliances are switched off when not in use.
Likewise, electrical cords must be stowed away out of the reach of curious claws and growing gnashers. One bite of an electrical cord can cause major injury or death to your furry friends. You can purchase cord covers to hide your electrical cords on the wall or floor like this one to ensure the safety of your pet. This is one of the best ways of pet-proofing your home.
Pet-Proofing from Kitchen waste
Dogs and cats are far from fussy when it comes to snagging free food. Your food waste is a veritable open buffet for them, testing them to try their ingenuity. This can this make a real mess. And if they manage to chomp on something dangerous like chicken bones or coffee grounds it could be potentially lethal. Keep your trash can or compost bin securely locked if you can. Being stowed away in a cupboard if you can’t.
One solution for scraps in the kitchen is to place a countertop compost bin on the kitchen counter. All of your food scraps can be placed in the bin and kept safe from your dog or cat. I use the Epica Stainless Steel Compost Bin. It even has charcoal filters to eliminate the smells that may attract your pet otherwise.
Our pets are our best friends, and we can be theirs by keeping them safe from harm and providing great care. There are many ways you can be pet-proofing your kitchen so your pets can remain safe. Taking these precautions will ensure the safety of your pets.
How are you pet-proofing your kitchen?
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