Kitten and Puppy-Proofing Your Home

One of the most important things you can do for your kitten or puppy is to give him a safe environment to live, play, and explore in. You can think of young cats and dogs much like you think of toddlers: they’re not entirely stable on their feet, they’ll put almost anything in their mouths, and they’re curious enough to get into just about everything. With that in mind, you can take a few of these precautions to keep your home safe for your little pet.

Keep toxic and dangerous materials, such as cleaning solutions, antifreeze, and medications, in a locked cabinet or in a room your pet doesn’t have access to. Don’t trust an unlocked cabinet near the ground—inquisitive kittens and pups have been known to paw doors open.

Patrol your house with an eye out for small holes or gaps in floorboards, walls, baseboards, heating vents, and anywhere else a small animal could squeeze into and get stuck. While you’re at it, look over your furniture for potential hazards. Kittens in particular can squeeze into holes underneath box spring mattresses and upholstered chairs, and they can be trapped in the mechanism underneath a reclining chair.

Try to remove everything in sight that is small enough to be chewed or swallowed, including paper clips, coins, rubber bands, staples, pen caps, thread, dental floss, earrings, needles, and thumbtacks. Puppies from the larger breeds might even be able to swallow something as large as a pen, a rock, or a piece of silverware. Objects like these can choke animals if swallowed, or they could do a lot of damage to the digestive system.

Until your little one becomes very stable on his feet, you may want to block off stairs and ledges with a baby gate or a wide piece of plywood. Remember, puppies and kittens can jump surprisingly high, so you’ll want to use a tall gate.

Both dogs and cats tend to think that the toilet is their own private water fountain. Small pets can fall in and injure or drown themselves when they try to drink, and automatic toilet bowl cleaners can be harmful or even fatal if drunk in large amounts or by a young animal. Keeping the toilet lid shut should ward off problems.

Watch out for heavy or fragile objects placed on unstable bases. A carousing puppy could accidentally knock over a lamp on an end table, for example. An iron sitting on an ironing board could also be easily toppled.

Young animals have the instinct to chew, so you may want to cover electric cords with rugs or plastic cord guards, which are available at hardware stores.

Some of the prettiest plants inside your house or in your yard may be poisonous to your pet. Keep azalea, daffodil, rhododendron, oleander, mistletoe, hydrangea, morning glory, diffenbachia, sago palm, Easter lily, and yew plants out of your kitten or pup’s reach, as they can all be harmful or even fatal to animals.

Young animals need a safe haven to stay in when they can’t be supervised. You can confine them to a crate or take one room of the house and make it into your pet’s home for when you’re gone. It should include a soft, warm place to sleep and plenty of toys, and it should be regularly examined for the hazards listed above.