With a pet comes great responsibility!
Pets are like toddlers who run all over the house, messing with everything they find around the room. If you already own a pet, then you probably know the struggle, and you often ask, “How on earth did you get there?” or “What do you have in your mouth?” Having an animal comes with a lot of perks: they will make you smile and laugh, and they will always be there where humans fail to do so. But to have a clean house and a happy pet, it may be necessary to throw away some stuff that you used to keep.
Let’s take a look together at the things you might want to sort out as soon as possible.
1. Hanging tablecloths
Oh no! Most hanging tablecloths are super fancy and good-looking, but if you own a cat, you must think twice if you want to keep it. Of course, I am referring to the tablecloth. Cats have sneaky paws and sharp clothes that are always looking for trouble around the house, so a loose tablecloth that’s hanging on the floor will be like a magnet for a naughty pet.
If you have an older table that doesn’t look very good and you still want to keep it covered, look for a fitted tablecloth. Most of them have an elastic band that keeps them tight over the flat surface. You just have to know the exact measurements of your table to buy the best shape and size. The major bonus of this is that most of them are lively and colorful and look good in every room, regardless of other decoration items.
2. Potpourri bowls
While potpourri is one of the main sources of a fresh smell in our home for humans, pets may mistake it for mouthwatering food. Because the oil that coats potpourri is poisonous for both dogs and cats, you might want to throw it away or place it as high as possible on a drawer where they can’t reach it. Furthermore, instead, you can get an oil diffuser, incense sticks, or an air freshener that isn’t toxic for pets. If you decide to buy an essential oil diffuser, be careful!
Place your essential oil diffuser in a difficult-to-reach location where your dog can’t knock it over because some of these aromatic oils are concentrated and aren’t 100% safe for animals. To keep your furry friends safe, the ASPCA also advises utilizing oil diffusers for brief intervals rather than leaving them on all the time.
3. Open trash cans
Of course, you don’t have to throw away all your trash cans, but in the places, your pet is wandering around, it is better to replace them with the ones with lids. Why? Well, try to picture this situation: You forgot to leave the kitchen door open, and last night you and your family ate an entire chicken. You’ve probably thrown the bones in the trash can without realizing the pooch is going to do a little bit of scavenging while you’re away from home. Surprise! It did that mostly because it had full access to it.
To avoid a situation like this, secure your trash can with a solid lid (preferably a stainless steel one) that’s hard to open. If you own a cat, you might want to avoid placing trash cans around rooms because even those that have foot pedals are easy targets for sneaky cats. And you never know how fast those paws are…
Keep in mind that securing the dumpster can prevent you from being forced to rebag it and can protect your pet from any potentially harmful materials that may be there.
4. A leather couch
There was a time when leather couches were fancy, chic and a must for our living rooms. Additionally, they were also super expensive! However, if you have a pet, you might want to get rid of it as soon as possible; otherwise, it will be ruined in just a blink of an eye.
If it’s possible, donate it or sell it on eBay or other websites that accept used items. And with that money, you can buy another one that’s made of fabric. These are usually more resistant to claws and scratches, and guess what? Additionally, they are significantly less expensive than leather ones! I’d say that it’s a great deal.
5. Yarn
If you’re a grandma-to-be, nobody will tell you to throw away your precious yarn; just be careful where you put it! Your pet will be delighted to find some loose yarn in a box underneath the bed. They will instantly think, “It’s time to play!” without knowing what a mess this funny game will make of them. Besides that, if a pet accidentally ingests a small piece of yarn, it can hurt its intestinal system.
To avoid this unpleasant situation and a trip to the vet, buy a plastic craft organizer that has a solid lid that will keep your pet away from temptation.
6. Swinging wires
Swinging wires for a cat? Say no more! If you happen to have some dangling wires from your laptop, computer, gaming station, or even your TV, you might start doing some cable management around the house because both dogs and cats are hyped about them. It was probably the same situation with us when we were kids, and we used to play in the backyard in our old school swing. Heh, good old days!
But getting back to the wires, to avoid getting bit or smooshed by your pet, try to tie them together with velcro. My best recommendation is to look for some on Amazon, the amazing online store from which I buy all my stuff lately. Check out these reusable card straps.
7. Ashtrays with cigarettes in them
Whenever you smoke in the room, think twice about letting cigarettes into the ashtray because they are extremely poisonous for pets in general. Cigarettes contain nicotine, which is also bad for humans, but can you imagine what damage it can do to your dog, for example? Only the butt of a cigarette contains around 25% of the total nicotine. To avoid indigestion, diarrhea, vomiting, and even the death of your pet, throw away everything that’s leftover in the ashtray. After that, make sure you also clean the ashtray as well as possible. Squeaky clean would be the best!
8. Pills
Almost every pill or medication you now have in your home is extremely harmful to animals. For instance, ibuprofen is an OTC anti-inflammatory drug used to treat people’s everyday aches. Even small amounts of it can cause nausea, diarrhea, bleeding, and other intestinal problems with just a simple ingestion. You should also be aware that cats are twice as sensitive to this medication as dogs are.
If you have pets, be sure to store those vials in a pet-proof location and secure them tightly. In my case, after I got my dog, I installed a metallic medicine cabinet above my mirror. I made sure it was high enough that Dolly would never reach it!
9. An unsecured toilet
Does your pet occasionally sip from the toilet bowl? Mine used to have this annoying habit, and whenever I came home, I found an empty toilet bowl, a huge mess in the bathroom, and a mat full of water. What a welcome!
Because of that, I started to use drop-in products with caution, as they frequently contain caustic cleaning agents. The toxin’s concentration is typically not particularly high due to the dilution it undergoes in the toilet tank and bowl. Gastrointestinal discomfort, which may result in vomiting and diarrhea, is a common clinical symptom.
If your fluffy buddies are equally curious (and persistent) and you know you can’t keep them away from temptations, you’ll want to buy a toilet lid lock that can keep pets out of the toilet bowl in order to entirely avoid such a disaster.
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