Pet-Proofing Your Home: Tips for a Safe & Happy Space

A curious pet will find the one thing in a room you never thought about. Pet-proofing isn't about wrapping your home in bubble wrap — it's about closing off the handful of hazards that cause most emergency vet visits, then relaxing.

Start at floor level

Get down on your hands and knees and look at each room from your pet's height. Loose cables, small objects under furniture, and gaps behind appliances are all much more obvious from down there.

• Cables and chargers — run them through cord covers or tuck them behind furniture. Chewing a live cable is one of the most common household injuries for puppies and rabbits alike.
• Small objects — hair ties, coins, bottle caps and children's toys are all swallowable. A weekly floor sweep costs five minutes.
• Bins — use a lidded bin in the kitchen and bathroom. Cooked bones, corn cobs and dental floss are all serious hazards.

Check your plants

Lilies, sago palm, philodendron, pothos and aloe are all toxic to cats or dogs to varying degrees. Move them well out of reach or swap them for pet-safe alternatives like spider plants, calathea or areca palm.

Lock up the obvious dangers

Cleaning products, medication, antifreeze and rodent bait belong behind a latched door — not under the sink where a determined nose can nudge it open. Child locks work just as well on pets.

Give them somewhere that's theirs

A bed, crate or covered hideout in a quiet corner gives a pet somewhere to retreat when the house is busy. Pets with a safe spot of their own are far less likely to go looking for trouble in yours.

Quick checklist

• Cables covered or hidden
• Toxic plants moved or replaced
• Chemicals and medication latched away
• Bins lidded
• Windows and balconies screened
• A quiet, comfortable retreat set up

Work through it one room at a time. Most homes are genuinely pet-safe after an afternoon's work.