Pet owners know that having a pet sometimes means dealing with some degree of mayhem and destruction in your home. Cats often knock over sugar bowls, coffee cups and anything left on the kitchen counter, while dogs sometimes tear apart couch cushions in the living room. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to protect your Central New Jersey apartment and keep your pet safe from harm.

View the World Through Your Pet’s Eyes

It’s easy to overlook temptations and hazards that may cause trouble, particularly when they’re below your line of vision. Get down on your hands, or floors or sit on the floor and look for potential problems, such as:

• Electrical Cords: Gnawing on electrical cords can kill your pet or at least cause a severe shock. Prevent a tragic accident by wrapping cords inside cord protectors or taping them to the backs of furniture or appliances. If possible, unplug small appliances and other devices when you’re not using them.
• Toys: Your children’s toys aren’t necessarily safe for your pet, particularly those that contain small parts or include eyes or other features that can be chewed off and swallowed. Remind your kids to put away their toys promptly after they’re finished playing.
• Small Items: You might not think that loose change or a few cotton balls make tasty snacks, but your dog doesn’t necessarily share your opinion. Some dogs view almost any object as food and won’t hesitate to eat anything left on the floor. Keep small items off the floor and out of your pet’s reach to avoid temptation. Although cats usually don’t try to eat non-food items, they may unravel a spool of thread or ball of yarn and accidentally swallow some of the thread or yarn when playing with it. Yarn, thread, ribbon or string can become twisted around their intestines, causing a life-threatening medical emergency.
• Potentially Poisonous Objects: Eating chocolate, cleaning products and some plant species can kill or sicken your pet. It’s best to keep these items out of reach to avoid a frantic, middle-of-the-night trip to the emergency vet.
• Shoes and Other Belongings: If your dog is a chewer, shoes and other items left on the floor can be irresistible. Keep these items in closets and drawers or on high shelves to prevent damage.

Protect Your Furniture

Pets are notoriously hard on furniture. They gnaw or scratch the legs and corners and leave hair everywhere. Covering your furniture with slipcovers will help you keep your couch and chairs pristine. After all, it’s much easier to remove stains and hair from slipcovers than your fabric or leather furniture.

Do you have a teething puppy, a destructive dog or a cat that can’t resist scratching? Throw clear plastic slipcovers over your furniture when you’re not at home. Once you’re back in your apartment, you can remove the covers and work on training your pet to leave your furniture alone.

Your upholstered furniture makes the perfect scratching post as far as your cat is concerned. Discourage the habit by placing strips of aluminum foil on the corners of your furniture or sprinkling a few drops of repellent spray on the furniture. If you catch your cat in the act, a quick spritz of water from a spray bottle can discourage scratching. Offer a sturdy scratching post as an alternative, and encourage your cat to use it by placing a little catnip on it.

Give Your Pet Something to Do

Bored pets usually find something to do to alleviate their boredom. Unfortunately, you may not like their choices. Keep your pet busy with a selection of toys that engage their minds instead. Cats enjoy chasing wind-up or remote-controlled creatures, batting at kitty fishing rods and chasing the beam from a laser pointer. Consider buying your dog a puzzle toy that contains a few treats inside. Before your pet can enjoy the treat, he or she will have to solve the puzzle, which will release the tasty morsels.

Whether small or large, dogs benefit from daily exercise. Apartment communities with on-site dog runs offer the ultimate in convenience for pet owners. Just think, after a long day of work, there’s no need to get back in the car to take your pet to a dog park. If you have a dog, you’ll want to look for communities that offer these and other pet-friendly features.

Would you like to find an apartment community that welcomes you and your pet? Fairway 28, a Country Classics Community, offers one- and two-bedroom apartments that offer plenty of space for you and your pets and provides pet-centric amenities, including a dog run and pet spa. If you’ve been looking for a new place to call home, contact us for a list of available apartments.

Sources:

ASPCA: Poisonous Plants

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

American Humane: Pet-Proofing Your Home

https://www.americanhumane.org/fact-sheet/pet-proofing-your-home/