The holiday season has begun and people have started decorating their homes. If you live with pets, finding safe ways to put up holiday decorations may be difficult. Your furry friends might be harsh toward a Christmas tree or knock over small clay decorations. They might even end up hurting themselves.
Especially if you are a property investor, potential pet owner tenants might visit your decorated open house and find it dangerous for their furry buddies. Your property manager would advise you to safeguard your house for pets.
However, there are simple solutions if you do enough research. We offer you several pet-friendly home decorating ideas for your home.
Christmas Tree Safety Tips
The Christmas tree is the most special decoration for those who celebrate Christmas. You want to check if the tree you buy is fake or real and you want to ensure that the tree can handle conditions with your pet. If your furry little friend knocks it over a lot of damage can be done. So what can you do?
Anchor Your Tree
First and foremost, you need to think about how steady the Christmas tree is, your pet could easily run into it causing the tree to fall over and possibly resulting in your pet getting hurt. The best way to avoid such misfortune is to anchor the tree by connecting it to the ceiling or the wall.
Put The Fragile Ornaments Near The Top
Pets tend to play with the toys they can reach. At the risk of expensive, fragile ornaments being harmed, you can simply decorate the top of your tree with them. If a fragile ornament falls on the ground and breaks, not only will you lose a lovely decoration, but your pet could step on it or eat it. Therefore, to save your pet and your ornaments, it’s best to be careful with the placements.
Avoid Using Electric Cords
Electricity is dangerous when exposed to a pet. Your furry buddy doesn’t know better, so they might accidentally cause great damage to your home or themselves. The best way to avoid fire hazards while decorating your Christmas Tree with shiny lights is to use cord protectors. You must be careful while choosing electrical devices around your pets.
Decoration Safety Tips
Your Christmas tree might be protected and safeguarded, however, many other holiday decorations are not pet-friendly. Your pet could damage their health or your home by accidentally ruining one of the decorative items in your home.
Fairy Lights
Warm and pretty lights are what make Christmas distinctive. However, putting the fairy lights in the reach of your pet may end in a disaster. You must ensure that your pet can’t get its paws on the cords of the fairy lights. The strategy here is similar to the one we use with the Christmas tree lights. Use cord protectors and put the lights in high spots.
Candles
Candles are a cute addition to Christmas decorations, fire hazards are not so cute. Although this decoration is traditional and makes the home look warm and fuzzy, your fuzzy pet might end up getting hurt if it can reach it. You need to put the candles on the top shelves where your pet can’t knock them over or simply try to use artificial candles, small lights that have the shapes of candles but are just decorative lights.
Plugs
All of these decorative lights need a source of power. You are going to need to use plugs, the best way to do so without risking harm to your companion is to safeguard the electric sources. Invest in electrical outlet covers if you haven’t already.
Food Safety Tips
Gingerbread cookies, different types of chocolate, cakes, turkey, and many other special treats are the trademarks of holidays. You don’t want to spend the last few weeks of the year without enjoying these delicious snacks, but they could be harmful to your pets.
Chocolate, caffeine, and alcohol are poisonous to dogs, as a pet owner, you probably already know the risks. Avoid turkey pieces falling on the floor, as these pieces might contain tiny bones and choke your pet or cause vomiting. Therefore, the best way to enjoy these treats while protecting your pets from harm is to put them in spots where they are not exposed to your little puppies or kittens.
Plant Safety Tips
Some people decorate their households with lovely plants for Christmas. There are several issues that you need to consider as a proud pet owner. Your little furry friend might accidentally get poisoned by the plants.
There are several factors that make plants poisonous. Some plants are harmful on their own, so you need to research properly. On the other hand, some companies use paint to make their plants even greener for Christmas. The paint might harm your pets’ stomachs.
You also need to consider the pots and vases. Pets might be drawn to the decorations and accidentally knock them over. They might give you a lot of cleaning chores or even hurt themselves. So it’s best to check what type of plant you are buying and put it up high.
Presents Safety Tips
Some homeowners put presents under the tree for the whole holiday season as decorations. However, if you are a pet owner, it’s best to wait until Christmas eve to put the presents in their place for several reasons.
Firstly, each present could be sharp or poisonous to animals. If your pet attacks the presents and starts playing with the wraps, they might accidentally open them and harm themselves.
Secondly, the neatly wrapped presents could get torn and broken. Your family members might have something fragile chosen for you as a present. If your pet ends up damaging the gifts, it will be a big disappointment to everyone.
Of course, gifts are not everything, but they are an important part of the celebration.
Conclusion
Finally, the most important takeaway is that pets should be kept safe and a lot of the holiday decorations might get in the way. You must ensure that your pets are not in the reach of electricity or candles. Try your best to avoid exposing your furry friends to Christmas snacks and food and save the presents for the last minute. In the end, you will have protected your pets and the holidays will pass by without accidents and additional chores.