Are your pets safe?

Safety tips for inside and outside the home.

There are so many things we can do to keep our pets safe while they are at home with us, or outside. When you become a furever home, it's important to pet-proof your house so that your pet(s) are safe and secure in their home. You will also have less to worry about if you know your home is as safe and secure as it can be for your furry companions!

Indoor Security

Food/Hazardous Items

Pets seem to love eating things they're not supposed to so you have to make sure anything dangerous or toxic to them is placed out of reach. Cleaning supplies should be tucked safely away or high up, and any food you don't want your pets eating should be secured in a drawer, Tupperware, or the fridge.

Trash Cans

You never know when you're not looking, how easily your pets can sniff their way into the trash can. You don't need any super fancy high tech trash cans, but consider getting one with a lid. This will prevent your pets from snooping around and the lid also helps block off the smell. Remember, cats and dogs can be quite the sensory creatures. If they smell something interesting, they will go seeking it out. Be safe, and have lidded trash cans to help prevent your pets from getting into something they shouldn't.

Cords

How many open cords do you have dangling around? Find a way to keep your cords contained and out of the way of your pets' common traveling paths. We don't want our pets tangling themselves or even chewing on cords!

This doesn't just have to be electrical cords. If you own a cat, you may notice your cat loves to play with anything dangling above them. If you have curtain cords, or long decorative tassels, consider keeping these out of playing reach for your cats. Although your cats might be having fun playing, you never know when they might accidentally get dangerously tangled up in their fun.

House Plants

Did you know that lilies are poisonous to cats while tulips are poisonous to dogs? If you are a pet owner but also love having fresh plants in your home, be sure to learn which plants are safe, and deadly, to your furry companions. ASPCA has a list of these plants available on their website HERE.

Outdoor Security

Fencing

Regularly check your fencing. This is especially important if you have pets that frequently go outside. Make it a habit to check your fencing at least once a month to see if there are any loose gaps or holes. Try pushing gently against your fencing as well to see how well it holds.

You also want to check the ground around your fencing. Are there any loose soil, or holes that your pet may have been digging? If so, be sure to fill them up. All it can take is a little gap for your curious pet to squirm through.

The safest precautionary is to make sure you are supervising any outdoor play. If you can't watch them for the entirety of their outdoor playtime, try to check up on your pets as much as you can just to make sure they are still safely in your yard and not doing anything they shouldn't be.

Plants

Just like household plants, you want to make sure your outdoor plants are not dangerous to your pets. If you garden, it's a good idea to fence off your garden so your pets don't unintentionally eat something they're curious about.

Leashes

When taking your pets outside, it's best practice to have them leashed. Even if your pet is the most well behaved, you never know what may happen that day. Pet theft is also a sad reality of the world we live in and a leash will ensure that you know where your pet is at all times. Think of your leash as a safety tether between you and your pet. Should anything happen, such as your pet getting spooked or getting overly curious about something, you will have them leashed to you and won't have to worry about your pet running off unrestrained.

Spay/Neuter and Microchip

By spaying/neutering your pets, they will not be prone to want to wander out during mating season. However, even if they do manage to wander out, you won't have any unexpected pregnancies. By microchipping your pet and updating your contact info on that microchip, in the event that your pet(s) are ever lost, you have a greater chance of being reunited. Our low cost clinic offers spay/neuter and microchipping services. For the month of May and June 2021, you can get $10 off our microchipping service. Call our clinic at (559) 233-8706 or email them at clinic@valleyanimal.org to make an appointment!

Let's do our best to keep our pets safe and secure!

More resources:

The Importance of Microchipping

Pet Theft - How to keep your pet safe

Lost and Found - What to do if you find/lose a pet

Stop Animal Cruellaty Campaign

This campaign aims to educate our community members about the ways to ensure the safety of their pets, and even the pets who may wander into their lives. So many cats and dogs have been adopted from our shelter to loving homes, and we want to continue being able to support adopters and their pets by providing impactful information. Valley Animal Center is also here to provide our services where applicable to increase the health and safety of our furry companions and their loving owners. If you support what we do, follow us on our social media, or sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on how you can support us.

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Valley Animal Center

Located in Fresno, CA, Valley Animal Center serves the locale regions of the Central Valley. Upon entering our shelter, cats are tested for Feline AIDS and Feline Leukemia. Both dogs and cats are spayed or neutered, fully vaccinated, microchipped, and administered any additional medical care as needed. Even those once considered un-adoptable due to their medical conditions or disabilities have been rehabilitated and ultimately adopted into loving families. With the mission of uniting every cat and dog with a loving home, we utilize the resources, donations, and support from our community to fulfilling that mission.

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