Room-by-room pet-proofing for a new dog or cat

Start at floor level

A new puppy or kitten learns about a home with its nose and mouth. The ASPCA’s advice on preparing your home for a puppy or kitten makes that point about house plants, and it runs through the rest of its checklist too: anything small, dangling or tucked away is something to investigate. Adult dogs and cats explore a new home as well, so the same checks are worth doing for any new arrival.

This guide goes room by room through the hazards that the ASPCA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the American Veterinary Medical Association describe, then gives you an original room walk to turn them into a short list of fixes.

Cords, strings and small things

The ASPCA says electrical cords are the most dangerous for pets because of the risk of electrocution if a pet chews through one. It adds that cords from blinds, curtain tie-backs and long strings may also pose a risk, and suggests trimming cords or binding them carefully so curious kittens and playful puppies cannot get to them.

Small objects are the other floor-level job. The ASPCA mentions the old board game piece under the couch, the lost hair tie or rubber band that kittens love to play with and may swallow, and coins, plastic bags or anything else small enough to fit in a pet’s mouth.

• Living room. Look under the sofa and between cushions for game pieces, coins and hair ties. Check where lamp, television and charger cords run.
• Bedroom. Check the nightstand edge, the floor beside the bed, and any blind or curtain cord that hangs within reach.
• Office or craft corner. Look for rubber bands, string, ribbon and loose chargers.
• Junk drawer and battery stash. The ASPCA lists the contents of alkaline batteries among corrosive household substances and suggests storing batteries in secure cabinets that pets cannot access.

Medications in every room

The FDA’s guidance on properly storing medications to keep your pet safe recommends keeping pet medications in a secure location. It warns that pets are known to chew through plastic pill vials, boxes and blister packages, and that containers that are child safe may not be pet safe.

The FDA also says kitchen and bathroom counters, shelves and other high places may not be secure enough, and that a pet could knock a tube of medication off a counter or bedside table onto the floor. To prevent mix-ups, it suggests storing medications for each person and each pet in the household separately.

The ASPCA’s article on identifying a pill if your pet swallows an unknown medication describes owners finding a pill they may have dropped, or a pet that got into a guest’s bag of medication. It suggests a secure location such as a locked cabinet or drawer, keeping medications in their original bottles, and not mixing different medications in one container. It also suggests asking guests to keep their personal items up and away from pets.

Cabinets, the bathroom and the laundry room

The ASPCA notes that household cabinets may hold medications, cleaning supplies, trash or mouse poison that can cause serious problems if eaten. It recommends keeping cabinet doors closed at all times, and considering child-proof locks if your pet could easily open a closed cabinet.

In the bathroom, the AVMA’s household hazards page suggests keeping toilet lids closed, so pets cannot drink water treated with toilet bowl cleaning agents, which could irritate their digestive tract.

Cabinets are also hiding places. The ASPCA says kittens love quiet, warm places to sleep and hide, and names dryers, laundry baskets and dresser drawers alongside cabinets. Make a household habit of looking inside the dryer, the washer and any drawer before you close it or start a cycle.

Laundry supplies belong behind a closed door as well. The ASPCA’s guidance on corrosive household products suggests storing laundry supplies in secure cabinets that pets cannot access.

Walk each room at pet height

This is an original Housemates exercise. Bring a notepad and do it before the new pet arrives, then again after the first week.

1. Crouch or kneel in the doorway. Get your eyes close to the height of the pet you are expecting. For a cat, also stand and look along counters, shelves and the tops of furniture.
2. Scan low, then high. Follow the floor and baseboards first, then the underside of furniture, then any surface a pet could jump or climb to.
3. Name each item you could grab from there. Write it down in plain words: phone charger by the sofa, hair ties on the nightstand, pill bottle on the counter.
4. Open what a paw could open. Push on low cabinet doors, drawers, the trash lid and the dryer door. Note any that swing open easily.
5. Turn each note into a fix. Beside each item, write one action: bind, move, close, lock or put away. Keep it specific, such as “move vitamins into the closed bathroom cabinet.”
6. Do the easy fixes now. Circle anything that needs buying or help, and give it a date.

If your pet swallows something

The FDA says that if your pet gets into a medication, you should call your veterinarian or an animal poison control center, and notes that these centers may charge a consultation fee. It lists the Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661 and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435.

If you find an unknown pill, the ASPCA suggests looking closely for imprints or numbers and noting its color and shape, which helps identify it. If you believe your pet may have swallowed a medication, it advises contacting your veterinarian or ASPCA Animal Poison Control right away. For a suspected exposure to a corrosive product, the ASPCA advises veterinary care immediately, even if the pet seems normal, because effects can be delayed.

Add your veterinary clinic’s number and both poison-control numbers to the top of your fix list, and keep the list where everyone can see it. Our household emergency plan guide covers the wider plan.

Repeat the walk as your pet grows

The ASPCA reminds new owners that young pets may be able to reach higher as they grow, such as countertops and tables, and suggests keeping anything that could pose a threat up and out of reach. A room that passed the walk in week one may not pass it in month three.

Repeat the pet-height walk whenever your pet starts reaching somewhere new, and after visitors, holidays or rearranging furniture. For the first days with a new animal, see our guides to a new dog’s first days and a cat’s first room.

This guide is a household planning aid. It does not list every hazard in a home or replace advice from your veterinarian.