Sure, when you're
home, your furry little darlings are perfect angels. But when you
have to leave them for any extended time, they may become bored and get
into things they normally wouldn't. Even the most well mannered
pooch or kitty can walk on the wild side when unsupervised. It's
amazing what those little canine and feline brains can think up to pass
the time!
Here are a few ideas
to help "pet proof" your home -- for your home's sake and for the health
and safety of your pets.
-
Household
cleansers, furniture polishes, disinfectants, insecticides,
antifreeze, fertilizers, perfumes and make-up can be dangerous to dogs
and cats. Make sure cupboards and storage areas (garage)
containing these items are secure. A bored or determined dog or
cat can go "where they've never gone before."
-
Make sure your
toilet lid is down.
-
Before you walk
out the door, make sure cat(s) have not been accidentally closed up in
closets.
-
Make sure
dishwasher, washing machine, dryer and oven are closed.
-
Throw out loose
plastic bags, aluminum foil and food wrappers. If swallowed,
they can cause damage to pet's digestive tract or in some cases, cause
shock and death.
-
Make sure fence is
secure and gate is locked.
-
See that
medications are locked up. The sound of pills rattling in a
plastic bottle may entice the pet to chew the bottle open.
-
Remove candy or
nuts from coffee tables or locations where a pet can reach it.
Chocolate is toxic to dogs and nuts can be dangerous as well.
-
Keep areas where
moth balls are used "off limits" to pets.
-
Check to see that
any hobby supplies, i.e., paints, glue, needles and thread, etc., have
been placed away from an inquisitive pet's reach.
-
Double-check that
garbage cans are secure. They contain delicious surprises, some
of which can be life threatening, i.e., chicken bones, foil food
wrappers, batteries, etc.
WHILE YOU ARE AWAY
...
PET OWNER PREPARATION CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
(Published in
Chapel Hill News & Views, October 2006)
A professional pet
sitter knows the right questions to ask when arranging to care for your
fur family and your home so as to give you the best possible service.
But there are a few things you can do from your end that will help
ensure everything goes smoothly while you are away -- pet owner
preparation can make a difference! Consider the following:
-
Schedules are
important. Make your reservations for a pet sitter as far in
advance as possible and remember to call the sitter if you are coming
home later or earlier than expected. This will allow the pet
sitter to plan for extra visits or serve additional clients.
-
Make sure the pet
sitter has a telephone number where you can be reached.
-
Provide the pet
sitter with a house key in addition to garage door openers if inside
visits are requested. (During power failures, garage door
openers cannot work!) If you have a new key made, please try it
out to be sure it works.
-
Have everything
necessary to care for your pet in one general and visible area.
This may include: food, treats, utensils, food and water bowls,
medications, leash, can opener, toys, paper towels, cleaning supplies,
garbage bags, litter and scoop, broom/dustpan or vacuum cleaner,
towels (for rainy day walks), newspapers or puppy pads (if paper
training), watering can for plants, etc.
-
Clean food and
water dishes before leaving town. Pet sitters are concerned
about proper hygiene for the pets under their care.
-
Provide extra
food, litter and supplies just in case you are not able to return when
anticipated.
-
Supply plastic
bags for sanitary disposal of feces. Pet sitters are happy to
perform this task while you're away, but shouldn't be expected to
clean up accumulation from prior to your absence.
-
Clean out the
refrigerator before leaving to avoid smelly food spoilage, and wash
any dishes in the sink to prevent ants or other pests. Run the
garbage disposal to clear out any food particles that may have
accumulated.
-
For the comfort of
your pet(s), adjust your thermostat before leaving on your trip.
A closed-up home can get dangerously hot in a short time.
-
Leave a list of
phone numbers in the event the sitter needs to call any of the
following while you are away: cleaning service, plumber,
electrician, gardener/yard/pool maintenance, realtor, etc.
-
Show the pet
sitter where the fuse box or circuit breaker is located.
-
Tell the pet
sitter if bathrooms or any other household areas are off limits to
pets and/or sitters. Secure access to these areas before leaving
home. Also, make the pet sitter aware if your cat happens to
love shredding the contents of the bathroom trash can or if the toilet
is prone to run or become clogged.
TIPS FOR THE
PURRR-FECT LITTER BOX
(Published in
Chapel Hill News & Views, January/February 2008)
Are you having a hard time setting
up the perfect litter box environment for little Fluffy? Here are
some ideas to get you started (and possibly avoid litter box "issues" in
the future.)
Start with a box which is a minimum of 5" deep -- the deeper the box,
the less chance of the litter going overboard. You don't have to
use a box that is specifically made for litter box use. Some of
the under-bed storage containers work very well as litter boxes, especially
for multiple cat households.
If you have a
large cat, be sure the litter box is big enough for the kitty to go in
and turn around comfortably. Try using a plastic storage box with tall
sides – especially good for cats who tend to urinate high up on the back
of the box or who fling litter around when
covering up. If your cat has difficulty jumping into the box, cut a dip
in the front of the box for easy entry.
Use a cover or
not, as your cat prefers, but many cats find hoods or covers to be too
confining. And in multiple cat households,
some cats will avoid covered boxes because there is only one escape
route and they don’t want to get “ambushed” by the other cats while in
the box.
Use a good
quality, scoopable litter. Find a litter that clumps really hard – no
break-ups when scooping. When the clumps break apart, that makes the
whole box stinky.
Do not mix
different brands or types of litter. Scoopable litters often use
different chemicals to clump, which may not be compatible. Don’t waste
your money by mixing clumping litter with plain clay litter. The plain
clay litter will prevent the clumping litter from clumping at all. If
you change brands or types of litter, use up all of the first litter,
dump and clean the box, then start with a fresh box of the new brand.
For multiple cat
homes, you can put a layer of baking soda in the bottom of the box to
keep anything from sticking and it also helps with odor control. You
can skip this if you are really conscientious about scooping – and
litter boxes should be scooped at least daily.
Keep at least
4”-6” of litter in the box at all times. This is really the key to a
clean box that doesn’t smell. You must have enough depth to enable the
litter to clump before the urine hits the bottom and sticks. If it
sticks, then you have to scrape the waste out and the clumps will break
up. This is what makes the whole box smell so bad.
Location,
location, location! Keep the box in a quiet, private place. Don’t put
the box in busy living areas. The best place in many houses is a spare
bathroom tub, which also helps contain litter if kitty likes to dig.
Put a big piece
of fake grass at the entrance of the box to keep the cat from tracking
litter around. Cheap stuff from the hardware store has a good texture.
Do not use
plastic liners – they keep the litter from absorbing properly. Some
cats also like to shred plastic liners and then you’ve got an extra mess
to clean up.
Once a month,
dump the litter and wash the litter box with only very hot water. Never
use a cleaner with ammonia, which smells like urine to a cat. It will
just make the box smell dirty to her – their noses are pretty
sensitive. Replace all boxes after a year, as the plastic will
eventually absorb the urine smell permanently.
I hope some of
these tips will help you give your kitty that purrfect litter box
experience!
LITTER BOX
"ISSUES"
(Published in
Chapel Hill News & Views, April/May/June 2008)
If you have a
cat and have never had any litter box issues, you are extremely lucky
(and also in the minority!). But if your kitty is refusing to use the
litter box, there are several things you can do to break this bad
behavior.
First, please
understand that a cat will not stop using its litter box out of spite.
Kitty is trying to tell you that something is wrong – you just have to
figure out what it is! The very first thing you must do is visit your
vet to see if there is a physical reason such as a urinary tract
infection.
If it is
determined that the problem is not physical but, rather, behavioral,
here are some tips that assume one very important fact – that your cat
is already spayed or neutered. Spraying to mark territory is most
common in unaltered males and almost nothing will stop this behavior
other than neutering. After neutering, about 90% of males and 95% of
females will stop urine marking.
Why do cats
spray? Both male and female cats spray to establish territory. Intact
males also spray to announce their “availability” to female cats in
heat. While spraying does deposit urine on the surface being marked, it
is not the same as inappropriate urination. Sprayed surfaces are
typically vertical – door walls and drapes seem to be the preferred
targets. Inappropriate elimination, however, is typically done on
smooth, horizontal surfaces – the bathtub or shower is common.
To “treat”
spraying behavior, eliminate or reduce stress and changes in your cat’s
environment. It may be helpful to use pheromone sprays on the surfaces
targeted to make them “safe” for your cat.
Next, make sure
no stray cats are hanging around your house. They are probably spraying
every outside wall and are driving your kitty crazy! There are several
cat repellents available or sprinkle some citrus peels around the
outside of the house.
Provide at least
one litter box per cat if you have more than one cat. Sometimes cats
don’t like to share a box, or the dominant cat will not let other cats
use the box. This is especially common between cats of the same sex, as
a dominance issue. Place boxes in different parts of the house and on
each floor of a two or three story home.
Keep it clean!
Scoop the box at least once a day, preferably twice. Think about how
you feel when you go to the bathroom and the person before you forgot to
flush – yuck!
Try a scoopable
litter – they stay cleaner. Choose a scoopable litter that clumps
really well and does not break apart. Then, when you scoop the litter
box, you really are removing all of the waste. Scoopable litter is more
expensive to buy, but is actually more cost effective because you do not
have to completely change out all the litter so often.
Be sure that any
brand you select has no perfume or scent at all. Sometimes “new and
improved” may not be a good thing if that means that your previously
unscented litter now has a scent that is offensive to kitty’s nose.
Once a month,
dump the litter and wash the litter box with very hot water only. Never
use a cleaner with ammonia, as ammonia smells like urine to a cat and
that will just make the box smell dirty to her. Their noses are very
sensitive.
If you have a
large cat, be sure the litter box is big enough for the kitty to go in
and turn around comfortably. Be creative – try a plastic storage box if
litter boxes seem too small for your cat. You can cut out a dip in the
front if you have an older cat that might have trouble getting in and
out of the box.
Do not use
plastic liners – they keep the litter from absorbing properly.
Try using a
covered box if your current box is open on top. Or take the top off of
the box if you have it covered – most cats prefer an unhooded box.
Make sure the
litter box is in a quiet place. Try the closet in your bathroom.
Laundry rooms are a popular place for litter boxes, but some cats find
the noise and humidity to be a turn off.
Food and water
should not be near the litter box. Many cats will not use a box too
close to its food.
Clean any area
where the cat has eliminated with a cleaner specifically made for pet
odors such as Simple Solution, Natures Miracle or OxyClean. Never use
ammonia based cleaner because it smells like urine to your cat.
Try confinement
therapy. Put the “offender” in a room (a bathroom with a tile floor
works best) with food, water and the litter box. This reduces the area
the cat has available to urinate and will encourage it to use the litter
box. This will take a week or more to be effective. If you let the cat
out too soon, you have to start all over again. In general, it takes
one week of confinement per month of non-use.
Try to determine
if the problem coincided with a change in the household – noisy guests,
a new baby or pet, new furniture or carpet. These can create anxiety in
a cat. Try to get things back to normal if possible.
Do not yell at
the cat or rub his nose in the spot – this will just scare the cat and
will make the problem worse.
Remember, you
are trying to break a natural habit for cats – claiming and marking its
territory. You must be patient and give any change time to work before
giving up. Good luck!
Insured
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