How to keep your pets safe while cleaning

We talked in an earlier article about tips on how to keep your house odor-free even with cats around.

So today is time to talk about what can we do to keep our dearest friends safe while we clean our houses. It is important to have a clean environment for them (and for us also), but more important is keeping their health at best.

Both cats and dogs are at risk when it comes to cleaning substances, but cats are particularly vulnerable because they are small, their bodies do not handle toxins as well (since they lack certain liver enzymes), and they are constantly licking their fur.

Among vets, we know all too well that things can go wrong with cleaning products (as we see so many of these cases in our practice) and that pets can put themselves in harmful situations.

Let’s see what we can do to keep them away from such events!

👉 Clean one room at a time – and keep your pet in another room while doing so;

👉 Read the product label and inform yourself on dilution instructions and directions to use;

👉 Do not mix cleaning products – don’t do any type of chemistry experiments near your pet;

👉 Let the floors dry before you allow your pet in the room;

👉 Open your windows to help your floors dry quicker;

👉 Don’t use products with a strong smell;

👉 Keep your cleaning products away from the reach of your pet.

If you suspect your pet has been poisoned (symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and seizures), seek veterinary medical help right away.