Are you thinking of adding a puppy, kitten or rescue animal to your family? Pets make a great addition to any home, but also come with some warning. Animals are wild by nature, so pet safety is important to protect your new family member, but also your home.

For example, the American Humane Society shares some pet safety tips for various rooms in your home. From bathrooms to bedrooms, there are plenty of things (and ways) that some curious creates may find to cause trouble.

In addition to those pet-proofing ideas, here are some more specific pet safety tips.

1. Protect Pets from Possible Poisons

Having a pet is like having a child, and one of the first things you do when you either have a child living in your home or coming to visit, is make sure there is nothing poisonous within their reach.

As noted, pet-proofing is also important, so inspect the rooms where your pets will go or may be able to get into where poisonous substances are often stored like your kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, and the garage or basement.

Poisons include medicines, cleaning supplies, antifreeze, dishwasher pods, and laundry detergents. All of these things can be deadly to animals if ingested, so make sure they are stored on high shelves or in locked cabinets.

It may also be a good idea to install child-proof locks on your cabinets to keep your pets from nosing them open to look for anything hidden inside.

2. Protect Pets from Certain Plants

Certain plants can cause minor to severe injuries or worse for cats and dogs.

For any pet owners that are not aware, then check out the list of poisonous plants, which is provided by the ASPCA.

If any of the plants in the list above are ingested by your pet, contact your local veterinarian or ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435 immediately.

The best way to avoid anything terrible happening to your furry loved one by way of plants is to keep any and all plants that can cause harm to your pet out of your home and yard. Also, know which plants to look for on walks and keep your dog away from them.

3. Protect Pets from People Food

Many people are aware that chocolate is harmful to dogs, but there are also a host of other people foods that are dangerous.

Again, the American Humane Society shares the foods that can be poisonous to your pets if ingested, such as grapes, macadamia nuts, and mushroom plants.

For more information, than the ASPCA provides this list of people foods to avoid feeding your pet.

The best way to protect your pet from foods they shouldn’t eat is by feeding them food intended for them.

4. Protect Pets from Cracks and Crevices

Kittens and puppies are curious little creatures. Little being the stand-out word here. They are tiny, especially kittens, and your home may have small spaces they can get into, but perhaps not get out of.

No one wants to come home and hear their pet meowing or barking and spend hours trying to find the source, only to see a little nose poking out of a vent where the animal has become stuck.

Go through your home and look for holes in the walls and block them off. Make sure vents have tight covers. Check your oven, dishwasher, and washing machine and dryer for damage that may allow your pet to slip inside the appliance and become trapped.

5. Protect Your Hardwood from Your Pets

Even the best cats tend to stretch their paws and claws. Many cat owners are all to aware that a cat’s favorite toy is the couch or carpet (perhaps second to an empty box!).

Claws are useful and important when animals are in the wild, but they can harm your home, especially if you have hardwood floors.

However, scratches are not the end of your floors, not is it a reason not to get a dog or cat. If your floor sustains deep, damaging scratches, it will most likely be fixed with a sanding, which can be expensive.

Fortunately, there are some preventative measures to protect your home:

• Additional coats of finish on your floors will put more protection between your hardwood and your pet’s claws.
• Manicure claws, which will help your floor, but is also healthy for your pet.
• Consider adding runner rugs to protect the areas in your home that your dog runs on most.

6. Protect Your Furniture

Pets leave a mark in your heart, and most likely, your furniture.

Dogs can be told numerous times not to climb on the couch, but when you aren’t looking, they are sprawled and snoozing away, getting their fur all over the place. Cats will do this even as you tell them not to.

Fortunately, there are several ways to help protect your furniture, such as adding furniture covers or even finding furniture that is made from materials that are easy to clean.

For scratching or chewing, redirection may (may) work best. For example, for cats, place a scratcher near where the scratching is taking place. Conversely, for dogs that like to chew on your couch’s legs, offer them a chew toy when you see this happening.

Sometimes the offer of something better can make a difference. If these don’t work, you can invest in sprays that contains scents unpleasant to cats and dogs and deters them from scratching or chewing your furniture.