How to Pet-Proof Your Home when Guests Bring Their Pets

Allowing the pets of house guests into your home is a very generous gesture and should be acknowledged as such. But before your guests arrive, you will need to pet-proof your home.

How to Pet-proof Your Home when Guests Arrive with Their Pets: Section Off Parts of the Home

Unless you do not mind the furry friends of your house guests to roam free all around your home, you will need to section off parts of the home. Install baby gates to prevent cats and dogs from going upstairs and if you have doors to rooms you would like pets to stay out of, keep them shut and secure at all times. This includes bathrooms. If the pets do manage to sneak into the bathrooms, you can pet-proof the bathrooms by not leaving the toilet seat up, as some dogs and even cats like to drink out of the toilet.

How to Pet-proof Your Home when Guests Arrive with Their Pets: Hide Shoes and Children's Toys

Some pets, particularly dogs, like to chew on people's shoes and play with children's toys. While this may or may not be acceptable in the pets' home, you must put measures in place so that this does not happen to your possessions. In order to prevent your favourite pair of shoes from being torn to pieces and your children's toys from being tossed around the home by playful pets, you must ensure that they are stored away from the pets and that after use they are put back where they belong. If shoes are regularly placed on a shoe rack by the front door, place the shoe rack in your bedroom or in some other storage area where pets will not have easy access to the shoes.

How to Pet-proof Your Home when Guests Arrive with Their Pets: Dispose of Food Waste Immediately

If you do not already do so, get into the habit of immediately disposing of food waste after meals so that you do not have to remind yourself to do so when your guests and their pets arrive. This also means putting half-eaten food away rather than leaving it on the top of counters or on tables. Pets are quite happy to sniff out food and jump onto surfaces to reach food.

Taking the time to pet-proof your home before your guests and their pets arrive will give you peace of mind and will hopefully make their stay a more pleasant one.