Our pets trust us. We feed them, we walk them or change their litter, we care for them when they are ill, we play with them, we groom them, we give them toys. Many of us sleep with our pets. To many of us, our pets are family.
For the most part, this works in our pets’ favor; however, we have to remember that our pets are not human and do not understand that the rubber band dropped on the floor is not a toy. The same goes for plastic bags, cellophane (very dangerous), certain foods, pens, pencils, make-up, jewelry, socks, medications, plants, alcohol, and on and on and on.
As for us, we scope out our home regularly to ensure that there is nothing tempting that a dog or cat can get into that could harm them. Likewise, there are items that may not harm your pets, but that you may not want them batting around or making into a chew toy.
In our home, I have to hide my bags because Mimi, our puppy, will go inside and pull out all sorts of things that she shouldn’t. We cannot leave any jewelry out because Mortimer, one of our kitties, will steal and hide anything shiny. He steals cutlery and non-shiny objects, as well, and maintains more than one nest. A childhood friend, Roseanne, believes Mortimer may be a magpie. It’s possible.
Ribbons and loose strings are Clarice’s (kitty) favorite thing. Martina and Sophia Bo Molly (kitties) are pretty good about not eating things they should not eat, but they will bat things around and Sophia will eat her food at light speed, which upsets her tummy. But that falls into a tip for another day.
Remember: If it is in their space and reach, your pets will believe it to be a toy. Do not leave discerning good from bad objects to them. They can become ill or hurt.
My vet suggested buying about 100 toys when we discovered that Mortimer is a kleptomaniac and taught Mimi how to steal. This helps, but we have had to step-up our game with our little thieves.
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