Bathroom items hazardous to pets
I have a friend who frequently mentions to me how her cats get into everything. We animal lovers love to see our pets happy and playful but should be aware of potential dangers within our own homes. I recently wrote about foods in your own kitchen that can be dangerous, today I am writing about potential dangers in another room, the bathroom.
Most people know to put their medications away to ensure the safety of children. But are they aware that those same meds can make their pets sick? Both over the counter and prescription medications should be kept in a sealed bottle and inside a higher cabinet. Some of the non prescription drugs that are dangerous to pets include acetaminophen, antihistamines, cold medicines, diet pills, aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and vitamins. All prescribed medications should also be kept out of reach of reaching hands and paws.
Toilet bowls with treated or colored water, as well as those with automatic cleansing bottles and tablets used should be kept closed. Also, cats have been known to fall into a toilet and be unable to get out, drowning.
Soaps, if licked, eaten or swallowed, will upset your pet’s stomach and probably induce vomiting and diarrhea.
Grooming tools. Keep razors, scissors, knives and any other sharp tools safely out of reach.
Floss. Make sure discarded floss is inside a tissue or in a trash pail with a lid. If a pet swallows it it could get wrapped on their intestines.
Cleaners. Household cleaners are often toxic and should remain out of reach.
House plants. Make sure the plant you have in your bathroom is not one of the toxic ones.
That’s all of the tips I knew or have found. If you have others, please feel free to share.
March 1st, 2008 at 8:11 am
Add alka-seltzer to that list. My cats got into it once and ate the tablets. In addition to foaming at the mouth (which freaked me out), they both got sick due to the high sodium content in the stuff.
Kate’s last blog post..Teaching Healthy Eating Habits
March 1st, 2008 at 10:04 am
Thanks for sharing that Kate, I didn’t think of that one. I hope your cats were ok.
March 3rd, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I always keep my bathroom doors closed for just this reason. Easy for me in my single adult household, but I can see it would be harder to do when you have kids going in and out all of the time. The biggest problem I’ve been aware of with my dogs is the trash can – full of interesting things for pets to check out. Innocent items – like say, bottle caps that can become choking hazards, razors and razor blades, used bandages with antibiotic ointments on them. Cute little boutique trash bins without lids just don’t belong in a bathroom if you have pets around.
Mahalo for a thought-provoking post, Val!
skeet’s last blog post..Miss Teri Tale – new hidden object game
March 4th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Skeet – my parents recently got a special trash can just for that problem. It’s stainless and enclosed and the lid opens by waving your hand in front of the electric eye.