Keep felines safe during remodeling projects
Have your been putting off a house/room project that requires remodeling or a specific clean up? Are you ready to begin, but do not know how to start for fear of placing your feline in jeopardy?
Your concerns are well founded. Your project can hold hidden dangers for your feline that are not readily apparent to you.
Our felines have access to virtually any area they wish to explore because of their agile jumping ability. Our felines also are very crafty about sneaking outdoors when foot traffic is unusually heavy.
Denying our feline buddy access to the project area is the only way to keep our friends safe. It is difficult enough to watch them when we are doing the work alone or with the help of family members. The problem is compounded when outsiders are hired.
Workers try to watch our pets, but they are not motivated by the love we have for our animals to keep them safe. Additionally, we may not be able to predict our pet's behavior when there are strangers in the house. Noise and commotion may send our pets to the nearest exit door.
Confining your feline to the spare bedroom, study or bathroom is the only effective way your animal is safe from toxins, unsafe building materials and their natural by products. Glue, paint, nails, screws, sawdust and metal shavings are just a few of the hazards that could prompt a visit to the emergency veterinary clinic after hours.
Even if you confine your pet, depending on the location of the project in relation to your central ventilation system, your pets may still not be safe. If you are using an especially pungent adhesive or paint near the ventilation system, make sure windows and doors are open near the work site to allow fumes to escape.
Further, the blower should be off on your thermostat so the fumes are not spread throughout the house. Also, be sure to secure plastic over the vent in the room where the animals will be kept. A window should be open where the pets are located, as long as the screens cannot be pushed out.
To also assure that the fumes do not seep into your pets' safe haven, block the space between the floor and the door with a towel.
Care should also be taken during the cleanup process to properly vacuum and remove all unsafe debris. Do remember to clean behind all the crevices our felines can crawl behind.
The floor should also be dry after cleanup before our felines are allowed access. Felines are fastidious and are constantly grooming and licking their paws. If you have any doubts about the toxicity of the products you used in the room, the final cleaning rinse should be with water and vinegar.
Other old, nontoxic cleaners are Simple Green and Meyers products. Both are animal friendly and are found conveniently in "Big Box" stores. There are many new "green" choices available also. Some not so tested, so use caution.
Lastly, the room may be physically clean and safe, but if the lingering odor of glue or paint make you lightheaded or dizzy, the pets must be confined. The process you have just labored through to ensure their safety would be for naught if you allow them in the remodeled room while the toxic scent lingers.
• The Buddy Foundation, 65 W. Seegers Road, Arlington Heights, is a nonprofit 501(c) 3, all volunteer, no-kill animal shelter. For information, call (847) 290-5806 or visit www.thebuddyfoundation.org.