Whether you have a dog, cat, rabbit, or other pet, it can enjoy your patio just as much as you do, if not more so. For you, the patio is another room, an escape. For your pet, it’s an outdoor world where they can get their fix of sunshine and fresh air. They can put their noses to the wind and see what the neighborhood is up to.
But that patio is also fraught with danger. There are many ways that your beloved pets can come to harm in your yard, and as a responsible pet owner, it’s your duty to protect them and ensure it remains a comfortable and safe place.
The following tips will help you to create that safe space and ensure your furry friends are protected.
1. Give Them Some Shade
Pets can overheat just like humans, and as they’re covered in fur and incapable of telling you that something’s wrong, they’re often more exposed. If the sun is beating down on them all day, and they can’t escape into the shade, there’s a risk of overheating and that can make them very sick.
Countless dogs die after being locked in car doors. Their careless owners shut them inside while they go to the supermarket and as they’re basically inside a greenhouse with heat-trapping upholstery, it doesn’t take long before they overheat, and their organs shut down. Something similar can happen on your patio, and so you’ll need to give them some shade.
An awning is perfect for this. It’s a surprisingly cheap and incredibly useful cover that attaches to your house and unfurls as and when you need it. You can control the awning with the click of a button, leaving it closed in the morning to give your feline/canine the direct sunshine it loves so much and then opening it when it gets too hot.
Of course, if it’s the height of summer and the heat is unbearable, the awning should be open every time your pet is outside.
If an awning is out of your budget/range or just isn’t suited to your patio or personal style, there are other ways that you can place your patio in the shade:
- Install a Canopy: You can get some pop-up canopies that will cover your patio throughout the season without hurting your bank balance.
- Invest in a Patio Umbrella: A patio umbrella is exactly what it sounds like, an umbrella that puts your patio in the shade!
- Add a Gazebo: Placing a small gazebo in the seating area will shade the most important part of your patio, giving your pets an option when they need to duck out of the sunshine.
- Plant Some Trees: It won’t do you much good in the short term, but it’s a great option for the future.
- Add a Balcony: Enjoy the sunshine on the second floor while everyone on the ground floor stays in the shade! It’s not the cheapest option, but it provides you with some additional benefits.
2. Keep Them Hydrated
Your pets should always have easy access to fresh water.
Install fountains, take their water bowls outside, or simply make sure the back door is open and they can go inside and drink whenever they want.
When your pet is spending more time outdoors, you should check and refresh their water more frequently.
3. Remove All Toxic Plants
Most cat owners know that lilies are dangerous. These popular and pretty flowers are one of the most toxic things that your feline friend can encounter. The pollen, petals, leaves—every part of the plant is toxic to cats. They don’t even have to eat them. If they brush past the flowers, get pollen on their fur, and then clean themselves, they may ingest enough of the poison to cause fatal damage. The same is true if they drink the water in the vase.
After consuming lilies, a cat will become very sick and may suffer from kidney failure. It’s not a great prognosis, and it’s why you need to keep these flowers as far from your cats as possible.
But lilies aren’t the only issue. There are several plants that could hurt your cats and dogs when they are ingested. Some will just leave them with gastrointestinal discomfort, making them a little sick for a few hours or days. Others will cause serious physical and psychological side effects, ranging from depression and sickness to organ failure and more.
If you have any of these plants in your garden, remove them. It doesn’t matter how pretty they look and how much they cost you—it’s not worth the health and wellbeing of your pet!
- Tulips: The bulbs of tulips contain a toxin that can trigger a host of side effects, including heart problems and digestive issues.
- Oleander: A very problematic plant—every part of Oleander is toxic.
- Rhododendrons: May cause vomiting and other gastrointestinal issues in small doses and can trigger much more serious issues in some cases.
- Sago Palm: Although all parts of this plant are toxic, most of the toxins are in the nut.
- Amaryllis: These plants are very common and can be seen in gardens across the United States. However, they are not great for households with pets as they contain toxins that cause an array of adverse reactions.
- Chrysanthemum: Can lead to gastrointestinal problems.
- California Ivy: May cause vomiting if consumed by pets.
This is just scratching the surface—there are more plants that can cause problems for your pets.
You could be forgiven for thinking that dogs and cats have enough self-preservation to avoid plants that cause them harm. But if you have been a pet owner for more than a few years, you’ll know that’s simply not the case.
While some pets will only eat actual food, others will eat pretty much anything they can get their paws and jaws around—fluff, dirt, poo, and even toxic plants!
Before you buy a plant, check the name, and perform a quick Google search using the words, “Is [Plant Name] toxic to dogs/cats?”.
4. Build A Suitable Barrier
You should never leave your pets unsupervised outside. It doesn’t matter how safe you think the space is, there is always something that can go wrong and harm your beloved pet.
A small dog can trip and fall. A cat can get a little too curious with local wildlife or go somewhere they’re not supposed to go. As for rabbits, kittens, and puppies, there is a chance they will fall victim to animal attacks, ranging from big birds to neighborhood cats and stray dogs.
Even though you’ll be always watching them, you still need to think about installing a suitable barrier.
When we say “suitable”, we mean something that your cat can’t clear in a single leap, only to realize their mistake as they clear the top and fall to their death. Railings are a great example of what not to use. Railings have gaps in between that small dogs and cats can squeeze through and they’re not very wide at the top, so cats may slip and fall.
Plexiglass is a good option as your animals can see the dangers on the other size and they won’t be able to squeeze through. Wire mesh is a terrible idea, as pets can become trapped in the mesh, turning it from a safety wall into a suffocation and strangulation risk.
5. Make it Comfortable
Although cats and dogs aren’t very picky when it comes to sitting down and even lying down—opting for cold floors, fence posts, and other seemingly uncomfortable positions—they prefer soft and plush spaces. They want somewhere they can curl up, stretch, roll, and generally do what dogs and cats do.
Place some extra padded surfaces on your outdoor dining chairs and benches or lay some thick blankets on the table. They generally like to sleep in places that are soft and have borders (enveloping them like a warm hug).
If you want to keep them away from your dining chairs and table, buy a dog/cat bed and place it on the floor or under the table.
Summary: A Pet Friendly Patio and Yard
As you can see, there are several important steps to take before creating a pet-friendly patio and yard. It can seem like a chore, but it’s an important one, as that outdoor space will give your pet a place to relax, unwind, and socialize.
Cats can benefit from an outdoor space like this. Most experts recommend that you keep cats indoors. Not only do they like to have their own territory to explore and control, but letting them run free greatly reduces their lifespan, placing them at risk of being run over, attacked by wild animals, or murdered by horrible humans.
By keeping them indoors, you’ll protect against all these risks and will also do the local birdlife and rodent population a favor. And if you give them a patio that they can explore, you won’t even be depriving them of fresh air and sunshine!
Just remember to supervise them when they are outdoors, remove all toxic plants, and protect against falls and other dangerous outcomes.