Electrical safety for pet owners - everything you need to know to keep your beloved pet safe!🐶
This handsome chap is an inquisitive, lovely little creature and the last thing we want as pet owners is for any harm to come to our little loved ones. This is especially relevant of younger pets that are effectively small four-legged children. ☹ You see, dogs and cats are curious animals and will investigate everything in the home especially when they are younger and more mischievous. It is for this reason that we must take extra care with our homes electrical system to ensure that everything is as safe as it can be for them to ensure they come to no harm.
What can we do to make our homes safer for our pets?🐈
Ensure that all electrical accessories are fixed securely
We need to make sure that all sockets and switches are secured correctly to the wall or other surface to which they are attached. When electrical sockets and switches become loose, they are likely to easily become detached completely leaving dangling wires and live parts accessible to all including our little friends. If your electrical accessories are dangling, loose or otherwise not attached then please do not attempt to reattach them without taking necessary safety precautions such as turning off all the electricity in your home. If your electrical accessories are missing screws then do not use any screw you find, only a machine screw meant for electrical items is suitable, other screws could damage the electrical accessory and cabling installed behind them. If you have any doubts contact an electrician to carry out the repairs for you.
Remove any dangling wires or flexes
A dangling cable or flex can make a great chew toy or climbing frame for a young animal. Best make sure that these are secured before bringing your new pet home then. 😊 Electrical wires have minimal protection against electric shock to persons and animals and the reliance is on the correct installation and protection at the mains fuse box / consumer unit. Which brings me on to my next point.
Have your consumer unit / fuse box checked by an electrician
That’s right, that thing under the stairs or in the cupboard caked in dust and never touched needs to be checked occasionally by an electrician. A thorough electrical inspection should be carried out every ten years and this box updated when it becomes inefficient, unsafe, or old. Many homes still do not have adequate electric shock protection in place and it is only when there is an electrical fault that this is found out. When a cable is chewed and there is no electric shock protection in place, the consequences can be devastating. If your consumer unit / fuse box is old then please have someone qualified and insured to come and carry out the necessary checks for you to make sure that your home electrical system is safe.
Replace any damaged sockets or switches
Any cracked, discoloured, or broken switches and sockets should be swapped for new ones to prevent little fingers or paws getting in there. Discolouration on sockets and switches can indicate electrical problems behind such as overheating or burning.
Make sure that your appliances are out of reach
Small electrical appliances such as kettles, toasters and other items may be a danger to your pets if they are within reach so make sure that these items are stored right at the back of your kitchen worktop or at the back of other surfaces so as to be out of reach to your pets. I accept with cats, nothing is out of reach, so good luck! Maybe, I don’t know, glue things down? 😊
Contain pets to one safe room when you are not about
This should likely be an obvious one fairly quickly once you have a new pet but just in case…It’s a good idea to have a safe space for your pets if you are not going to be around for a while where they will struggle to come to any harm. Letting pets roam around the whole house can be fun for them and terribly upsetting when your home has been ransacked because you went to the supermarket.
Keep an eye out for little accidents
Water (and other liquids) do not mix well with electrical systems so try and keep an eye on where your pet is having their accidents and discourage them from going in the area of electrical equipment. Puppy training mats and litter trays can help pets discover where to go best and keeps the electrical system separated from them.
If you are having issues then contact your local electrician for advice on whether electrics can be made safe or removed from areas where they are not needed or at risk.
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📞 0151 351 4011 (Liverpool)
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