Last modified on June 10th, 2021 at 3:00 pm

6 Harmful Things You Do To Your Pet Without Realizing

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Your pets are precious; they keep us company and can make your home lively and energetic. For most of us, they are like a part of the family. 

siberian husky with a cat

Now, whether you are a cat person, dog person, or have some other pet, you would probably want it to live a long, happy, and healthy life with you. However, sometimes we may unintentionally make some mistakes that could cause our pets a lot of discomfort and harm. 

The most common pets around the world are cats and dogs; therefore, we will focus more on them, and we are going to explore some of the common mistakes made by pet owners that could potentially hard their furry friends. So, keep reading to learn what to avoid when taking care of your pets. 

Choosing The Wrong Collar:

Every responsible pet owner should make them wear a collar, especially when they are stepping outside the house. Collars are necessary for dogs, because of their active and curious nature, however, since most indoor cats aren’t that active, putting a collar on them all the time, might not be as important. However, in case your cat does get out of the house, and it doesn’t have a color, someone might take it to an animal shelter, thinking that it is a stray cat. 

Collars are important, but it is even more important to get the right collar for your pet. You need to get the right size and material; furthermore, you should opt for a harness in case of bigger dogs who like to pull. The collar should only be for identifying your pet because pulling on the collar can be bad for your dog. 

Letting Your Pets Eat Everything:

If you have pets in your home, you need to be very careful, because several human foods can be poisonous for your pets. For Instance, chocolate can be very bad for dogs and cats, and if you leave some around, your pet may eat it; furthermore, everyday food items like onions, raw eggs, and grapes can be toxic for your cat.

Apart from this, humans like to play with fireworks on special festivals like independence day, Diwali, Eid, Christmas etc, but pets are scared of fireworks and families with pets should avoid the use of fireworks.

Therefore, make sure that you don’t leave such harmful food lying around the house; furthermore, get high-quality food specially designed for your pet and give them all the nutrition they need. 

Not Giving Them Enough Attention:

golden retriever sleeping

It would help if you played with your pets, particularly in the case of dogs. Though most cats will sleep for most of the day and aren’t very active at other times either, dogs are the opposite. They need to have their exercise, and they need attention and love from their owners. 

However, some pet owners might be too busy and may not give time to their pets, which can be very devastating for them. If you keep your dog cooped up indoors all day, they can get depressed and sad. Therefore, make time to play with your pet, and if you have a dong, make sure to take it for a walk every day. It would be best if you also took them to the dog park every once in a while, for some extra fun. 

Neglecting Regular Vet Visits And Breed-Specific Health Issues:

If you want your pet to stay healthy and happy for a long time, it is essential to regularly take them to the vet. You should visit them every six months or so, even if your pet appears to be perfectly healthy. 

Several underlying issues may be bothering your pet, and if not checked, they could lead to more significant problems. Furthermore, some breeds of pets have a predisposition to specific health problems. For Instance, pugs and Persian cats may have breathing problems because of their flat faces. Moreover, certain breeds of pets require specific care; otherwise, they may develop health problems.

Not Cleaning The Cat’s Litter Box In Time:

If you have a pet cat that stays indoors, you have to keep a litter box. However, it is very important to clean the litter box in time. Dirty litter boxes are an ideal breeding ground for several dangerous bacterial and disease-causing parasites that can be very detrimental to your cat’s health.

Unclean litter boxes can cause kidney diseases in cats, and they can also lead to several zoonotic diseases like cat scratch disease, toxoplasmosis, salmonella, and fungal infections. Therefore, make sure that you take special care of your kitten and clean the litter box regularly. It would help if you visited https://obeymycat.com/ to learn more about your pet cat’s care. 

In the case of a pet dog, make sure that they have a way to step out of the house when they need to do their business, otherwise holding it in can be dangerous for their health. Most dogs will have schedules as they will go in the morning or take them for a walk in the afternoon, so make sure that you stick to their schedule. 

Yelling At Your Pets, Or Keeping Them In Noisy Environments:

dog resting on a couch

Yelling at your pet is also something that you should avoid because it doesn’t work. It will only scare your pet and freak it out. 

Moreover, it is important to keep your pet in an environment without too much noise pollution. Especially in the case of dogs, noise can be very detrimental. You need to understand that dogs have very sensitive ears, which allow them to listen to a broader range of frequencies; however, they are more susceptible to noise. Even noises that might not be too loud for us can damage your dog’s ears. 

Loud noises like traffic and fireworks can cause severe problems like noise sensitivity and noise phobia for your dog. Therefore, whenever you have to take your dog in a noise environment, put some mutt muffs on their ears. 

Final Thoughts:

Our pets are like a part of the family, and taking care of them can sometimes be challenging. It is quite common for pet owners to make unintentional mistakes that bother their pets; however, I hope this post helped you understand some of these mistakes, and you can now give your pet the care and love that they deserve.