Three Things To Do For Your Pets When You Remodel Your Home

If you are about to start a home remodeling project, and you have pets that don't live in a cage, you need to be very careful about how you proceed with the home remodeling, especially if you are having outside contractors do the work. While it's usually best if you can send the pets off to a pet hotel, sometimes the home remodeling takes too long -- you don't want to leave your cat or dog in a kennel for months. Instead of sending the pets away, here are three things you can do for the pets to help them stay calm and safe during the project.

Stay With Them

If you are not doing the remodeling work, stay with the pets. Find a room in the house that's as far from the noise and mess as you can, corral the pets in there, and then just be with them. Bring their favorite toys in, some treats, and their beds if they have them. Even if you have to concentrate on work, for example, you can do it in that room and let them sit next to you. Your presence can be very calming, especially if there are loud noises from the remodeling.

Double-Check About Hazardous Materials

If the remodeling will involve sealants, paints, paint thinners or strippers, or anything else that has fumes, have the remodeling people compress the use of those substances into certain days. On those days, or during those weeks, you can bring the pets to a pet hotel, and then bring the pets home once the fumes have dispersed and that work is done. Fumes from substances like paint thinners are harder for pets than humans to handle, so don't think that, just because you're not bothered by the fumes, your pets won't be.

Check -- and Chip -- Them Out

If your pets are not chipped already, take them to the vet and get them chipped now so that you can find them if they escape and run away. Also have the pet examined to be sure there are no minor health problems happening. A sick pet, even one who is not showing signs of illness, will not be able to handle the confusion and mess of a remodeling project as well as a healthy animal. If your pets are sick, you may want to reschedule the remodeling for a few days to let the pets recover.

Want more ways to keep your pets safe during the home remodeling project? Talk to the contractors doing the work and ask them what they've seen work during other projects. There may be issues you hadn't thought of or other strategies that would help the pets stay calm amid the noise. Contact a company like Alleva Construction for more info.