Pet-Friendly Gardens (create a safe space)

Caroline Smith

If you have a garden, it’s likely that your animal friends also like it. But there are a few important tips to remember, to ensure that outdoor space is safe for pets – from dogs and cats, to rabbits or guinea pigs. View the pets tag, for info by species.

Neutering male dogs and cats often results in less chance of escape to roam the streets, looking for mates (and less chance of being involved in road accidents or fights). If you are on a low income, read about free and affordable vet care.

Safe pet-friendly landscaping

• Choose paving over gravel (can trap in claws). Ensure there are shady areas (if paving is too hot for your hands, it’s too how for paws – same for dog walks).
• Avoid artificial grass (this heats quicker than real grass). Organic lawns are safer (even for neighbouring laws, to prevent cancer and other diseases).
• Choose non-toxic wood stain to paint fences and garden furniture. Check and mend fence posts or balconies, which could snag.
• Many people cut small 13cm by 13cm gaps in fences to make ‘hedgehog highways’ so they can travel from garden to garden. If you do this and are concerned about pets escaping, just cover them during the day (when hedgehogs are asleep).

Prevent common garden hazards

• All pets (even cats) can get sunstroke, especially long-haired breeds. Always provide shady areas with ceramic water bowls (wash and clean daily) that are hard to knock over. If used, choose wooden kennels/hutches (not tin, they could overheat).
• Choose pet-safe sunscreens for light-skinned dogs/cats (never use human brands, also wash them off your skin before letting pets kiss you – same with cosmetics, deodorants and even skin creams with cocoa butter).
• Use quality water butts with pet/child locks (open barrels are drowning hazards and stagnant water attracts mosquitoes). Ensure ponds have sloping sides and cover or fence off pools, when not in use. 
• Cats don’t always ‘right themselves’. So if they live above ground floor, keep windows locked (you can buy screens to let cats enjoy fresh air safely (avoid netting, this could trap birds and wildlife).
• After walks in long grass, check ears and paws for embedded grass seeds and ticks (read how to remove ticks from dogs).
• After snowy walks, rinse paws with warm water (to remove rock salt). Also beware of foxtail grass (this can migrate to the brain, and be fatal).

Avoid toxic plants near pets

• Many plants are unsafe near animal friends (even brushing a tail against lilies or sago palm can harm). All bulbs (daffodils, crocuses, tulips, poppies) are toxic to pets (as are rhododendrons – including for rabbits and guinea pigs).
• Avoid plants rich in essential oils (lavender, pine). Cats cannot break these down in their livers (choose unscented cleaning and laundry brands if you live with pets, citrus is especially unsafe).
• Don’t burn citronella near pets. Waspinator is a paper bag that looks like a nest to territorial wasps (install before nests occur, for best results).

Blue Cross has good tips on pet-friendly gardens. Campaigners want warnings on seed packs (and in gardening books) to alert of dangers. Learn about:

1. Toxic plants to dogs
2. Toxic plants to cats
3. Toxic plants to rabbits
4. Toxic plants to guinea pigs
5. Toxic plants/trees to horses
6. Toxic houseplants
7. Toxic Christmas plants (holly, mistletoe, ivy, poinsettias)

Signs of plant toxicity in pets include vomiting, drooling and seizures. If concerned, seek immediate vet help. Animal Poison Helpline runs a 24-hour helpline (for any toxin concern). Vets can also use VPIS Global.

For Dog’s Sake is a lovely illustrated book of tips which includes info on toxic plants and foods to avoid, with a short illustrated first aid guide. It’s plus an illustrated first aid guide. It’s out of print in the UK, but if you order from the author’s US website, you get a free gift with each order, to balance shipping costs.

Avoid unsafe garden mulch

Keep unsafe mulch (and fresh compost as it contains mould) away from pets:

• Cocoa mulch has the same toxin as chocolate
• Pine mulch can puncture
• Rubber mulch can choke
• Straw mulch is only digestible by ruminants (lower in nutrients in hay)

Switch to organic gardening

• Clear your garden of litter, and also clear your shed and garage of toxic chemicals. You can bin empty bottles at kerbside (don’t rinse). Take bottles with product inside to your council’s hazardous waste department (don’t pour down drains). Many councils offer collection, if you don’t have a car.
• Organic gardening will take care of unwelcome visitors naturally. If used, avoid commercial slug/snail deterrents (even ‘pet-safe ones can harm and cause awful deaths for wildlife – choose humane non-toxic slug/snail deterrents instead).
• Keep sharp tools out of reach, and use edging shears over strimmers.
• Ideally have mechanics change oil and antifreeze (which is poisonous to pets and wildlife). If you change it yourself, choose safer (not safe) propylene glycol (think P for protection) as it’s a little less dangerous (some brands add a bittering agent, to stop the sweet liquid being ingested). For spills, absorb with sand or kitty litter, then scoop and bin (don’t mop). 

Collar safety and identification

• It’s UK law for cats over 20 weeks (and dogs over 8 weeks) to be microchipped, so vets can find guardians if lost (offered at reduced rates for low incomes).
• FlexiTags enable you to list information, without hanging tags.
• It’s important not to place collars on puppies or kittens too early, as rapid growth could cause choking (advice is usually around 8 to 10 weeks for puppies, and 6 months for kittens). Blue Cross has tips on choosing a quick-release cat collar.
• Dog collar strangulation is a common issue, when they get tangled during play. Quality quick-release dog collars remain secure on walks (the lead is locked through D-rings), but breaks off in emergencies.

How to keep cats away from birds

• Keep cats indoors at dawn and dusk (when birds are likely feeding) and avoid wooden bird feeders (cats can claw up them).
• Get involved in community efforts to provide natural habitats for birds like hedgerows (berries!) and tree-planting, to provide natural roosts away from cats.
• Know where not to place bird feeders. If you feed garden birds, place them within 1.5 feet (or at least 10 feet away – some say up to 30ft, others say no more than this). The reason is to avoid birds building up speed, when most crashes are fatal. Also avoid landscaping walkways that could funnel birds towards glass planes, nor plant fruit trees or berry bushes within 30 feet of glass windows or greenhouses.
• Feather Friendly screens are effective.
• Also place them at least 5 to 6 feet above ground (away from cats) and sheltered from strong wind and sun, with a 360-degree view to spot predators.

Pick up the poop!

• Animal poop can harm if left on the lawn, even when it dries. It contains a toxin that can cause blindness to pets, children and wildlife. So don’t wait for a ‘big poo pick-up’ once a week, take care of it immediately, and bin in biodegradable poop bags.
• Flushing pet pee immediately with water, should stop brown patches. Be watchful on areas of lawn near female dogs, as they tend to pee in the same place!

Keep pets away from adders

Adders (England’s only venomous snake) can bite dogs, if disturbed.

• Dog-Friendly Cornwall has tips on when to avoid walking (‘safe hours’ were previously before 9am and after 7pm). But climate change has adapted temperatures, so this does not always follow.
• If you think an adder has bitten your dog, call a vet immediately (read more on how to avoid & treat adder bites).