How to Pet-Proof Your Home Before Holiday Guests Arrive

Pet-proof your home before holiday guests arrive by securing risky foods, plants, decorations, trash and medications, and giving pets a quiet closed room off-limits to guests. Tell visitors not to feed pets and to keep luggage, purses and coats out of reach. More people, food and clutter raise the risk of poisoning, choking, burns and escapes.

A short walk-through before arrivals lets you remove the highest risks first and keep daily feeding and exercise steady.

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Lock down holiday foods guests will share

Chocolate, grapes and raisins, onions and garlic, alcohol, fatty scraps, poultry bones and yeast dough belong in closed cabinets or the refrigerator. According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, these foods can cause vomiting, pancreatitis, blockage or poisoning in dogs and cats, as explained in the FDA holiday hazard guidance for dogs and cats. Check labels on sugar-free gum, mints, candy, baked goods and some peanut butters for xylitol, also called birch sugar.

According to the FDA, xylitol can trigger a rapid blood-sugar crash, seizures, liver failure and death in dogs and needs immediate vet care, as warned in the FDA paws-off-xylitol warning for dogs. Ask every guest not to feed pets from plates or party trays. Move serving bowls back from table edges, clear plates quickly, and keep purses with candy or gum on a high shelf.

Which holiday plants should go first?

Keep lilies out of cat homes entirely. Any part of the plant, including vase water, can cause acute kidney failure in cats. Keep holly, mistletoe and amaryllis away from dogs and cats.

They can cause vomiting and diarrhea, and mistletoe can affect the heart. If you use these plants for decor, place them in a room pets cannot enter, or choose artificial versions. Poinsettias are generally only mildly irritating by comparison.

When time is short, remove lilies and the higher-risk plants first, then check remaining arrangements for fallen leaves and accessible water.

How do you make the tree and decor safer?

Anchor the Christmas tree so a climbing cat or bumping dog cannot tip it. According to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, pet-level branches do better with shatterproof ornaments and cloth ties, plus covered tree-stand water and hidden cords, as detailed in Cornell's holiday hazards guide for dogs. Tree water can harbor bacteria and fertilizer.

Cover the stand, and refill with plain water only. Keep tinsel, ribbon, string, lights, candles and exposed cords out of reach. Tinsel and ribbon can cause choking or intestinal blockage, while hot candles and chewed cords can cause burns or electrocution.

Where will pets rest when guests arrive?

Give pets a quiet closed room with a bed, water and familiar toys. Mark it off-limits to guests so pets have a calm place during meals, parties and overnight stays. According to the AVMA, noise and visitors raise escape, bite and anxiety risk, so supervision and door awareness matter during arrivals and departures, as noted in the AVMA holiday pet safety tips.

Supervise introductions between pets and visitors, especially children. Watch doors, gates and garages during coat checks, greetings and goodbyes.

What do guests leave low that pets find first?

Secure trash cans with lids or place them behind closed doors. Throw away turkey strings, skewers, bones, foil and food wrappers right away, since string and bones can cause choking or blockage. Move guest luggage, coats, purses and shoes to a closed bedroom or high rack.

Guests often set down medications, mints, gum and small personal items where pets can reach them. Save ASPCA Poison Control at 888-426-4435 and your vet number on your phone before guests arrive.

• Store guest medications, candy and toiletries in a zipped bag on a high shelf
• Place trash, recycling and compost behind a latched door
• Check floors after meals for dropped food, toothpicks and wrappers
• Keep routine meals, walks and bedtime steady through the visit