Holiday Foods

Certain foods can cause life-threatening illnesses in dogs, such as chocolate and raisins, so keep candy and baked goods with these ingredients out of your pet’s reach. If you’re hosting a holiday dinner, keep in mind that onion and garlic can also make pets severely ill. Other hazardous foods and beverages include chicken or turkey bones, macadamia nuts, coffee, and yeast dough.

Christmas Trees

Christmas trees add a festive look to your apartment, but your pets might see them as sources of water or entertainment. If you have a live tree, make sure your pets can’t drink the water in the base. Your tree should also be firmly anchored so that it won’t tip over if a curious cat decides to explore the branches.

Holiday Plants

Holly and ivy, poinsettias and other holiday plants can be toxic to pets or at least cause mild health problems. If you have these kinds of plants in your home for the holidays, make sure your pets can’t chew on them or eat them. Consider using artificial versions of these plants to lower the risk of toxicity.

Holiday Decorations

Dogs and cats can chew on or play with cords for holiday lights, which can cause electric shock or a fire hazard. Keep cords out of their reach to prevent this from happening. Breakable ornaments should go up high on trees out of your pets’ reach. You should also avoid hanging tinsel up altogether. Pets might ingest tinsel, which can cause obstructions in their intestines. If you use candles for decoration, never leave them where pets can get to them.

When you’re not busy with holiday preparations and festivities, spend time with your dog at our community’s fenced-in bark park, which includes agility equipment and a wash station. Please contact us for more details on the pet policy for our apartments in Raleigh, NC.

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Hang Tree Ornaments Out of Reach

Christmas tree ornaments are tempting for both dogs and cats. In addition to not wanting to get your ornaments broken, you don't want your pet to get hurt on the hooks or broken glass.

Make sure you hang any ornaments out of their reach. You can do this by moving them to higher branches or by using a stand that elevates your Christmas tree. If you need to fill empty space at the bottom of your tree, use extra lights or garland that's wrapped too tightly to get knocked off.

Skip the Candles

Between jumping cats and dogs banging into furniture as they run around from excitement, candles are too much of a fire hazard to safely use during the holidays. If you like the look, use an electronic candle or fairy lights in a jar to get the same effect.

Protecting Your Christmas Tree

When you put up your Christmas tree, your dog may confuse it with the trees outside, and your cat may see it as a new place to climb. When you first put it up, you'll need to closely supervise them and teach them to stay away.

Since they don't listen to you all of the time and will probably still play around it, use a sturdy, weighted base to make sure that they can't knock it over.

Section Off a Room

If you've gone all out for Christmas and don't want to risk your pets doing anything at all, you may want to make a room off-limits for the season. Use baby gates or other barriers just like you would at any other time of the year.

Give Them a Distraction

Your pets will be feeding off all of the excitement and want to participate as well. Give them a new toy or something to climb in to redirect their attention in a positive way.

To learn more about the pet policies in our Raleigh, NC, apartments, schedule your tour now.

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Looking for ways to curb this accumulation of fluff? Here are some tips for reducing pet hair buildup in your home:

Brush Your Pet Frequently

At various times of the year, you may notice that your dog or cat sheds excessively. This is because they’re growing new coats and shedding the old.

To avoid all of that old hair settling into your carpet, make it a habit to brush your pet frequently. If you can do so, pet them outdoors. Unique pet hairbrushes can be purchased at any pet supply store.

Don’t Allow Your Pets On The Furniture

Although you may very well enjoy snuggling with your puppy in your bed or curling up with your kitten on the couch, the best way to avoid pet hair buildup on your furniture is to not allow your pets access. 

Vacuum Often

Whether you see it or not, there is probably pet hair all over your carpeting, rugs and other flooring surfaces. To get rid of this and keep the buildup at bay, make sure you vacuum often — more than you would if you didn't have a pet at home.

Keep Lint Rollers Everywhere

Lastly, always have lint rollers on hand to de-hair yourself and other surfaces. It is, of course, a good idea to keep one (or two) by your door so that you can quickly remove excess pet hair from yourself before you go to work or out and about. 

But you should also keep at least one lint roller in your bathroom, one in your living room, one in your car, one in your purse or book bag, and anywhere else you think you'll need one.

Whether you have cats or dogs, pets are allowed at our Raleigh apartments for the applicable fees. To learn more about our apartments and to see what floor plans we currently have available, please feel free to give our office a call at your earliest convenience.

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With the holidays quickly approaching, if you have pets, then you are likely trying to figure out the best way to travel with them. If you are taking your pets with you instead of boarding them, you need to have a plan in place so that you are ready for anything that happens. Use these tips before you get on the road or on a plane this holiday season to make your travel smooth. 

If You Are Driving

If you are driving with your pets, make sure they are all properly restrained. If you have cats, that means having them in a cage in your vehicle and securing it. If you have dogs, that means keeping them in a crate or getting them a seatbelt harness so they are not climbing everywhere and risking any injury to themselves or to you. You should also make sure that you make a lot of stops if you have a dog so they can relieve themselves. For cats, you will want to stop when you can get them somewhere safe to use their litterbox. You also want to make sure you have food and water for your pets, especially if the drive is a long one. 

If You Are Flying

Before you go anywhere for a flight, you want to check with the airline to be sure you have everything you need according to their regulations. They will likely require you to do specific things based on the breed and the size of your pet. You also want to let them know ahead of time that you plan on bringing your pets on the flight. This will ensure that there are no hiccups in the process. 

If you do plan on traveling with your pets this holiday, you want to make sure they are safe and secure the entire time. You do not want this to stress them out, or you, in the process. If you are looking for a new place to call home for you and your pet, be sure to check out our Raleigh, NC apartments and see what we have available as well as take a tour of the property and apartments. 

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Baby Crib Doggy Bed

Large doggy beds can be very expensive. So why not upcycle an old baby crib mattress instead. Cheap used ones are easy to find on Facebook's Marketplace or on craigslist. And while used mattresses may be inexpensive, they're often made with high-quality products, such as memory foam, that could be just what an older dog with arthritis or other health issues might need.

To protect your mattress from dog stains, you should cover it with a waterproof mattress protector and a fitted sheet that you can take off and wash on a regular basis. If you're a good seamstress, you may even want to sew your own cover. 

The Sweatshirt Doggy (or Cat) Bed

Because your scent gets infused into your old clothing, your small pets will love this bed, which will remind them of you. It's simple and very easy to make. All you'll need to make this craft are a sweatshirt, thread, a needle and some type of stuffing. 

• Turn the sweatshirt inside out and sew the neck opening closed. Then turn the sweatshirt right side out. 
• Fill the body of the sweatshirt and the arms with pillow stuffing or foam, or you could even use fabric scraps.
• Sew the bottom of the sweatshirt closed.
• Next, bring the arms of the sweatshirt together so that they meet at the cuffs. Insert one cuff about an inch into the other cuff and sew together. The arms will form the raised part of your donut-shaped bed.
• Finally, sew the arms to the side of the sweatshirt to keep them in place. 

Do you have several dogs and are in search of a new apartment? Then please come and check out our newly renovated apartments in Raleigh. We allow up to three canines (breed restrictions do apply), and our community includes a fenced-in dog park that even includes agility equipment and a washing station. 

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