Pets can be a wonderful addition to any home and ultimately become part of the family. With this said, homeowners that have pets should also be aware of several items as it pertains to the home’s plumbing. Below, we will discuss a few items that every homeowner should be aware of in order to prevent any plumbing issues in the home due to having pets.
Things to consider
- Keep pet hair away from the drains: As expected, your pet will require a bath from time to time in order to keep them clean. With this said, it is a good idea to do this outdoors as opposed to in the bathroom shower or tub. The main reason for this is due to the amount of hair shedding that typically occurs with pets. This hair combined with any dirt or mud that your pet may have is known to clog drain lines.
- Never flush cat litter down the drain: Although some cat litter brands claim to be safe to flush down the toilet, it is a best practice not to do so. Oftentimes, cat litter that is flushed down the drain can harden and cause severe blockages in the drain.
- Cover exposed pipes: Dogs in particular, like to chew on things even out of curiosity at times. With this said, an exposed pipe can be quite inviting, particularly to an overly curious puppy. Of course, many pets may also dig throughout the yard thus exposing any plumbing pipes. If you are unsure of the location of your draining pipes, you can have a plumber mark the areas where there are buried pipes. This way you can perhaps plan some strategically placed landscaping or at least keep an eye out for these areas.
- Provide plenty of water for your pets: This may seem obvious, however it is critical that your pets have ample drinking water available to them. In the event that they do not have enough water, it is quite common for pets to drink water out of the toilet bowl. Not only is this concerning from a bacteria perspective, but the products used to clean the toilet can also be toxic for your pet.
