6 Childproof Pet Products to Help Keep Your Kids Away from the Kibble
Microchipped feeders, unspillable bowls, and a damn fine looking food container that keeps kibble locked up tight.
With the proper training, dogs and cats are great around children. But throw food and water into the mix, and you might have problems. House pets can act differently when tiny hands reach for the kibble (food aggression is real). And then there’s the issue of animal waste and preventing your child from going on an archeological adventure in the litter box.
But thanks to a new array of clever pet products, there’s never been a better time to childproof your dog and cat’s everyday needs. We’re talking pet doors that kids can’t slip through, microchipped food dispensers that only open for your pet, and spill-proof food and water bowls that not even the most agro toddler can crack. Here are six ways to help childproof your pet gear.
Ultaca Door Buddy
The Door Buddy protects by means of elimination. For most cats, its narrow opening is wide enough for them to slither through for access to food, water, and a litter box, but small enough to prevent a crawling child’s entry. Its bonus feature is that it also provides a means of retreat for stress-out pets. When not in use, it unhooks and the door opens as normal.
Sure Petcare SureFeed
The SureFeed is pet feeding for the 21st century. Using an RFID chip on your pet’s collar, its food is accessed via a retracting plastic door. When your animal is full and moves out of range (or is chased off by an approaching child), the door closes, sealing off food from tiny hands. If your pet is already microchipped, the device can be programmed to respond to its frequency, or you can use the enclosed tags.
simplehuman Pet Food Storage Can
The functional, beautiful Pet Food Storage Can is the most attractive option we found that also includes child-safety features. While there has yet to be a large-scale childproof tub released to market (inventors, take note), the sturdy clamp on simplehuman’s bin must be opened upward, making it all but impossible for short tots to open its airtight seal. An included scoop attaches under the lid.
Ray Allen Buddy Bowl
Talk to any good military strategist, and sometimes camouflage is the best means of hiding in plain sight. In this analogy, your child is the enemy, and the Buddy Bowl water bowl is the payload you’re trying to conceal. Using a hollowed donut over an otherwise standard bowl, water isn’t immediately visible, hopefully distracting your child from its contents. Should he or she upend it, that same design prevents water from getting out. Meanwhile, its contents are easily accessed by your pets through its center.
Carlson Walk Through Pet Gate
Standing 30 inches tall and up to 37 inches wide, the Walk Through Pet Gate is an easy means of segregating child from animal. A small 10-by-seven-inch gate allows kitty through, but not your son’s pumpkin head. Separated, they can stare at each other across a steel-barred DMZ, but your pet can eat in peace.
Sure Petcare Microchip Pet Door Connect
Anyone with a doggy door knows that it takes a child approximately .5 seconds for him or her to be through and into the backyard. That’s why we love the upgrade of the Microchip Pet Door Connect, which, similar to the company’s feed dish, opens only in response to a ‘chipped pet approaching before locking down after. Via a mobile app, you can lock the door when you’re away, as well as monitor pet comings and goings.
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