#pet safety

[jvlianbashir]

loving reminder as valentine's day approaches to be careful of the type of flowers you give if your loved one has cats in the house. many common flowers are extremely toxic to cats. lilies, for example, can cause rapid kidney failure and death very quickly even with only a small amount of ingestion/exposure. the aspca has a resource to help you make sure your bouquets are kitty (and doggy and horsey) safe

[justplainwhump]

Re-Ac

The aftermath of Bea's capture.

[Pet Safety Masterlist]

Content / warning: BBU setting, double agent caretaker, (short) recapture, very vaguely implied noncon, nightmares, guilt issues, hint at body dysphoria.

"Why did you tell her to do that?" Adrian pulled down the scarf covering his face and swiveled to face Marta. "Why? They'll hurt her. They'll - shit, Marta, you know what they'll do. Do you really think they'll give her back? They're fucking Re-ac, if the bounty on a runaway isn't high enough they'll just -"

"It's on you," Marta cut him off icily. "Why did you do that? Why did you even talk to the kid? Why did you need to go and care for him for fuck's sake? What if someone saw you? What if Bea hadn't been there?" She raised a finger to his chest and pushed him back. "You risked everything we have. You jeopardized your cover, our connection, our entire fucking operation."

"That's not -"

"I like Bea, Adrian. I do. I don't want to lose her. But if it's her or you, if it's one escaped pet or an asset deep in WRU management, making that call is ridiculously easy. And it's a call you should've made in the first place. Not between her and you, but that pet and you."

Adrian shook his head. "What the fuck? What kind of a person are you, Marta? You're in this to save pets. Bea is-"

"A hero. She is. And I will pray for her safe return. But she did the sane thing, Adri. She saved you. Your cover. You're not just one random pet lib guy any longer. Not just my baby brother. You're more. You're hope for dozens, you're hope to topple this fucking system. You're a spy, Adri." She pulled his phone from his back pocket and shoved it against his chest. "Fucking act like one. Call it in."

"What?"

"Your pet ran away, remember? You gotta be looking for her. Be convincing, and she might stand a chance."

---

When he finally fell asleep that night, Adrian dreamt of Eric. 

He tried to reach him, tell him he was sorry, tell him he missed him, but his voice was gone. Eric cocked his head, in the way all WRU pets did, polite and inviting, and not understanding anything at all.

When Adrian tried to reach out, his hand ran through thin air, Eric dissolving right under his grasp. "You're late," Eric's voice lingered, softly shifting into another. "You're late, Adrian Delgado."

He woke up covered in sweat, entangled in Bea's bedsheets.

It was 4:30.

He got up anyway, splashed cold water on his face and took the bike to work through the still hot night air. 

There was no report of her at the office.

Not when he arrived, not when he refreshed his mail, not after the next ten refreshes, not five minutes later.

He started to work eventually, a restless tremble to his hands. Sorting through reports, pictures, descriptions. 

He skipped lunch. It didn't stop his boss from standing in his door without knocking. "Hear you're having trouble with your bonus pet?"

"She ran." Adrian covered his face with a hand. "'Having trouble' is one way to put it. She's been perfect before."

"I offered you an upper on her conditioning."

"You offered me an upper on her bedroom specifics, Kelly." He sighed. "I can assure you, that wasn't the issue."

"Huh. Well. You look like shit."

"Well, I spent half the night looking for her. It's not like she was cheap."

She looked him down with a frown, before she pursed her lips and nodded. "Yeah. I'll place a call to Re-Ac. See if they can priorize the search."

Search. He had to keep himself from laughing out at the term. He'd seen the re-ac van speed off, with Bea in it. There was no search going on anywhere. The only thing going on was - no. No. He wouldn't let his mind wander down that path. 

Instead, he forced a pained smile on his lips and nodded to her.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

---

The call came in the late evening. Adrian hadn't left the office building, kept himself busy with all sorts of case documentation and paperwork, until the letters and words on the screen had started dancing in front of his eyes. 

"PSI Delgado? You're lucky. Your pet was picked up by a re-ac team." The voice was cheerful.

Adrian didn't think there was any reason to be. Should he feel relieved? Probably. Re-Ac's reputation wasn't for nothing. They were brutal. Not every pet they picked up made it into their records. And not every pet that made it into the records came back the same. 

Twenty-six hours since he'd seen the van speed off. A lot could happen in twenty-six hours.

"PSI Delgado? Are you still there?"

"Yes," he hurried to say. "Yes, I'm here. Where… where is she? Where can I get her?"

—

He couldn't even remember the drive to the WRU facility some miles into the outskirts of town, far from the pretty, polished office building where he and most of administration were based. The facility was plain, hostile and maze-like, with low ceilings and white tiles. And even in the night heat still radiating from the desert around them, it was freezing inside. 

Bea wasn't wearing anything more than a plain white tee and black shorts anyway. There was a white bandage fixed over her eye, instead of the black eyepatch she'd had before. She was kneeling on the white tiles of a training room, hands open on her knees, back straight, gaze forward. Perfect position two, if not for the tiny shiver of her shoulders in the cold. Then again, it wasn't like WRU didn't want them to shiver.

Adrian caught himself, before he could rest his hands on the control room's mirrored glass in front of him. She couldn't even see him. 

"What did you do to her?"

The handler sprawled on the desk in the room pushed a button, and the glass turned opaque. "I gotta ask you some questions, before I can let her go. Make sure her attitude doesn't become a liability for the company."

Liability. Marta's voice echoed in his head. You can't let her become a liability, Adri.

He felt his fingernails dig into his palms in his pockets, and carefully unclenched his fists. Fuck. If anyone here was becoming a liability, he wagered, it was himself.

He decided to ignore the handler's words, just as the other man had Adrian's question. Still, he turned around to face him. 

"Where are her clothes?" Adrian's voice came out pressed. He didn't care.

"Burned." The handler shrugged. "She was picked up in man's clothes, must've gotten them on the streets somewhere."

"She didn't," Adrian replied flatly.

"She didn't?" The handler paused and flipped the tablet in his hands for Adrian to see. A photo. Bea, in front of a white wall, a huge bruise on the side of her face, her eyepatch loose, yet her gaze boring straight into the camera. 

Proud, Adrian thought, biting back sudden bile rising in his throat. Bea looked proud. 

"That?" The handler asked, gesturing at the photo her baggy work pants, the oversized band shirt. The clothes barely covered the fresh bruises blooming on her skin. 

Adrian shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling his fingers curl into fists again.

The handler tossed a plastic bag on the table, a ripped black piece of garment in it. 

"She was wearing a fucking binder underneath." He huffed. "You want to tell me that's the clothes you yourself put your Romantic in? Wow, Delgado, you've really got some issues, don't you?"

"Careful," Adrian said sharply. "Don't forget that I outrank you, handler. What I do with my Romantic is none of your business."

"Unless your property runs away and behaves like a little bitch." He smirked. "Then it is my business, and I must say, PSI Delgado, your little whore has no respect in her at all. How long has she been gone? She must've been in bad company."

"She's been gone for less than a day, actually." Adrian lifted his chin. There was no choice but to counter the implications head-on. "Her attitude is not on me though. It's all in her files. She's had trouble adjusting. Refurb messed with her conditioning."

"Interesting, though," the handler murmured, looking up at Adrian with a condescending smirk. "Given that you certainly both have the training and the tools at hand to work with pets that have an attitude."

"I'll work with her." Adrian's jaw clenched. "Now. I don't have all day. Can I take her?"

"I recommend handing her in for retraining." The man folded his arms and leaned back. "Next time we pick her up on the streets, we'll have to book her for obedience training anyway, you know that. Company policy."

"She won't run again."

"Not anytime soon, indeed," the handler confirmed smugly. "Her ankle is broken."

"You broke her ankle?" Adrian's gaze flew back to the opaque window.

"Not personally."

"Fuck you."

"Careful yourself, Delgado. You seem to forget what she is." He paused, eyes squinted. "Or do you forget, what you are?"

Adrian's teeth clenched. Internally, he started counting his breaths. "Sorry," he said at four, giving a disgruntled smile. "It's been a stressful time. It's different, being an owner instead of a handler. I hadn't expected her to run."

"Huh."

"Thank you." The words tasted like ash in his mouth. "For getting her back."

"For disciplining her?"

Adrian knew the tone. The question. The intent behind it. The man was a handler. Getting people to thank him for horrendous things was his profession. 

Adrian was losing this battle, big time. He had to let it happen. There was more at stake than his integrity.

"Yeah." Adrian's hands curled into fists, fingernails digging deep into his palms. "Thank you for that, too, Handler." He smiled, sharp as a knife's edge. "But I dare you to speak to me like to a trainee again. Keep that for your actual job. After all, might always be your name is drawn for a safety inspection. And PS is thorough."

"Yeah." He mirrored Adrian's tone, cold and cautious. "Of course."

"Now. Do I get my property back?"

"Of course, PSI Delgado." The handler got up and gestured towards the door. "Be my guest."

Adrian kept his steps measured as he walked out toward the training cell, knowing the handler was right behind him. 

He lifted his keycard to the reader, waiting for the little beep to acknowledge it worked. It should. PS was supposed to have access to all low and medium security areas in any facility. 

The door slid open with a hydraulic hiss. Bea pressed her forehead against the floor. Respect position. "Master," she whispered. Her voice was hoarse. Why, he wondered, and then banned the thought. They'd deal with everything, once they were back home. 

From up close, he could see the fresh bruises taking shape on her tanned skin. There was an elastic bandage around her ankle. It looked professionally taken care of, at least.

He didn't think he could handle talking to her. He addressed the other man, instead. "What do you think I'm going to do with a lame pet, Handler? Get her a crutch or two. I'm certainly not going to carry her."

He wanted to. Close his arms around her, lift her up, kiss her, carry her out of this place, to safety, to the end of the world.

But he wouldn't.

She'd just risked her life - her entire existence - to keep his cover. He'd had the much easier part in this. And yet he'd jeopardized it a dozen times in this conversation alone. 

He'd treat her like trash. He owed it to her. What a cruel fucking mess.

"Forgive me, Master."

"Shut up," he said roughly. "We'll deal with your misbehavior at home. Make sure this never happens again. And get up."

A crutch was tossed to the ground next to her, and with its help, Bea struggled to get to her feet. Her usual elegance was tainted with pain and exhaustion.

The handler clicked his tongue in disapproval, thumb hovering over the little controller in his hand.

"Give me that," Adrian said. "I'll take it."

"I thought PS said, shock collars on pets are illegal outside of WRU facilities."

"We do make exceptions." Adrian turned to him and reached out. The handler dropped the controller into his palm, and Adrian smiled. "In important cases."

By his side, he heard the crutch clatter to the ground, a muffled yelp from Bea. "Sir." She was on the ground again in respect position, shivering violently. Adrian stared at the controller. Had he accidentally-? No, it couldn't-

"Well, well." A deep voice mused behind him, cowboy boots clicking on the tiles. "I guess I wasn't important enough for Inspector Delgado then."

"Mr Donnell," the handler said, his face suddenly pale. "I'm sorry, haven't you been notified? That alarm we've send you must've been based on deprecated data. It wasn't one of your current ones. We-"

"It's alright," Jack Donnell said with a wide smile that didn't even try to reach his eyes. "I believe fate has brought me to the right place anyway."

----

-

pet safety tag list (ask to be added or removed!): @gottawhump @flowersarefreetherapy @whumplr-reader @highwaywhump @tauntedoctopuses

@pigeonwhumps @whumppsychology @labgrowndemon @whumpinggrounds @somewhumpyguy

@whumpzone @tragedyinblue @theelvishcowgirl @light-me-on-pyre @whumps-and-bumps

[lifewithchronicpain]

An advisory sent out about my shelter regarding the season’s first heatwave.

It’s also important to remember that cars get even hotter than asphalt and there is no excuse to leave your dog in the car.

[myfandomrealitea]

Re: pet evacuation

I don't know how you'd do it with other creatures since I've never had any, but I've always trained my dogs to come find me immediately when they hear the fire alarm. Not too hard with food motivated creatures; give them a tasty treat whenever they hear a fire alarm and they'll learn to search you out real damn fast when they hear it. You start out more often so they learn what to do and what everything means, but now I just reinforce it every once in a while.

Sending this ask bc so many people are so daunted by how to approach this type of training that they just never do it; maybe it'll help take away some of the "holy shit how the fuck do I even do that" panic

Pretty much any animal can be trained via food. Animals are extremely motived by food due to the instinctual drive to eat to survive and eat what they can, when they can.

Training an animal just takes time, effort and consistency. In the future I'll probably compile a list of resources for people who are interested in training their animals with emergency protocols and desensitization.

Training your dog to come to you or go to the front door in emergencies is a good place to start

[geezerwench]

July 4th pet safety

[trexalicious]

Very very important question about lilies and cats. Lilies were recently introduced to my home for an unrelated reason (not the holiday), but I was only ever taught the petals were dangerous and so the bouquet was out of reach of the housecat so it wouldn't eat any- I'm scared about the pollen now. Its been present for long enough that almost all the lilies have wilted, and the cat has not been around the area of it too much or showed any behavior or health changes, I'm working on figuring out a way to safely rid the house of the danger What should I do?

The pollen, flower and leaves are all toxic to cats. I'm so thankful yours hasn't shown much interest in them! It sounds like the bouquet was in one area, so you should be able to simply clean the bouquet up, discard it into the compost or trash and then wipe down/off all the fallen pollen with your regular household cleaner. For me the easiest way to get rid of a bouquet is to put a garbage bag over the entire bouquet and then remove the flowers. If your cat starts showing any signs of gastrointestinal distress please seek veterinary assistance immediately.

The most common signs can include:

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Constipation

Decreased appetite or anorexia

Weight loss

Fever

Dehydration

Abdominal pain (you may notice a hunched posture, overgrooming of the abdomen, or your kitty getting upset when you try to pick them up)

Thanks for your ask! Good luck! 💛

[peprmint-kiss]

How to NOT poison your pets

It is inevitable that if you take pills of any sort for any length of time, that you will eventually drop one. Worse still, you might lose that pill, which sucks, but there's a chance that your pet might find it and eat it.

While this doesn't lessen the chances of you dropping your pills, it might lessen the chance of your pet eating them and potentially dying:

taking a pill in your fingers (not your hand, because this way is easier to maneuver away) and let the pet smell the pill. (You may need assistance and have someone else hold the animal still to keep them still and so they don't lunge and eat the pill hand and all.)

Gauge the animal's reaction, see whether or not the animal would probably eat it. If yes, if you live with other people, tell them that it's a risk. That way if you drop a pill you know how much of a true risk it is and whether or not you need to lock up your pets while you hunt for it.

Occasionally, you should reintroduce them to the meds to see if their attitude to them has changed.*

*Some animals will eat anything, even if they don't initially show interest, so you should take the precaution and lock them up anyways.

[sw1tchbackli]

PLEASE SHARE for AWARENESS 🙏🏻☀️🥵🐶❤️

[ofdinosanddais1]

If you are unable to evacuate your animals, PLEASE SET THEM LOOSE. Do NOT lock them in a cage or tie them down. That will guarantee they will die. They know how to get to safety. Even a small chance is still better than them drowning terrified in a cage in an inescapable house.

It hurts to know people sometimes have to leave their pets and it hurts even worse knowing some people don't have a choice but you can increase their odds of survival by letting them outside. But FIRST CHIP THEM. Apple airtag them too.

Organizations like NARSC are dedicated to rescuing and reuniting animals with their families and, if you want your beloved dog, cat, horse, guinea pig, etc. to survive long enough to be rescued by them LET THEM OUTSIDE.

[skarlettriott]

These plants are toxic to cats and dogs. If you have these plants or want to get these plants be sure to keep them away from your pets !
🌿Aloe
🌿Rubber Plant
🌿Jade Plant
🌿Pothos
🌿Monstera
🌿Philodendron
🌿Dumb Cane
🌿Lucky Bamboo
🌿Peace Lily
🌿Snake Plant


[dddemigirl]

Warning for dog owners!

[originalleftist]

Attention Cat Owners:

Northwest Naturals has reportedly recalled a bunch of cat food after a cat died due to bird flu contamination (posted December 25th 2024).

[justplainwhump]

Rules

I wanted to write something else entirely - Blanca getting a name. I hope that'll be the next update. For now, have this. No name yet.

Blanca tests Adrian.

[Pet safety masterlist]

Content / warning: BBU. Dubcon/noncon touch, initiated by survivor. Mention of past noncon (BBU Romantic). Caretaker is, in fact, the new owner. This instalment isn't nsfw per se, but it's an 18+ series.

The pet didn't try anything more. She let him carry him up the stairs, cradled to his chest, and it scared him how light she was. Breakable, he thought, but quickly dismissed the thought. For all he knew, she was anything but. Maybe she just wasn't entirely here in this world. Maybe that was what protected her.

This train of thoughts faded out after floor three and a half though. Even light, she was still a whole person, and carrying her in his arms instead of over a shoulder did take a toll. He needed to work out more, if he wanted to keep this up.

By the time they arrived on his floor, he was the one with the muscles trembling, his breath heaving.

The pet ran a hand through his damp hair and smiled. "Thank you," she whispered, her breath caressing the crook of his neck and while he was still debating if it had been appropriate or not, she had gracefully breezed past him into the apartment, ignoring the shopping bags that stood neatly lined up next to the door.

He wouldn't have wanted her to lift anything heavy anyway. All other designation pets would've at least offered. His Romantic however was peering into all rooms, until she spun around at the bedroom door. "Where do you want me, Sir?", she asked.

Adrian wasn't sure if there was an innuendo in this question or not, if it was another try at seduction, or if she just tried to figure out whether he wanted her out of his sight.

He lifted the first bags and put them on the kitchen island. "I'm about to make the sauce. You can help me, if you want. Or just relax in the living room." He paused, when he realised he needed to add something. "You may sit on the furniture. Always."

She still stood in the bedroom door, one hand at the door frame, like casually lounging, but in the most favourable way. Like she wasn't in black shorts and a white tee, but on the cover of a fashion magazine.

"I wasn't allowed on the furniture with Jack," she said. "Sometimes I was, when he threw me on them, to fuck me. But even then, after, I... I was punished." Her intonation was soft, hesitant. Like an offer to a conversation. It made Adrian's skin crawl, thinking about it. He didn't want to hear about Jack Donnell. But then again, there were no other memories for her to draw from. Except whatever she remembered from her time at the facility, after the refurb. There was a reason why she chose Donnell over that. His stomach wrenched. She deserved to talk about what she wanted.

"That sounds frustrating," he said, for a lack of any other words. "I'm not going to be like Jack, alright? You... With me, you will not be punished for anything."

"What about not following your rules?"

"No rules," he said.

He'd expected a line from her like the ones he always heard during inspections, the ones his colleagues at the facilities drilled into their trainees day and night, the ones that became parts of their very core. Pets need rules, rules are safe, rules need to be enforced.

Adrian had heard them muttered to him so often he could distinguish the facilities the pets came from by the choice of words, sometimes even only by intonation.

But the pet didn't quote one.

"No fucking," she said instead. "That's your first rule. Keep myself in good health, even if is not for fucking. That's your second rule. There's more, even though you didn't say them out loud. No kissing. No flirting with your doorman. Not leave the apartment without you." She smiled softly as Adrian's hands sunk down on the counter, suddenly forgotten enough to stove the groceries in the cupboard. "There are even more, even if you don't dare thinking them, because Adrian Delgado isn't entirely Sir yet. Not speak to others, especially not about you. Especially about you not fucking me."

She stepped in in front of him, soft and sensual steps, and leaned in on the counter in front of him, one single gracious curve. He still stood stunned. "You have so many rules, Adrian Delgado." She reached out over the counter, a soft finger running down the side of his cheek. "But where there are rules, there have to be consequences. What would happen if I kissed you? Would you punch me? Lock me up? Send me back?"

She leaned in, closer, a challenge sparking in her gaze, her hand playing with his hair.

He stumbled back, suddenly able to move again, and the bags of chips in his hand tumbled to the floor.

He shook his head, at loss of words.

She didn't try to follow him, just slid back on her side of the counter, standing there with her arms folded and a tilt to her head.

"You're not very good at this," she said, almost disappointed. "At being an owner."

"You..." The physical barrier of the counter between them helped him gain back his breath. "You're not very good at being a pet, either, are you?"

She shrugged. "Maybe not, Adrian Delgado. But I am a pet. And you are an owner."

He didn't want to be.

He had to.

"There are rules," he admitted. "You're right. There will be more, probably."

"And consequences?"

It was a shot into the dark. "I'll be sad," he said softly. "Maybe I'll even be hurt."

She looked at him for a while, entirely still, her eye unreadable, before she nodded. "I don't want that. That works."

Adrian's eyebrows went up. "That's... that's it? We're good like this?"

She nodded again, a hint of a reassuring smile. "Yes, Master Adrian."

For now, he thought.

They both did, probably.

"You won't try and kiss me again?"

"No. But-" She shook her head and pointed at the bags of chips he'd dropped on the floor. "I think I would... I would like to help with the cooking."

-

--

Tag list: @gottawhump @flowersarefreetherapy @whumplr-reader @highwaywhump @tauntedoctopuses @pigeonwhumps @whumppsychology @labgrowndemon

[myfandomrealitea]

Its actually appalling how few pet owners have safety, evacuation and rescue training and plans in place for their pets.

[geezerwench]

Pet safety warning. Heat warning!

[willdoanythingfortacos]

just food for thought... but this lil trick could save lives...