Drowning Prevention Focuses on Pet Door Safety
Cat Flaps, Toddlers, and Swimming Pools are a Deadly Combination
Sep 9, 2009
Cat flaps are a wonderful convenience for pet owners whose felines were born on the wrong side of a door. However, pet door safety should always be uppermost in everyone's mind, especially when small children are present.
An article published in the Wall Street Journal on August 12, 2009, by Anjali Athavaley, "When Pet Doors Cause Child Deaths," highlights the problems with pet doors and toddlers.
Few Parents are Aware of Pet Door Safety Issues
Even the best parents can't think of everything that can possibly be a threat to their toddlers, and most don't really consider a cat flap to be dangerous. However, a three-year-old child who weighs as much as 38 pounds can easily crawl through a pet door that's only eight by eleven inches, or the size of a sheet of paper.
Any baby who is old enough to crawl is at risk. The world is a dangerous place for a toddler unaccompanied by an adult, even if there isn't a swimming pool on the other side of the pet flap. The little one could wander off and get lost, be picked up by a stranger, or be hit by a car.
Full Scope of Problems with Pet Doors is not Known
Since 1996, there have been 100 documented cases of toddlers who were in dangerous situations after crawling through a cat flap. Unfortunately, 75 of these children were injured or even killed. In the past fifteen years, in Arizona alone, one or two children a year have drowned after crawling through a pet flap, and ending up in the family swimming pool.
The problem is that there's no national data base that tracks drowning deaths in children by how they got out of the house and into the pool. Researchers believe that the real number of children who drown after crawling through a pet door is probably much higher.
Drowning Prevention Starts at Home
Parents should always be aware if there is a pet door in the home. Sometimes one was installed by a previous owner, and parents just don't think about the dangers of pet doors for small children. When a pet door is present, childproofing it with a lock is recommended to keep an adventurous toddler from taking an unexpected trip.
An electronic pet door is also an option. This type of pet access door will only open for a cat with a microchip implanted that can be read by a sensor in the door. This would prevent a small child from crawling through the cat flap.
If there's a swimming pool in the back yard, a lockable gate and a fence should be installed between the pool and the house. This will prevent a youngster from inadvertently entering the pool area if he or she escapes through the cat flap.
Should Manufacturers of Pet Doors be Doing More to Warn Parents?
The pet door industry takes the stance that parents should be supervising their children better. This may be true in some cases, but many parents aren't even aware of pet door safety issues. Most manufacturers are still selling pet doors with no locks on them, and no warnings either, even though these companies are aware that toddlers can crawl through pet flaps easily.
Parents Should be Aware of the Dangers of Pet Doors
If there is a pet door in a home where toddlers live, childproofing it immediately should be the highest priority for parents. In this case, an ounce of prevention is definitely worth a child's life.
Source:
Pet Doors: A Little Known Gateway to Childhood Injury and Deaths
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