For most pet owners, their animals are extremely important parts of their lives. While it is easy to take care of Fluffy and Rover while your home, what happens when you’re at work, or just away from home?

Thankfully, there are several things you can do to help protect your furry friends while you are away.

Install a home security system. You need to make sure to choose one that includes video surveillance, as well as remote video access. This will allow you to check on your pets from any smartphone, tablet, computer or another Internet-enabled device. You can also choose a burglar alarm designed with pets in mind, so your animals don’t cause any false alarms.

Install quality fire and carbon dioxide alarms/monitors. While audible smoke detectors are important, you also need a monitored fire alarm system and carbon monoxide system to fully protect your pets. If a fire does happen to erupt while you are away from home, the monitoring service can dispatch the proper authorities to help.

Utilize the services of a trustworthy pet sitter. If you are unsure that your pets are going to be fine while at home alone, especially extremely young or old pets, then a pet sitter may be the ideal solution.

Keep all harmful items out of reach. You need to move plants that may be poisonous, paint, cleaning chemicals and medicines from locations where your pets may get to them. Also, remove items made of glass that may fall and injure your pet. Other tips include covering trash cans and heating and air vents, along with toilets.

Use automatic feeders. During the day, your pets are going to get hungry; however, you can’t leave out an entire day’s worth of food. A better option is to use automated pet feeders that will portion out your pet’s food during the day.

When you use the tips here, you can feel confident that your fur babies will remain secure, even while you are away.