10 Tips to Make Your Home Pet-Friendly
Description: Have a pet snooping around your home and don’t want it to get into anything that could hurt it? That means you have to make your home as pet-friendly as possible. Here are stylish, yet pet-proof home improvements. You and your furry friend will love them!
Home sweet home! Do you think it’s not so “sweet” without your cute furball? Yes, having a pet is a fabulous and totally rewarding experience! We, pet lovers, are ready to do just about anything for our furry, feathered, or finned friends, and keeping them healthy and happy is our high priority. Therefore, when we buy a new home or plan to renovate the old one, we have to design it smartly with our animals in mind.
Yes, creating a comfortable space, choosing home furnishings & decor that will be both stylish and pet-proof isn’t that easy. However, with the right planning, materials, and essential tools for home, it’s totally possible!
We love pets and have already upgraded our houses and yards to make them more convenient and safer for our pooches. Today, we want to share our experience with you.
So, here are our ten top tips that will help to make your home base a pet-friendly paradise for you and your four-legged friend.
Keep Your Home Safe
Creating the safest home for you and your pet must be your high priority. It means that in addition to getting good home insurance, there are hundreds of things to consider that could pose a risk to your four-legged friend. You should do some research to find out what is really dangerous for the particular type of pet. For example, certain plants are hazardous to animals - if a cat eats a lily, its kidneys can shut down.
Here some general things every pet owner must consider to make sure the animal stay safe and healthy:
Use childproof latches on bathroom and kitchen cupboards to prevent pets from getting to chemicals and foods that can cause harm to them.
Keep medications, chemicals, and breakable items on high shelves, so that your pet can’t get dangerous stuff.
Keep garbage can covered, and store it in a closet, cabinet, or outdoors. There is a collection of old foods, small indigestible pieces, hazardous chemicals that can be very harmful to pets.
Make sure to put up blockades to prevent your pet from getting trapped behind large units like a fridge, washing machine, dryer, air conditioning, etc.
Some foods cause digestive problems in animals, plus a wrapper can also present a choking hazard. So, keep all foods behind a closed door.
Small animals can drown in the toilet. To prevent this, keep the toilet lid down.
Avoid dangling wires from TV, lamps, gaming systems, etc. Pets may get hurt if they chew on wires.
Be sure to research if your houseplants aren’t hazardous to your pet. Watch your four-legged friends not to chew the following plants: Tulips, English Ivy, Chrysanthemum, Yew, Oleander, Azaleas, Lilies.
Ensure to put away all threads and strings, they can be very dangerous for animals.
Keep your shoes and laundry in proper bins or a closet since small pieces like zippers and buttons are choking hazards.
Do not buy rugs that have high loops - pets can get hooked by claws and hurt themselves.
There are so many cats that fall out of windows! So, if you really need to open windows, install screens. Window guards are not adequate protection since cats can easily fit through bars.
The smell and taste of antifreeze are very appealing to cats and dogs. Unfortunately, about 10.000 pets die yearly due to antifreeze poisoning from as little as a drop. So, use it carefully and clean up any spills or drips immediately.
2. Keep Your Home Clean
An important part of making your home pet-friendly is keeping it clean even with cats and dogs running around. The tips below will help do it easily and quickly:
Try to hide pet hair - if you have a white pet, think about going with lighter colors in your home decor. If you have a black animal, consider darker colors. Easy-peasy!
Be prepared for accidents - ensure to have a good cleaner that will wash and disinfect pet waste and other messes.
Groom your pet, it’ll help reduce the amount of pet fur around the house.
Get a good vacuum cleaner with a high-efficiency particulate air filter. It’ll be better at picking up animal hair.
Have enough lint removers to get rid of fur from your clothes before you go out.
Keep a plastic mat under the pet’s bowls to make cleaning spills easier. You can also keep bowls elevated, this way you’ll avoid having unwelcome critters from getting into the pet’s food.
Always wipe off the pet’s paws before you let it in your house. It’ll help keep the home cleaner.
3. Choose Upholstery Wisely
When it comes to home design, upholstery is one of the most important decisions. Think carefully about upholstery materials and do some research to find out how likely they are to collect fur. Do avoid fabrics like chenille, velour, corduroy, mohair, and velvet - they are a magnet for pet hair. Besides, pet owners should steer clear of delicate materials like silk, since they can be easily damaged by the little friends.
Consider investing in quality upholstery that can withstand the test of claws. Opt for high-quality synthetic fabrics, leathers, or smooth tapestries.
4. Choose The Right Furniture
Another crucial home edit is new furniture. Avoid wooden furnishings with exposed rattan or wicker - excitable puppies will see it as their new favorite teething toy and cats will find it a perfect scratching post! Go for chrome and metal furniture and provide your teether with other toys.
If you have a cat, give it something to scratch. This way, you’ll lessen the number of new marks on the sofa, trim, or carpet. It would be great to set up scratching posts in several areas in your home.
5. Invest In A Pet-Friendly Flooring
Home living with your pet will be much more convenient if you choose easy-to-clean, non-slip flooring. With proper flooring, you’ll make your life easier during the early months when your pet is learning to toilet-train or is old and has a hard time standing up. You’ll also appreciate an easy-to-clean floor when the days are rainy and muddy.
So, what materials to choose? Opt for ceramic tiles, stone, or laminate. Avoid hardwood floors since they dent, scratch and stain easily. Carpets are also a no-no for pet owners - they gather fur, stain, and smell. You’ll just hate cleaning those carpets!
6. Consider Wall Texture
Do not overlook walls! They can really become a headache to clean if you haven’t considered their texture. Remember that highly textured walls will attract pet fur, even if your four-legged friend doesn't rub against them. Choose satin or semi-gloss paint, it’ll help to repel fur and keep walls clean.
7. Invest In a Comfortable Pet Bed
A high-quality pet bed is one of the essential home goods for every caring pet parent. It creates a cozy space for your furball to relax, unwind and recharge after a busy day of play.
When you choose a pet bed, consider your home decor. Don’t put a
traditional tartan couch into a fashionable, sleek apartment, instead, opt for a more contemporary design that will improve the rest of the interior.
8. Create A Playzone For Your Pet
While you are making important home choices, you should also think about what and where you’ll let your pet do. Positively reinforcing your animal’s behavior and organizing a dedicated space in your home where it can chase balls, roll excitedly around and play tug of war will definitely protect your belongings. However, don’t let your energetic pet run riot around the entire house.
9. Provide Your Pet with Healthy Chew Toys
Pets, especially puppies, need stuff they can play with and chew on. To make sure they won’t gnaw your home essentials, provide them with durable, high-quality toys, snouts, hooves, and other pet-friendly chewing snacks. However, some toys can pose a choking hazard, e.g., rope toys. So, check all items before you leave your furry, little friend with them.
10. Make Your Yard Pet-Friendly
If you let your furball out into the garden, tick and flea prevention isn't the only concern. You'll have to decide whether you need to add structures and install invisible fences. Additionally, you’ll have to detect toxic plants in your landscape. Do read the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants database before you put something in the ground. It’s a comprehensive database of plants that are dangerous to cats, dogs, and even horses. Some of the most hazardous plants for pets include azaleas, daffodils, daylilies, some ferns, and ivies, so avoid planting them in your garden. Animal-friendly plants are bamboo and, of course, catnip.
Furthermore, insecticides and fertilizers are known as pet poisons, so it would be wise to try organic gardening - you and your lovely little friend will only win from it.
Home is where the heart is, and it must be as comfortable and cozy as possible! However, our beloved bushy tails and clumsy paws cause lots of accidents. So, we, pet parents, have to make plenty of special considerations to create a safe and healthy home for us and our furry friends. Hopefully, our post will help you to design a perfect environment for both of you!
Bio:
Archie was a builder for more than 40 years. Mainly after his retirement the enthusiastic electrical works in garden and writes for a blog Homemakerguide.com to keep himself occupied. His many years of experience can get you the right tool reviews whether it is a drill, welding machine or so. An impressive fact to note about him is that almost everything in his house is a representation of his skills made by his hands.
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