7 Ways to Make Your House More Pet-Friendly

Owning a pet is one of the most wonderful experiences in the world, but it’s also a huge responsibility. Whether it’s taking your four-legged friend to a vet or out for a stroll, pet owners tend to go out of their way to ensure that their furry friend remains happy and healthy. Another important thing that many pet parents need to do in order to accommodate their new furry babies is creating a pet-friendly home.

Since having a pet is a big responsibility, you want to ensure that you accommodate your pet in the best possible way while maintaining your home because pets can be quite destructive.

The good news is that creating a pet-friendly home is not that difficult with the right materials and foolproof plan. Here are a few ways to make your home more pet friendly.

1. Get Pet-Friendly Furniture

This is perhaps, the most important tip you need to know as a pet parent: pet-friendly furniture will lead to a happy home! One of the biggest concerns of owning a pet is wondering how they will behave with your furniture, especially when you’re not around. Coming home to find your couch torn and wooden furniture all scratched up can be pretty disappointing. However, investing in pet-friendly furniture and accessories, you lower the chances of your furry friend ruining your furniture.

Firstly, you need to invest in a stain-resistant fabric when buying slip-covered or upholstered further. Also, pet parents who share their couch and chairs should look out for more than just pet hair and dander; stinky odor and stains are also quite common. Secondly, don’t even think about investing in silk, tweed, or velvet, if you have a pet around as these materials are extremely vulnerable to stains and scratches. Lastly, avoid buying light-colored furniture as stains appear quite prominently on white or beige furniture.

2. Invest In Tall Trash Cans with Lids

If you have had a pup around for a while, by now, you’re probably well-aware of the fact that your canine friend loves jumping in the trash! Unless you have stale food, wrappers, and other trash consistently strewn across your floor, you should definitely trade out your tiny trash bins for tall trash cans with lids.

You should especially avoid placing low-heighted trash cans in the kitchen, pantry, and bathrooms. When choosing a trash can for disposal, make sure to select on that is durable and secure. Moreover, if it’s possible for you, then stash your trash bin behind a kitchen cabinet or in a close-off pantry to keep your pet from knocking it over.

3. Steer Clear of Carpets

Carpets are a huge NO when you have pets in your home! Cats and dogs are quite the curious little creature that can wreak havoc on your home without even knowing what they’re doing. This especially applies to carpet and upholstery that tends to get caught between their nails, making them want to pull at it even more. So, most carpet materials don’t even stand a chance against stains and damage from pets.

Carpets generally require a lot of care, and if you have pets around, you will need to care for them even more. This is because allergens and hair get caught up the weave of a carpet, causing problems in the environment for you and your pet. Moreover, carpets are also known for absorbing nasty odor.

Opting for hard flooring such as wood or tile that is scratch-resistant is an important part of creating a pet-friendly home. Not only does hard-flooring withstand stains but it is also much easier to clean and maintain, especially if your pet is accident-prone.

4. Create a Designated Eating Area

Designating an eating area for your furry little friends is quite important for their wellbeing. Providing your pet with a calm and quiet place to eat and drink is a vital part of ensuring that they have full and healthy meals. A pet’s designated eating area should always have a healthy source or water present beside their food bowl.

5. Make Sure Your Fences Are Strong and Durable

If you reside in a house or townhouse, spending on a solid fence is vital when you have a pet around. Having a strong fence will give you a peace of mind as the fences will prevent your pets from escaping in case they mistakenly get outside without a leash. Ensuring that your fence is durable is specifically important if you have big dogs that tend to fight their way out. Also, installing a fence will also allow you to install a doggy door to allow your pet to go in and out of the house with the need for fsupervision.

6. Be Mindful Of Your Decorations

When decorating your home, you need to extremely careful in deciding what to put out, especially of those things that may be in easy reach of your pet. You might not realize it, but there are numerous threats to your pet that are lurking around your home. There may be small objects like decoration pieces that your pet can easily swallow and choke on, or household plants that are poisonous to your pets, or even fragile items that you just don’t want broken.

Your pet can get quite bored when you’re not around. Therefore, it is imperative for you to ensure that you create an environment for them that they can feel comfortable in. So, you can either keep such items out of your pet’s reach or you can store them in a separate room that they don’t have access to.

7. Create a Little Sleeping Corner

Just like you have a bed where you can rest, it’s vital to have a small space for your pet to go and relax on. This space should be one they can call their own; somewhere they can unwind and relax. Giving them a proper place to sleep ensures that your pet won’t come jump in bed with you, which can be quite troubling for both, you and your pet. This idea may be a little hard to put in place for your cats since they like to roam around, but it is a great choice for your pup!

Creating a home that is both stylish and pet-friendly isn’t the easiest task. However, with the appropriate planning and materials, you can surely pull it off!