While our pets can give us such joy and excitement especially during playtime indoors, careless enjoyment can actually pose a risk to their health and wellness.
If we don’t make our homes friendly to our pets, they may be more prone to getting into accidents, and we all know that paying a visit to the vet is not cheap.
On top of this, our pets should be cared for and loved, and paid just as much attention as we do to our family and friends.
Thankfully, you can make your home more pet-friendly without breaking the bank. Just modifying a few things at home can hugely help make a safer and a more comfortable environment for your beloved pets.
Assigning a spot for your pets
Pets are part of your home as much as humans are. It’s important for them to have their personal space inside the house. Designate an area in your space just for your pets.
However, if they aren’t allowed in your place; for instance, you live with people allergic to cat or dog fur, then buy them a house/shelter in the garage or backyard so they can keep cool when it’s hot and stay dry when it rains.
If you have small pets like goldfish or hamsters/guinea pigs, then it would be easier for everyone at home to have them stay put in one area, like a fishbowl or a cage. Just make sure that they are located in a sturdy area or a place at home that doesn’t have frequent human movement. We don’t want our mini-aquarium/fishbowl getting knocked over.
However, if you have dogs or cats who are free to move around, then consider getting medium size pillows under your desks, tables, and beds so that your four-legged friend can rest and sleep there when they want to chill or just get tired and drowsy.
Selective potted planting
Having potted plants at home became trendy, peaking especially during the enhanced community quarantine in 2020. In fact, it rubbed off so much to some people that trends like herb gardening and rewilding surfaced.
While potted plants can be lively and colorful additions to your home, some plant types are actually detrimental to the health of your pets. Toxic house plants can give your pets a few allergies, episodes of diarrhea, nausea, and certain illnesses.
Avoid buying popular indoor plants like pothos and sansevieria, and instead, go for spider plants and yellow palms. For a comprehensive list of pet-friendly and non pet-friendly plants, you might want to take a look at this.
If you already have a toxic plant near your pet, then a good idea would be to keep it away from them by storing the plant in an area where your pets cannot reach them. An example of this would be the kitchen shelves, cupboards, or on top of a closet. Better yet, sell the plant or give it away to someone who does not have a pet at home.
Smart and strategic carpeting
In selecting carpets for your home, one must always take into account the presence of pets. Especially if they are four-legged furballs like dogs or cats, your pets will most likely be using that carpet, and will even make it their favorite spot at home because carpets feel warm and comfortable.
With this in mind, choose a carpet of a different color from the fur of your pets. This is due to the fact that sometimes, pet owners unfortunately step on their dogs’ noses or on their cats’ tails just because they can’t see white fur on a white carpet. If your pet dog’s fur is dark brown, choose a lighter colored carpet so the brown fur stands out.
When it comes to size, it’s better to pick carpet tiles over a big carpet roll. This is because pets might destroy one spot and it would cost you more to get rid of a whole carpet sheet instead of just replacing one dirty and scratched up carpet tile with a newer, cleaner one.
Protection from sharp edges and corners
Similar to baby-proofing a house, all rough and sharp edges and dangerous corners in your home must be smoothed out or covered, such as the edges of glass tables.
Get rid of things at home that pose a threat to your pets’ physical safety, like if you have spiky fixtures within their reach or open outlets that pets can mindlessly touch.
However, if it’s hard to adjust, like if you have glass barriers for your stairs instead of the usual wooden banisters or railings, then modify it to accommodate your pets: make the glass railings tempered or double glazed to prevent your pets from shattering them by accident. This is important especially if you have a huge pet that likes to move around and play a lot indoors.
Investing in chew toys
The teething stage of house pets can be really annoying, especially if they ruin the wires of your favorite gaming console, or chew on the laces of your expensive sneakers. The best way to combat this is to designate toys for them to nibble and chew on.
This development stage is inevitable, so it’s best to plan ahead and even get creative with choosing your chew toys, like the bone-shaped ones for dogs or fish-shaped toys for cats. There are so many designs to choose from: cupcakes, sponges, cheeseburgers, you name it, and there’s always a chew toy designed like it.
There you have it!
This list has definitely covered the basics, but there may still be some tips that we missed. What can you add to this list? What do you think are the most useful and practical tips to make your home truly pet-friendly? Which of the above do you think would be the most beneficial for pet owners? Would you apply some of these in your own home?
Hopefully this gave you enough ideas to make your home more pet-friendly. May your creative juices flow and allow you to build the ideal home that is safe, cozy, and comfortable for you and your dear pets.
Sources:
Kellogg, K. (2020, August 5). 21 Plants That Are Safe for Cats and Dogs. Architectural Digest. https://www.archi tecturaldigest.com/story/pet-friendly-houseplants
Sharma, P. (2020, October 13). How to make your home pet- friendly. Housing. https://housing.com/news/make-home- pet-friendly/
Sukhai, T. (2020, August 12). How to Make Your Home Pet Friendly. This Old House.https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ pets/21015549/how-to-make-your-home-pet-friendly