
To many people’s surprise and dismay, at the very same time, having pets is much like having children. When talking about cats and dogs, at least, it’s safe to admit they are curious and restless, snooping through your home when you’re gone. This is why it’s important to make sure your home doesn’t make their perfect playground to fool around in and your nightmare to clean up. What’s more, making your home more pet-friendly means you’ll also prevent them from getting into unnecessary trouble. Here are some quick and easy ways to make your home truly pet-friendly.
1. Store Breakables and Dangerous Items Safely
Be sure to keep all your medications, chemicals and cleaners behind closed doors. Do a quick check of your home and place everything that can be spilled or swallowed in cabinets or somewhere so high up, your pets could never reach them. Additionally, look at all your breakables, such as mugs and vases, and decide what’s too precious to lose during your pets’ daily rampage.
2. Invest in Childproof Latches
When having pets, it’s essential not to underestimate their curiosity and ability to open every single door in the house, including cabinet doors. Do yourself a favor and buy childproof latches for all your doors and drawers, so your cat or dog won’t have access to products and substances that may damage their health. This is one guaranteed way to also maintain a clutter-free pet-filled home.
3. Make Food Inaccessible
Apart from their daily food, pets shouldn’t have access to any other type of food in the home. Their impulse control is not typically a source of pride, so you may be surprised to come home one day only to find the food plate you left on the kitchen table completely empty. What’s more, if you’ve wrapped your food, you may subject your pets to serious choking hazards.
4. Store Garbage Behind Closed Doors
Garbage tends to be an endless source of fascination for both cats and dogs since it collects a mixture of food, as well as so many other interestingly smelling and looking items. Apart from this, it can also be filled with dangerous chemicals they need to avoid at all costs. With this in mind, remember to store garbage away in a cabinet or covered at all times, if they are somewhere within reach.
5. Get Pet-Friendly Plants
A lot of pet owners will, at one point in their lives, face the challenge of having a pet that incessantly chews on every single plant in the home. Apart from destroying your beautiful green corner, the biggest issue is that some of these plants may be toxic for your pets. Having said this, it’s essential to choose pet-friendly varieties that are beneficial to your specific pet, since cats and dogs have different requirements. For example, cats will be completely safe if they chew on plants such as sword fern, areca palm, and spider plant. All in all, when rethinking your home as a pet-friendly one, it’s crucial to avoid toxic plants for the sake of your furry friends.
6. Create a Pet Corner Near the Entry
If you have a cat who likes to roam outside or if you have a dog, you’re probably used to their messy outings. Whenever they come back from their wanderings, they bring with them plenty of debris, mud, and dirt that they inevitably spread around the house. Making a mudroom for your pet just near the entrance of the home will prevent this from happening. Get some shelves where you can store towels or cloths to clean off your pet when they come in. You can also consider tilling up the corner to prepare for the inevitable shake-offs that will cover your walls and floor with dirt. Your pets will eventually get used to this routine and will refrain from going straight to the sofa when they get back home.
7. Opt For Blockades
Curious as they are, pets will want to search every nook and cranny of the home. They won’t shy away from getting even in the tightest of places, such as behind the cupboards or behind the sofa. To this end, if you don’t want to deal with a squealing pet that’s stuck between a rock and a hard place, consider using blockades to stop access to these tight spaces. It’s a simple trick that will save you a lot of hassle down the road.
When all is said and done, optimizing your home to be pet-friendly is a pretty easy task and the benefits it comes with can be save you some time and money in the long run. By adding the above-mentioned items to your home and slightly rethinking the way you go about your day-to-day life, you can actually bring more cleanliness and harmony into it.