Do you have furry friends whom you treat as your baby? Do not worry. There are so many friends of mine whose lives revolve around their pets. Maintaining a pet involves obligation and responsibility. They become an intricate part of our family. You enjoy their companionship. So it should be a pet-friendly place where your pets should feel safe and happy.
Therefore it is justified to design your home by incorporating your pet needs just like any family member. Further, this will ensure their comfort and enjoyment, which they spend every minute. Designating areas for them will also control the mess created by the pets, especially when they are beginners and yet to be trained. But once they grow up, you learn to adjust to their requirement, behavior, and mood.
Moreover, these furry animals may look cute and adorable with lots of hugs, kisses, and cute tail wagging, but the reality is quite challenging.
Some interior design includes beds for the pet in the bedroom areas, play areas for cats, and aquariums in the room. In this article, I will give you a tour of some of the easy tips to redecorate and furnish your home around your pet.
How To Re-decorate a Pet-Friendly Home?
It has been observed that renovating your home by keeping pets in mind looks beautiful and simplifies the job of pet owners to maintain them easily.
1. Every Room Should Be Well Designed For Pets
If you decide to introduce a pet into your space, then like a new baby, the pet becomes your priority. You redesign your rooms to meet the requirement of your pet. For example, if your dog enjoys sitting with your family members, then create their feeding area in the kitchen.
If your dogs love their crates, make your cabinets and adjust the crates for them. Make sure to have a dog bed in every room. They should be free to use the entire house space and have easy access to the outside area.
If your pet owns a kennel, cage, or carrier, then its position should be such that it is easily accessible to all members of the house. Always remember that your pet is not encroaching your place. Instead, you are redesigning your place to make your pet a part of your family.
2. Comfortable Pet-Friendly Home Space
Irrespective of the type of pet, utmost priority should be given to creating an area that is cozy, safe, and comfortable for these furry friends. Furry pets prefer to stay warm. So they can be treated with furry blankets and pillows. Opt for the material which does not go bad due to dirt, claws, and fur. Treat them to feel at home by bringing their beds onto furniture or allow them to cuddle with you on your couch.
Cats sharpen their claws by scratching. So get a scratchpad for them to avoid any scratches on your furniture. Birdcages should not be placed near the window as by doing so, you will expose your bird to the sun’s heat and rain. The aquarium should be kept in a cooler place away from sunlight to avoid algae growth and make the water green.
If you are painting your house or undergoing pest control treatment, cover the aquarium to protect it from the harmful chemicals in the air that may cause damage to the fish. Always monitor the electrical part of the tank.
For creating their own private space, a pet cave can be designed. Design a separate washing station for your dogs to wash their items. Try to store your pet’s food in an attractive area like pull-out cabinets.
If you do not have much space for your pet’s bed, create one using the lower part of the night table. You can also use a TV stand for this purpose. Make use of the space below the stairs to build a pet house.
3. Pet-Friendly Flooring
Flooring should be durable and pet-friendly. The type of flooring that suits the pets is ceramic tiling, as it can be easily cleaned. Do not use porous materials like marble and natural stones as the acidic pet spit can stain the floor. Some other options are laminate and concrete flooring.
4. Stain-Resistant Wall Colors And Fabrics
Instead of applying your favorite wallpaper in your pet’s room, paint the walls with washable color. Consequently, this will make it easier to remove any stain. Choose semi-gloss or satin finish paint for rooms where a lot of activity happens and can be easily cleaned when required.
Similarly, try to pick the pet-friendly fabric that goes well with the pet’s fur. Do not include fabrics like velvet or silk in your collection, as your pets can ruin them easily. Opt for Crypton, which is an indestructible synthetic fabric and is resistant to stains and smells. It is a good idea to use sofa covers or slipcovers which are removable and washable.
5. Pets Friendly Activity Area
Pets love to spend time looking out of the large window watching the street. Create a comfortable place for your pet besides a window to allow your pet to have a good time.
6. Greenery
It is a good idea to connect your pet with nature by creating a terrace garden with artificial grass. If you have enough space around your house, use this space to create a pet garden by placing safety fences around.
7. Maintain Hygiene
It becomes very important to maintain cleanliness if you own a pet. Keep the messy areas clean to avoid any allergies and other harmful health hazards from the pet hair. Use vacuum cleaners regularly to avoid harmful diseases like asthma.
Tips That Pet Lovers Should Inculcate in Pet-Friendly Home
Therefore, it becomes essential to redesign a comfortable home for your furry pets. From the above discussion, we can conclude by following some simple tips as mentioned below.
1. Regularly vacuum clean the house.
2. Opt for hard flooring and anti-skid tiles to avoid the pets from slipping.
3. Cover all the sharp edges of the furniture to avoid any injury to the pets.
4. Pets should have extra steps to climb onto high furniture. Generally, this will prevent their nails from ripping the upholstery while climbing.
5. Store household cleaning items, glassware, and candles in a locked cabinet.
6. Keep common household plants like jasmine, castor beans, lantana, etc., away from your pets as they are poisonous to them.
7. Always close the dustbin and toilet lid.
Tips That Pet Lovers Should Avoid
1. Remove all the rugs as carpets can become a breeding ground for fleas if you want to own a pet-friendly home.
2. Barricade your staircase to prevent small pets from rolling down or climb up.
3. Balconies and windows with wide grills should be fitted with mesh to avoid the pets from going through them.
4. Use heavy door stoppers to prevent the pets from playing with it and getting locked in a room.
5. Cords of curtains and wires should not hang at a low height.
6. Avoid keeping small items, stationery, medicines, children’s toys, and household cleaning items away from your pets. So, this prevents them from swallowing these items.
