Tips for a Pet-Friendly Home

Pets aren’t just great furry friends, they are members of your family too, so when you’re planning your home space, you want to be mindful of their needs too. Your home should be comfortable and safe for your family, and your pets too, so here’s some tips for creating a pet-friendly abode.

• Keep unsafe items out of reach: try seeing things from a “pet point of view”, and keep anything that could choke, electrocute or suffocate an animal. Keep window treatment cords short, keep wires and electrical cords covered. It’s also important to keep human foods and medications out of reach as well.
• Secure the garbage: your garbage is full of materials that are toxic or even lethal to your pets, so you don’t want them getting into it. Be sure your garbage is secured and can’t be accessed by a pet, this might mean having magnetic cabinets or keeping you garbage in an area with a door.
• Pet-safe plants: did you know many common household plants are toxic to animals? If you have cats, lilies can cause kidney failure for them. Other toxic plants to pets are: amaryllis, poinsettia and aloe vera. The ASPCA has a great list of toxic plants to avoid for pets.
• Give them a space: giving your pets designated spaces will help prevent them from seeking refuge in other spaces that might not be safe or ideal. Have their beds (and litter boxes) located in comfortable places that aren’t too isolated, if pets don’t feel comfortable with a space, they are unlikely to use it.
• Pet-proof flooring: pets that shed can make for a lot of extra cleaning for you, so be smart about your flooring choices. Pet experts recommend hardwood flooring for lightweight dogs, and ceramic tile for heavier dogs. A trick for saving cleaning time is to choose a carpet colour that matches your pet’s fur (if you must have carpet).
• Pet-friendly fabrics: if you can’t resist letting your pets on your furniture, go for materials that won’t be dramatically affected by wear and will be easy to clean. Materials like leather and ultra-suede will be perfect options for your furry friends.

For animal and home lovers alike, we found some great ideas and inspiration for accommodating pets at home, on Pinterest. And share your pet-friendly home tips with us on Twitter, our followers might benefit from your ideas too.