Home Style for Pet Owners
According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers
Association, 62% of Americans own pets -- and thus
probably encounter hairballs, shed fur, snagged
fabric, scratched woodwork, stained carpets, muddy paw
prints and other home furnishing mishaps.
It's a challenge for pet people to design a home
environment that's both stylish and sensible. An
initial step is choosing a pet is compatible with
one's lifestyle. Another step is preparing the home
to withstand a pet who might chew, scratch or
otherwise damage the furnishings within.
Julia Szabo, a New York pet columnist and interiors
writer, has written a book called "Animal House
Style." Szabo has five rescued pit bulls and eight
cats in her Manhattan apartment and house in the
Catskills. She found that white slipcovers are a
favorite of many pet owners because they are easy to
wash. And that other than bare wood floors or tile,
sea-grass rugs are better than sisal for animal wear
and tear. Szabo turned to Ultrasuede upholstery
because it's easy to remove hair from this fiber.
Other tips to live in style and comfort with pets:
* Washable slipcovers are easy to clean.
* Washable cotton throws or matelasse coverlets can
be draped over your pet's favorite piece of furniture.
They're easy to wash and bleach.
* Use stain-resistant fabric in a dark pattern for
the furniture to camouflage dog hair.
* Keep a neutralizing cleaner such as Simple Solution
handy, since pets' liquid emissions can damage
carpets.
* Groom pets regularly to reduce shedding.
* Consider choosing upholstery colors to match your
pet.
* Szabo suggests using interior paint with satin or
eggshell finish, which allow for easier cleaning.
* Install wood, laminate or tile floors, which are
easier to clean than rugs.
* If you prefer natural fibers, sea grass is more
stain-resistant than sisal.
* Patterned rugs help disguise stains.
* Tightly woven fabrics are less likely to snag.
* Trim cats' claws and dogs' nails to reduce
floor-scratching and rug- and fabric-snagging. Long
nails can snag plush carpets, requiring periodic
rehooking from carpet restorers.
* Substitute blinds for draperies for easier
maintenance.
* In addition to scratching posts in several
locations, provide pieces of bark and raffia place
mats for cats to scratch.
* Szabo wrapped a banister in natural sisal twine,
providing a built-in scratching post for her cats.
* To discourage scratching on a particular
furnishing, pet behavior expert Warren Eckstein
suggests taping a blown-up balloon to the item. When
it pops, the pet will likely go elsewhere.
* Sticky Paws double-sided adhesive tape can
discourage cats from upholstery scratching, notes
Koncius.
* Reduce clutter (which will reduce the number of
potential chewing targets as well as safety risks).
* Szabo sprinkles natural lavender oil on dog beds
and floors to neutralize odor. The oil doubles as a
flea repellent.
* Clean smelly carpets with white vinegar or an
enzyme product made especially for pet messes.
* Buy the best vacuum cleaner you can.
* Keep a lint roller in every room.
* Some cats claw the loose fabric underneath a bed's
box springs. Prevent this by putting a fitted sheet or
piece of plywood around the bottom.
* Outdoors, Eckstein suggests filling a plastic
kiddie pool with sand and putting a dog's toys in
there. The dog will dig in the sand, not in your
garden.
----
For more Dog Tips about pet
care, adoption and the work PAW does, visit our
website at:
Partnership for Animal Welfare, Inc.
"The Truth About Cats and Dogs -- Getting a
Pet?" by Jura Koncius, published in the Washington
Post February 28, 2002.
www.paw-rescue.org
P.O. Box 1074, Greenbelt, MD 20768