If you have a new pet on your mind, but you don’t want to give up the aesthetic of your home to accommodate one. You have options. There are so many ways you can incorporate a new fur baby into your home and have their stuff match and even compliment your décor.

Organize furniture in a smart way

Setting up an area or two in your home that is specifically for your dog or cat to lay is a great way to keep them off the furniture. Setting up a corner in your living with a dog bed that matches your couch set or a cat tree that is the same colour palette as the rest of the room will help to make the room feel cohesive and cozier.

You may have to rearrange certain things that are irresistible to your pets, such as your plants. Finding a way to put them up and still look nice will save you a lot of frustration and possibly a hefty vet bill.

If you are able to hide electrical cords behind your furniture is ideal, but if that doesn’t work with the aesthetic of the room, you can always invest in cord covers to keep your fur babies safe from being electrocuted.

It is also a good idea to work on discipline training for your dog if you do not want them in a certain room or to jump up on your furniture.

Make your upholstery easy to maintain

Depending on your pet, you might want to consider putting down a cover on your furniture that is easy to remove and wash. If you a pet that sheds a lot of fur, a cover will save you hours of vacuuming.

Leather or faux leather is a great option when you have pets since it does not attract fur as much as fabric furniture tends to, and cats are not usually interested in turning it into a scratching post.

Something else to consider is having throw pillows that are easy to throw in the washer and dryer. This will make cleaning much easier than dragging your throw pillows and blankets to a dry cleaner.

Make your flooring durable

Your floors must rise to the challenge of withstanding a lot of wear and tear from your pet. It is worth investing in more durable flooring when you have pets; whether it is urinary incontinence, scratches, muddy paws, dents, or having puppy pads used on them, your floors will endure a lot of abuse from your precious pet.

Some good flooring to consider are:

• Laminate. Laminate floors look great, and they are easy to clean.
• Tile. More durable material will stand the test of time against dents and scratches.
• Vinyl. Looks great and makes cleaning up accidents, grime, and scratches easy.

It’s also important to be mindful of the products you are using to clean your floors. We all want perfectly clean floors that greet you with a beautiful sparkle as you enter the room and smells like a field of flowers, but most of those cleaners are toxic to pets. Check that the cleaner you use is pet-friendly, or use a water and vinegar mixture to clean your floors.

Organize an area for feeding and pottying

A designated feeding area for your pet is great for cats and dogs. They know where they will be fed and will not have to find their food dishes in various parts of the house. Implementing discipline training for your dog before you feed them is also great.

There are countless ways to set up the feeding area. All you really need is a water dish, a food dish, and high-quality food that is suitable for your pet. If you check online for storage ideas, you will find that people use baskets, mason jars, large glass containers, and various plastic storage solutions. It’s easy to find a style you like, and that will fit in with your décor. Some people are refurbishing old cabinets into feeding areas to add to the interior of their homes.

Ideally, you want them to go potty outside if you have a dog. This isn’t always the case, especially if you have a pup that suffers from urinary incontinence or are still training and needs to put down puppy pads—trying to make the potty area away from where you feed your pet and close to a door, so you can eventually train them to go potty outside when they need to.

Of course, the pads are also useful indoors. A good pad can wick, absorb, and hold more liquid than a standard pee pad. As a result, you can place it at any convenient location in your home.

Good ventilation is essential

Pets make great companions, and they have many benefits in your home. They also will decrease the air quality in your home if you don’t have a good ventilation system in place.

They release dander into the hair, which is just dead skin that has been sloughed off and floats around or lands all over your furniture and floors. If your pet goes outside, they will inevitably bring in mold, dust, and pollen with them, which can cause allergic reactions.

If your pet suffers from urine incontinence, has a litter box, or has puppy pads on the floor, the smell from them will linger and make for some very stale air.

Investing in a good home ventilation system is a must. Whether you buy a good-quality air purifier or have an entire ventilation system installed in your home, it is worth the investment.

You will notice with a good ventilation system that:

• Allergens will be significantly reduced, increasing the air quality drastically.
• The air will circulate and prevent it from going stale.
• Any odours that your pets have will be eliminated.