Welcoming a new furry friend to your home is one of the best feelings out there, but trying to incorporate her in your house can sometimes turn out to be a hassle. Cats are usually considered part of the family, and so need to be taken into consideration when decorating our homes. Almost everything we do or install in our homes affect our pets, so we must be aware that our decoration decisions can significantly impact them. Imagine having a playful cat who loves to climb on everything in the house. How will you cope up with it? How will you organize your bed and furniture? We hope to offer you some guidance through this article.
So, how should you decorate when you have cats? It’s crucial to compensate for keeping a cat inside by enriching her life with much needed physical and mental stimulation. Several decorating ideas can significantly transform your house into a cat-friendly environment. Below are some of the most popular ones.
1. Purchase cheap rugs
Yes, purchase inexpensive rugs. Unlike carpets, rugs can be quickly picked up and cleaned or discarded. Mats from sisal or seagrass are a great choice as they offer an elegant, neutral background that suits any interior decor. They are durable enough to withstand the movement of pets and cheap enough to be thrown when they become filthy. If disposable rugs prove to be an expensive way for maintaining elegance at home, take into account that it’s cheaper to shed a few dollar sisal rugs than to pay for skin problems that can be brought by cats’ feces.
2. Opt for hard floor surfaces
Naked floors are the best to consider and don’t have to bore you. Painted concrete can be a beautiful and durable option, just like brick and terrazzo. You can easily mop or vacuum hardwood floors and give the room a warm glow, but remember that large cats can scratch the wood. Ceramic tile is the best floor because it’s cleaned easily and resistant to any stain dished out by your pet.
Besides, the flooring is resistant to nails hence making the room look elegant and sleek, and offers furry pets a nice napping place during hot weather. Materials such as marble or other natural stones are porous and not as resistant to animals as other hard surfaces because the acids present in cat’s urine can stain them, even when sealed.
3. Match upholstery and carpet to the color of the fur
Your cat can inspire you when selecting your room colors. Paint the concrete floor in a similar shade of gray as the cat’s to camouflage her hair. Cover the sofa with microfibers, chintz or cotton polyester that matches the color of the fur. It’s not only an aesthetic shout-out for your cat but also a practical choice as their left behind hair will not be as visible. Cease using bright colors: cats will always mess a bright-colored floor with black lab everywhere. Generally, carpet and upholstered furniture with durable fabric is pet-friendly and sustains your pets’ rubbing, jumping, running and sleeping.
4. Provide tidy, attractive treats and toys to your pet
It’s crucial to give your cat something to play with or scratch instead of her going for the leg of a chair. Giving rubber toys and a scratching post or climbing tree hanged on the wall will make your pet happy and busy. Besides, a stylish, geometrically shaped mixture of colored metal and cardboard are alternative to carpet-covered plywood climbing posts and scratching posts. Your art will not only make your room beautiful but also keep your pet happy and functional all the time. Offering shelves to sit or rest on is another option that will allow your feline to manifest her inner panther stylishly. Items like tiger branches or a set of wooden demilune shelves are easily attached to the wall.
5. Use fabric resistant to stains
Forget about silk, velvet or chintz and discover the joy of Crypton, an almost indestructible synthetic fabric, resistant to stains, odors, muddy paws, and bacteria. Crypton fabrics can be found in upholstery shops from interior designers and furniture manufacturers or online. Leather is also a great choice as it’s durable and easy to clean. Most leather grades will only suffer scratches from Fluffy or Fido claws and remember scratches are the cause of patina to metal.
If buying a sofa made from animal skin for your pet doesn’t please you, then try pleather. It’s free from cruelty, relatively inexpensive and has a timeless charm. Besides, you can use a machine washable Ultrasuede (microfiber which is smooth and seductive as original suede) to cover your sofas and making the pet bedding with it. It’s beautiful and gives comfort, allowing your pet to stay cool at all times, regardless of the climate. All the fabric used in the house sofas including beds and other places should be washable. If your cat sleeps with you, expect accidents: cats barf a lot, and you have to deal with it. The best thing is to use washable thick pads, use bed sheets with color patterns that will hide the stains and hair between washings.
6. Avoid decorating with fragile trinkets
Fragile objects and animals will never mix. One cat’s paw will send your collection skittering through the room like bowling pins. If you need to collect something, gather cast iron doorstops and place them where your cat will not stumble over them. They will look great in your room, and your pets cannot hurt them. Consider displaying delicate valuables in a porcelain cupboard with glass doors. Instead, spend your dollars in decorating framed prints, paintings, and photos and art hanging on the walls which are beyond the reach of your cats.
7. Vacuum regularly
Even if you adjust your fabric so correctly that hair bundles are barely visible, vacuum the cat’s hair at least twice a week. Daily vacuuming may be necessary when the animal sheds. Cat fur smells and contains oil that attracts dirt to the fabric she sits on. Always vacuum with a machine that can effectively suck all the hair and dirt. Moreover, keeping your cat clean daily will help maintain your home cleaner, longer.
Trimmed nails will prevent scratching of your floors, upholstery and wall decor. Regular brushing and bathing will remove loose hair before it falls on the floor, bed, sofa, curtains and throw pillows.
Conclusion
If you want to have a lively clean environment and own cats at the same time, you need to plan and decorate accordingly. Cats are marvelous additions to any home with relatively low-maintenance. Just a few changes in your house will keep them happy and safe.
