Hello, this is Dr. Karin. Read my bio, learn more about me, and meet my five cheerful cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.
Living with five dogs and five cats requires a fair amount of cleaning. My husband and I are especially proud of the fact that people are often surprised when they learn how many pets we have. It comes down to a combination of housework, lack of human children, and (at least when it comes to animals) maintaining a (relatively) stress-free household.
Aside from the obvious excess of pet hair, a big factor that influences the olfactory impression your home makes is the level of pheromones. Specifically, cat urine. One of the most common complaints from multi-cat households is cats urinating outside the litter box as a result of inappropriate urination due to territory spraying or marking, or stress-induced cystitis. Cats that live together generally try to avoid physical attacks, preferring more subtle chemical weapons. Cats also dislike emotional outbursts when they feel threatened or stressed. Therefore, the pressure of this type of conflict is transmitted through the bladder wall.
What does this have to do with home renovation? Well, I’m not bragging (though I know I’m tempting fate by writing this), but in a modestly sized house with five unrelated cats, there are cases of cystitis and territorial urination. There was never one. And I think that’s mostly because of the small improvements we’ve made to the home over the years. Granted, they’re not all small things, like a cat enclosure, for example, but most are low-cost, easy-to-implement changes and additions that can be done by virtually anyone.
height and hiding place
One of the most stressful things for indoor cats is feeling like they can’t leave each other, people, and in our case, dogs. We have a lot of different shelves, cupboards, and scratching posts for our cats to stand up on out of the way, and we also allow them on our kitchen countertops. Except, of course, when I’m cooking.
We have beds in different places at home: in the wardrobe, on the window sill, on the terrace, so there’s always plenty of quiet space to make some biscuits or take a quick nap. The cats are lucky that my husband is very handy (he is the owner of the house) handyman business!) And we built a nice outdoor enclosure for them, complete with artificial grass, shelving, and a sneaky entrance to the house behind the couch. it’s fun to watch chihuahua ned and fredtrying to figure out where the cat magically appeared from.
Place to rub nails and head
If you live with a cat, expect some damage to your carpets and furniture. It is unrealistic to think otherwise. Some people think that preserving upholstery alone can justify amputation of a pet, but declawing is not something a cat should endure. Providing alternative scratch surfaces of various types, textures, heights, and locations can at least hope to minimize this damage.
these wall mounted post It’s my favorite. My cats love it because it’s cheap and discreet. I have a few around the house so my cats can pick their claws in different places, and they all show signs of being used a lot.
Another pitfall of having multiple cats is that they tend to get oily stains on the edges of walls and door frames. Cats love to have their heads rubbed. They do this because it feels good and it leaves them with a bit of a pheromonal business card. Again, you can’t stop this, but by installing some of these small features, door frame brushwe were able to offer more appealing options that cats will definitely want to use.
No-go area for dogs
In general, we are incredibly lucky that there is very little friction between cats and dogs, but Koda, a Malinois x Shepherd, likes to chase dogs and cats from time to time. It is important for cats to have a place where they will not be disturbed by dogs. That’s why my office doubles as my “cat room” (or maybe my cat’s room doubles as my office).
We introduced baby gates. This is also a very cheap item (especially if you can buy it on the FB Marketplace!). Your cat will have a completely dog-free space and can come and go as he pleases. please.
Koda still likes to use his stuff, so A wooden box as his relaxation zonewe sometimes lock him up to give the cats some shepherd-free time throughout the house.
pheromones and cleaning
Another important (and affordable) part of keeping your home smelling good is using the right cleaning products. Since we allow cats on our countertops, we always keep a strong antibacterial cleaner under the sink. This is something powerful enough to keep things clean, yet safe to use around pets. Two other items I try to never run out of are: febreze pet deodorant And things like enzyme cleaners Hepper’s Bio Enzyme Stain and Odor Remover. One of the biggest mistakes pet owners make is using regular detergents to clean pet stains, but they usually only mask the odor. If you’re dealing with pet odors, especially those around the litter box, or if you have a Chihuahua who is very difficult to potty train, you should use an enzyme cleaner that actually breaks down the particles. This will prevent your pet from wanting to use the same area and prevent animal odors from building up over time.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like an infomercial.
Having a home full of pets is great, but it can also be difficult. If you share your home with a cat, take the time to see your home through your cat’s eyes. Are there any places to hide or jump? Do they have lots of places to scratch or are they expected to find one cat tree? Is there somewhere they can escape from people, children, dogs, and other cats?
Also, if you’re worried that your home doesn’t smell the best, we recommend purchasing a few bottles of enzyme-infused cleaner to completely deodorize the area. Your nose and guests will thank me.
This article is part of Dr. Karin’s 5 Hilarious Cats series.
