Having an animal means great responsibility, therefore we have to think, how will we get along with it before getting one! From the aspect of interior design, primarily cats and dogs are considered, since they can move freely in our home.
In a typical city apartment without garden connection, pets usually use all the territory. After walking, we can clean the paws of our dog, in case of wet weather we can even wash them, to prevent the floor being muddy. This is important if we want to use carpets or floor mats. Only the period of fur shedding can cause a trouble, mostly at longhair cat and dog breeds. Even this could be eliminated by frequent vacuuming the carpets and furniture upholstering and by training the pet to use its own lying place.
Having a garden connection lets our pets walking in and out freely – this makes the problem really tough. Wooden and stone flooring are easy to clean from muddy footprints and hair. Practically these should be applied in every room pets can visit. In case dogs that like to dig, or larger dogs, a smaller part of the garden should be separated, where they can play and run without harming the plants or vegetables. To protect the vegetation, we have to clean up after our pets frequently.
Important to provide an own place for pets (mostly for dogs) where they feel comfortable if we are not at home. Let’s train them to accept and use it. Their laying place should be comfortably soft, large enough and having a look not disturbing the haromony of the interior. Nowdays a lot of „design” cat and dog accessories can be purchased in pet shops, from toys to laying baskets. If we want real special, we can order built-in or tailored, classic style solution from a carpenter.
It’s recommended to keep the feeding and watering bowls and cat litter in a separate place, where guests cannot see them, e.g. in loundry room, pantry or any other hidden corner. In case of a bigger house, they can be placed in the garage or basement. It’s a question of individual approach, in which rooms can be visited by our pets, what is allowed for them in the apartment and what not, but it’s practical to train our pets in an elegant interior not to cause any damage, which is very time-consuming or costly to repair.
If you would like to modify your apartment or house to provide optimal place for your pets, or just considering having a cat or dog, ask for help from an interior designer.