So, you’ve finally decided to get a pet. Maybe you’ve been thinking about it for years. However, you recently realized that you’re ready for a furry companion. You’re excited. You’ve probably started looking at cute pictures online. You may even have a name picked out. But then reality starts to set in. If you’re prepping for a pet, where to start, first assess your space and routines.
When this is your first pet, you may feel completely unprepared. Additionally, you’ve never owned a dog or cat before. Likewise, you’re not really sure what it means to pet-proof a home. Moreover, you’re already a little nervous about being responsible for another living thing. The idea of prepping for a pet, where to start, can feel overwhelming. The good news is that you don’t need to be an expert homeowner to create a pet-friendly home. Additionally, you don’t need to completely redesign your house. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars or turn your living room into a pet store.
Finally, you just need to look at your home a little differently. Before your new pet comes home, walk through your house and notice what is around you. Additionally, things you never thought twice about may become interesting to a curious dog or cat.
Moreover, electrical cords, small decorations, cleaning products, plants, food, and even the trash can attract your pet. However, your new pet doesn’t know that something is expensive, dangerous, or off-limits. Nevertheless, to them, it’s just something interesting sitting there.
One of the easiest things you can do is create a little space specifically for your pet. It doesn’t have to be an entire room. You could use a corner of the living room, a section of the bedroom, or another area that makes sense for your home. Give them a comfortable bed, some toys, food and water bowls, and whatever other essentials they need. Having a designated area can also help you keep your house organized because you’re not constantly wondering where to put all of the pet supplies.
And don’t worry—you don’t have to sacrifice your home décor just because you’re getting a pet. I think this is something a lot of new pet owners worry about. You may love your home and have spent a lot of time creating a certain look, and now you’re imagining toys everywhere, blankets covering the furniture, and pet supplies taking over your house. It doesn’t have to be that way. Look for attractive baskets to hold toys, decorative storage containers for supplies, and washable blankets that coordinate with your furniture. Your pet can be part of your home without taking over your entire decorating style.
You also want to think about your floors. If you’re bringing home a puppy or kitten, accidents are probably going to happen. Even an older pet can occasionally have an accident, track mud into the house, or knock over a water bowl. If you have carpet, washable rugs can make life much easier. If you have hardwood or another hard surface, consider putting a washable mat underneath food and water bowls. And if you have a door that leads outside, keeping a towel nearby for muddy paws can save you from chasing your pet through the house with a mop.
Then there’s the furniture. If you’re worried that getting a pet means saying goodbye to your favorite sofa or chair, don’t panic. You can protect your furniture without making your home look like a veterinarian’s office. Washable furniture covers, throw blankets, and removable pillow covers can make a huge difference. If you’re planning to buy new furniture, anyway, start paying attention to how easy the fabric will be to clean. Something can look beautiful in the store, but if it’s impossible to clean after your dog jumps on it with muddy paws, you may eventually regret the purchase.
The kitchen is another area you definitely want to think about. You probably already know that you shouldn’t leave food sitting around, but it’s easy to forget that some foods that are perfectly fine for us aren’t safe for pets. Cleaning products, medications, and other household items should also be kept somewhere your pet can’t get into them. And don’t forget about the trash. A curious dog can turn your kitchen trash can into their personal buffet if you aren’t careful. A trash can with a secure lid or a location your pet can’t reach can prevent a lot of problems.
If you love decorating with plants, take a little time to check the plants you already have. Some common houseplants can be harmful to pets if they’re chewed or eaten. You don’t necessarily have to give up your love of plants, but you may need to move certain ones somewhere your pet can’t reach them or replace them with pet-friendly options.
You should also look around at the smaller things in your home. That cute little decoration sitting on your coffee table may seem harmless, but to a curious puppy it might look like something fun to chew. A cat may decide that the same decoration is the perfect thing to knock onto the floor at three in the morning. You don’t have to remove everything from your home, but fragile or very small items may need to be moved to a safer location.
Another thing I recommend is creating a small cleaning station before your pet arrives. Trust me, you will appreciate this later. Keep paper towels, pet-safe cleaning products, old towels, waste bags, stain remover, and other cleaning supplies together in one place. When your puppy has an accident on the floor, you don’t want to be running around the house trying to remember where you put everything.
And then there is the pet hair. Even if you’ve never owned a pet before, you’ve probably heard people joke about how much animals shed. Once you have one, you’ll understand. Somehow the hair can end up on the sofa, your clothes, your rugs, and places you didn’t even know your pet could reach. A good vacuum and a few lint rollers can become your new best friends. When you’re choosing rugs, blankets, and furniture, think about how easy they will be to clean. You don’t need to create a completely pet-proof home. You just want to make your home easier to maintain.
One mistake I wouldn’t recommend making is buying absolutely everything before you bring your pet home. It’s very easy to walk into a pet store and suddenly convince yourself that your new pet needs twenty toys, three beds, five blankets, and every adorable accessory you see. Start with the basics. Get the food, bowls, bed, collar and leash if you’re getting a dog, litter box if you’re getting a cat, a few toys, cleaning supplies, and whatever your veterinarian recommends. Once you get to know your pet, you’ll figure out what they actually like.
And that’s something you may not realize until you have a pet: they have personalities. You may buy an expensive pet bed only to discover that your dog would rather sleep on the floor. You may buy a basket full of toys and find out your cat is obsessed with the cardboard box everything came in. That’s okay. You don’t have to figure out everything before your pet arrives.
You also need to think about your daily routine. The pet will need someone to feed it. A family member will take the dog outside? The litter box cleaning will be handled by whom? What happens when you’re working all day? What will you do when you go on vacation? These aren’t meant to scare you. They’re simply things you want to think about before bringing an animal into your home.
Most importantly, don’t put pressure on yourself to have everything perfect. Your home doesn’t have to look like something out of a magazine before your pet arrives. You don’t need the perfect furniture, the perfect pet room, or every pet product available.
Your pet is going to adjust to your home, and you’re going to adjust to having them there. You’re going to learn their personality, their routine, their favorite sleeping spot, the toys they love, and probably a few things they absolutely should not be doing but somehow manage to do anyway.
A few messes may occur. There may be an accident or two. There may be some scratched furniture, spilled water, or pet hair in places you never expected. But that’s part of having a pet.
If you’re sitting there wondering whether you’re really ready, remember this: you don’t have to know everything on the first day. Start with making your home safe, give your new pet a comfortable place to call their own, and learn the rest as you go.
Because preparing your home for a pet isn’t about creating a perfect house. It’s about creating a home where another member of the family has a safe, comfortable place to live.
And honestly, that’s what makes a house feel like home in the first place.
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