How to Do a Feline-Friendly Home Makeover

Are you ready to spruce up your home? If so, this is a great time to consider how your decor and furnishings affect your kitty and things you could do to make your cat happier and feel more comfortable - after all, it's their home too! These changes could also help you avoid potential pesky cat-parenting problems and make cleaning up easier!

Here's how to do a feline-friendly home makeover:

Furbaby-Friendly Floors

First, consider how much of your cat's life is spent on the floor - walking around it, "zooming" around it, pitter-pattering to their "bathroom," playing on it, and even totally flaking out and sleeping on it. (It's pretty amazing when you think about it!) So, let's start there:

If you have wall-to-wall carpeting in your home, think about removing the carpeting and installing hard flooring on which you can scatter area rugs, as this is the most versatile way to meet everyone's needs. Plus, area rugs, tile, and wood flooring are easier to clean than wall-to-wall carpeting.

Scratch-resistant, waterproof options are available in laminate, and durable varieties are great for the homes of cat parents. A combination of laminate or wood floors and tiled or linoleum floors works excellently in homes with kitties. An area rug with grips is an excellent addition to any of these surfaces because it stays in place and keeps cats from slipping while enjoying the floor itself. For instance, tile gives a cool foundation for your kitty in the summer, and a cozy rug makes it warm in winter.

For kitchens, vinyl flooring is great, as the "wear layer" means the flooring is waterproof, scratch- and stain-resistant, and all three are floor-care bonuses for cat parents. Of course, a heavily waxed floor is undesirable in any room - it has lots of potential for slipping and sliding, and most cats dislike walking on it. (A case of the midnight zoomies could end with your kitty going out of control and experiencing a scary crash into the nearest table leg or cabinet door, and serious ouchies could ensue!)

If you prefer carpet to hard floors, patterned carpeting is a good choice if your cat sheds a lot since it hides hair well. Moreover, any "oops" and "uh-oh" kitty stains that cannot be entirely removed will be less visible on a busy, colorful print. (Same goes for rugs, of course!) Choosing the stain-resistant type of carpet will make it easier to remove most stains without a lot of effort or the risk of damage from cleaning.

Carpeting that features large loops isn't a good idea since cats often get their nails caught in it. Even if you trim your cat's claws regularly, this issue can be a real problem. Believe it or not, there have been cats who actually pulled out their claws trying to come loose from something they are caught in at home, so it's important to consider these things.

Fab Furniture for Felines

When buying furniture, consider leather and its vegan counterparts. They are cat-parent friendly due to a smooth surface and easy cleaning. To remove hair and other messes from these materials, you can simply wipe them off with a moist hand towel. Stains can be typically removed from them easily so long as you act promptly. Be sure to place a scratching post near any leather furniture to give your cat an appropriate place to scratch.

If you're looking for an upholstered piece instead, as with carpets, a patterned sofa is an excellent choice for hiding both hair and stains. The most helpful accessory you can buy for any fabric-covered couch is a slipcover, which can be removed and placed in the washing machine. (Bonus tip: Run your slipcover through the dryer before putting it in the wash to remove more cat hair, as the washer alone may redistribute it on the fabric. Stain-resistant fabrics are also available for sofas.

And if you're looking for a sofa that will stand up to a kitty's yen to scratch, tightly woven fabrics tend to resist tears better. And again, putting a scratching post next to your couch is the best way to protect it from kitties' claws. Adhesive tapes and panels that discourage scratching are available and may prove effective, but they can be a bit of an eyesore, so why not try putting a post at each end of the couch and see how your kitty does with that option first?

Cat-Friendly Comforts

Last but certainly not least, think about how you choose to decorate and arrange your home and how updating it just a little may help your cat feel more comfortable.

For instance, what if your kitty's favorite spot is under your bed? Add a dust ruffle to the bed, and they'll feel safely hidden by the ruffle when they want to get away from it all.

Have little ones of the hooman variety? If they tend to get a little noisy or rowdy, put things like your kitty’s bed as far away from the kids’ hangout spots as possible - as much as they love their family, cats can be easily stressed by too much chaos.

If you're already rearranging things, consider where you keep your cat's condo, climbing tree, scratching pads and so forth - even though cats dislike change, if you think there is a more ideal spot that your kitty may enjoy or feel more relaxed in, try it out. Not only will they adjust in time, but they may prefer their new spots, and there's only one way to find out for sure!

The Takeaway

When we look at our homes from a cat's perspective, we can do many things to make them happier and more comfortable. By using these tips, you can have a meow-velous home makeover, all while making your home-sweet-home even sweeter for your furbaby!

Are you going to be away from home for a while? Trust Meowtel to hold down the fort. Our sitters will cater to your cat while treating your home with the utmost care and respect!

Find your ideal match here: https://meowtel.com/search

Photo by CMO Photo on Unsplash