Pets in the House

You really need a sanity check when it comes to having pets. If you have a home with any of the finer kinds of things, watching their premature demise can be heart-wrenching.

Having just moved into a new home (vintage 1928, but nicely restored), we have witnessed a quick breaking in with pristine hardwood floors now covered with scratches from the dog, silk drapes that were never part of the program in our previous residence used by the cat as climbing pole, window sills with new enamel, scratched and chipped as both dog and cat watch every passerby with front paws on the windows, and the beautifully landscaped yard now covered with urine rot and the random dug hole.

We’ve always had pets and, if forced to think about it, I can recall previous infractions, but never on such a clean slate. At any rate I couldn’t do without my “Rusty” and his sidekick, “Kitty.” So – their destructive abilities must be considered as you go about outfitting and maintaining your home.

Rusty is a Border collie type dog and rolling balls of dog hair can make the landscape inside look like tumbleweeds in the desert. It’s funny how they gather. With hot water heat, there’s no constant air blowing, so – hard to figure. But hair finds hair. Vacuuming often is a must, and a weekly bath and a thorough brushing helps further.

Since my wife and I are gone during the day, the dog and cat both like lounging on the furniture. This is a new development, but I’m sensing there’s no stopping it. So – the hair problem goes beyond the floor. We must also vacuum the furniture thoroughly. I have been surprised to learn the extent that cats shed – but shed they do.

Cats, of course, believe themselves to be perfectly clean and ours in particular seems to spend a good amount of time working at it. So the shedding will just have to be dealt with. But the claws are entirely another thing. Cats love nothing better than to find a rug, fabric or upholstery, attach their claws to it and pull. Not wanting to sound inhuman, the only sure way of avoiding claw damage is to have them removed. Now I’m not suggesting you do that. I happen to think it is in fact unfair. These little buggers see themselves as hunters and without their claws, so goes their spirit. But – there are some things that help. One is to buy one of those ridiculous 3 story posts with arms and legs that the cat can use at any time to claw to his hearts’ content. But I don’t recommend it. I mean – buy a trailer! What I have found effective are the small cardboard boxes with the layer of dense corrugated material in it. These can be hidden under a table or armoire. You only need about 8” of clearance. I can’t explain why, but the cats love this and as a result, the number of other things they destroy go down significantly.

If you have them house broken and taught them a few good manners, that’s about all you can do. After that, you make the call… the love of a good animal or a clean house.