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Keep a Pet-Friendly Home

Chow Time
Your pets need to be fed, but unfortunately keeping their food out can lead to spills and also adds clutter. A good solution to keeping food tucked away is to keep it in a shallow, floor-level drawer, which can be pulled out at feeding time. Not only will the food be kept out of sight, but establishing a set feeding time will keep your pets from grazing all day and overeating.

Those huge pet food bags can also be a hassle. If you kitchen is equipped with a long, pull-out drawer usually used for storing trash cans, you can easily fill it with pet food. This way, the food is kept fresh, out of sight and in easy access.

Think Low
All pets are curious, especially puppies and kittens. If there are objects placed on low shelves, they'll most likely want to play with them. Remove objects from shelves close to the ground. A good idea for filling these empty bottom shelves is to place a pet bed there. Your pet will have a place to curl up without taking up space elsewhere

Flooring
The best type of flooring if you have pets is hardwood, as it is the easiest to clean. Just steer away from dark-wood floors; medium- to light-colored wood are less likely to show scratches. Vinyl floors are also a good choice, as they, too, are easy to clean. Just make sure you opt for a very durable vinyl that can resist the scratching of your pet's claws.

Safety Issues
Remember, pets can't eat the same foods as humans. Keep your pets away from the kitchen while you're preparing food, and never feed them table scraps. Also, store foods, drinks and baking products where your pets will not be able to get into them. Some kitchen items that can be harmful to your pet include chocolate, onion, large amounts of broccoli, plums, baking powder and coffee grinds and beans.

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