| Issue #31, October 27, 2006 |
Smells Like Fido
A guest walks into your house and, in less than ten seconds, says “Do you have a cat? Where is she? Can I pet her?” As you are wondering if your friend has ESP, your friend is thinking, “Phew. Time to clean the litter box.” If this situation rings a few bells, never fear. You can have an immaculate home and still curl up with your favorite furball with minimal effort.
We all adore our pets. From Saint Bernards to Siamese cats, our Hamptons homes are constantly being bombarded with shedding coats, slobbery mouths, and muddy paws. However, our homes do not have to reflect the reality of having hairy beasts galloping all over the living room. With smart design choices and a small arsenal of pet-cleaning products, even the most pet-filled houses need not employ an army of housekeepers to follow Fluffy around.
First and foremost, your design choices should allow for frequent cleaning, so pick hardy fabrics over deep-pile, and smooth surfaces whenever possible. After all, no one wants to douse Grandma’s Persian rug with OxyClean every other day, but having anyone under the age of sixteen in your house, human or otherwise, means dealing with the a mess every now and then.
As far as your furry friend goes, look into the Furminator treatment, which promises to completely and painlessly remove your pet’s undercoat and virtually eliminate shedding for up to six months. Cats can benefit from a Furminator treatment too, although some felines, especially the very old or very young, might be traumatized by a trip to the groomer. For these kitties, as well as timid dogs, the PetVac is as close to a Furminator-type treatment as you can get at home, and it hooks up to any household vacuum cleaner which has an extra-long hose to protect the already delicate constitution of those pets who believe the vacuum cleaner to be a monster. Also, many cats will tolerate a warm bath, if their owner does not make it into an event and keeps the bathroom toasty warm. The bath can help to reduce shedding and make them smell like your favorite tear-free pet shampoo.
For muddy paws, keep some baby wipes or a towel and a spray bottle of soapy water just inside your door. After every walk or romp in the yard, simply spritz and wipe Fido’s feet before he has a chance to stamp pawprints all over your rugs. And, for dogs who don’t mind looking as ridiculous as their owners do when they exercise, there are doggie booties available in every shape, size and color. Although they look positively laughable, these boots also protect paws from salt corrosion and frostbite, so they are not a bad investment for winter walks, although MukLuk cream has the same benefits without the look.
And although city dogs’ nails get filed down to perfection on city sidewalks, soft sand and grass is not going to do the trick. For country dogs, try some SoftPaws nail caps. Not only do they prevent your pup from scratching your furniture, ripping up his bed, or hurting himself during an intense itch-session, they will save your knees, chest, and clothes from doggie love-scratches too. SoftPaws also work wonderfully on cats, allowing them to keep their claws for climbing trees and proper balance while eliminating their ability to break the surface of fabrics or their owner’s skin! SoftPaws come in every combination of colors and sizes for every dog and cat, from Teacup Yorkies and Munchkin cats, to Bengals, Maine Coons, and Great Danes.
Now that the pets themselves are clean, humanely disarmed, and shedding as little as possible, it is time to attend to the house itself. Febreze makes room sprays that seem to refresh any space, even the room with the litter box. And if the floral scent makes you gag, Restoration Hardware makes fruit and wood-scented room sprays that are mild and surprisingly delicious-smelling. Also, self-scooping litter boxes such as the LitterMaid, Litter Robot, and Scoop Free, clean the litter as soon as your cat exits, storing the waste in an airtight container for up to thirty days. The containers are disposable, so there is the added benefit of not having contact with the waste at all. I had to throw out the container every two weeks for my two cats, but it sure beats scooping three times per day.
So, there you have it. In terms of having pets in a beautiful, clean home you really can have your cake and eat it, too. It may take a little effort on your part, but it will all be worth it when your Angora saunters into the room, and you hear exclamations of “you have a cat?”
– Sabrina C. Mashburn
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