Pet-Proof Your Home On A Budget

Budget-friendly items to keep your pets happy and your home clean! Photo by Tony Cenicola for The New York Times

In the Home section of today's New York Times, is a funny yet practical article that helps pet owners balance the constant tug-of-war (not the kind you play with your dog) between your pets health and comfort and your financial health. The author enlisted the help of an impressive panel of experts, including Dr. Bruce Kornreich of Cornell University's Feline Health Center, Spike Carlson, former editor of "The Family Handyman", Amy Britton, owner of a kitchen design firm and Cesar Millan, the dog behaviorist.

According to this esteemed panel, " a few fairly inexpensive home modifications, at the proper time, can help pet owners save money, keep animals healthy and make the house smell and look a lot less like a zoo."
Banish the wall-to-wall carpet in favor of hardwood, tiles or removable carpet squares, install mini dog and cat "doors", both within your home and exiting to the outside, build ramps for aging pets (see U-Tube videos for instructions) and invest in raised dog bowls that can benefit a large dog's health by reducing neck stress and slowing its eating pace. And we love that stylish, red cat scratching "bed' in the above photo!

We hope you enjoy this article as much as we did, and hope that you  let us know what you've done to "modify" your home or its accouterments to enhance your pets health and safety and your own comfort. We'd love to hear all about it!

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