Have you welcomed a new furry friend into your home this year? Those of us who have shared our living space with a cat over the last few months can tell you all about how they can brighten up even the darkest of days (indeed, there has been a massive upswing in animal adoption in 2020), but we can also tell you about the clever ways they find to make a mess, and how hard they can be to clean up. From accidents to fur, here are a few tips for keeping your cat and your home clean.
Think About Where You Put the Litter Box
Cats are sensitive creatures and they can be very fussy about where they do their business. Just like you or I, they also generally prefer privacy when they’re using their litter box. Try to avoid putting the box in a room that tends to be busy or noisy, like the kitchen, and make sure you change the litter regularly.
Also: try to avoid using cleaning products with a very strong smell! Cats are extremely particular about odours and if they don’t recognise it as theirs, they’ll go elsewhere…
Trim Those Claws
You’d never find nail trimming on a list of cat’s favourite activities but it’s very important for your home and for the wellbeing of the kitty in question. You might never get them out of the habit of trying to shred the back of your favourite armchair, but you might stop them scratching you quite so savagely during playtime.
It’s also very important for the cat, as overgrown nails can easily snap off both inside the house and out, leaving them with sore paws. They may not thank you, but you’ve done them a favor!
Carpet Cleaning
Every cat has at least one favorite spot in the house where they love to curl up and give themselves a good clean. They may have sorted themselves out, but they’ve left you with a pile of hair and a lot of things that are harder to see, such as skin flakes, saliva, and any parasitic hitchhikers they’ve picked up on their travels, not to mention the occasional accident. Conduct a search for “carpet cleaning near me” for a professional to tackle tough stains and those hidden mites and germs. In New York City, the team at nearmecarpetcleaning.com will use their years of experience and eco-friendly, non-toxic chemicals to make sure you and your cat will be happy with the results.
Wash Food Bowls Regularly
If you have a cat who doesn’t finish all their food in one sitting, it can be easy to forget to give their bowl a wash, but it’s vitally important to make sure to stay on top of cleaning it. A cat’s food bowl is a place where bacteria can really find a foothold because anything lurking in their mouths is transferred directly to the surface, so washing it out with hot soapy water after every meal is a must.
You’ll probably want to wash the bowl out by hand, but it should be OK to run it through the dishwasher. The most important thing is that there is no film left on the bowl to avoid any bacterial build-up, to keep you and your cat healthy.
