Some people will openly admit they treat their pets like children. Many who feel that way have either chosen to delay parenthood or simply decided not to have children at all.
Others, such as baby boomers whose children have grown up and left home deal with the empty-nest syndrome by getting a pet or two to fill the void.
However, when a pet-lover turns into a home-buyer, there are a number of things to watch out for because pets, after all, have their own special requirements.
Consider the home’s features: A buyer was adamant that she would not buy a home with carpeting. She wanted a home for her Schnauzer with wood or ceramic floors throughout and did not want to deal with ripping up carpeting. Another first-time home-buyer adopted a cat who ate fabric, so the home could not have drapes covering any of the windows.
Perhaps an outdoor tap is important for bathing your dog. If so, check out if the home has exterior faucets; it’s an easy thing to overlook. Make a list of your desired preferences before knocking on the property agent’s door.
Examine the home’s layout: Aging pets might have trouble climbing stairs, so for some home-buyers with senior pets, a single-storey home is ideal. Cats like windows, and those with window ledges or low to the ground are preferred by felines.
Is there a playroom for your pets? Plenty of storage space for all the pet supplies? Your cat will appreciate a private place for a litter box, and you may prefer to keep the cat box out of sight.
Pets love to run and chase each other in circles – would pets be able to race around the house? If you keep your pets confined to certain rooms, is the layout conducive to that arrangement?
Inspect street traffic: Sometimes, even the most well-behaved dogs bolt when the front door is opened. Cats are inquisitive, and a curious cat can find a way to push open a screen door to get outside. In unfamiliar surroundings, pets can even dart into the street. To prevent tragedy, it’s better to pass over buying a home that is located on or near a busy thoroughfare.
Ask about previous pets in house: If the owner of a house up for sale has pets, check for pet damage, especially under rugs. Look at the back of doors for scratches or gouges. Ask about pet accidents. Inquire about fleas in the house.
Pet odours are almost impossible to eliminate from a home but might not be noticeable to you, so bring along a friend who does not own a pet to act as your official sniffer. Cats, especially, mark territory; and if you own a cat, you don’t want the process of improper elimination to repeat itself.
Is the yard safe?: If a pet can escape from a gap in the backyard wall, you will want to provide a safe play area for your pets. The same goes for a home with a fence: make sure it is gated, the gate latches, and the fence itself is high enough so your dog can’t jump over it. Inspect for loose fence boards that may need to be replaced.
Ten practical and visually appealing design ideas for remodelling with your pet in mind:
Indoor pet retreats. These rooms are generally located by an outside back door, with a lockable exterior access door designed for your pet to go inside and out. These pet retreats sport automatic feeders and drinking fountains, and some feature a doggy shower.
Disguised litter boxes. Apart from offering privacy, many of these designs resemble furniture. Some cat box designs are situated in a separate room such as the garage, with access provided by a secret cat door hidden inside a cabinet.
Heated floors. Pets appreciate warm floors as much as humans.
Platform beds. Much like one would design a window seat, these beds are attached to the wall, and are much less expensive to build than buying a Gucci doggy bed.
Cat ramps and cat trees. Cat ramps are stairs that diagonally run up a wall to meet a shelf, which runs below and along the perimeter of the ceiling. Floor-to-ceiling cat trees are constructed like columns throughout the home and wrapped in carpet or rope.
Doggy overlooks. This design feature lets your dog stick his head through a square opening on the second floor, so your dog can keep tabs on his owners below.
Wood floors/High-end linoleum. Expensive linoleum floors are becoming popular because they are easy to clean . Wood floors are easier to maintain than carpet. Tiles are also easy to clean but are hard and cold.
Storage rooms. For people who purchase pet supplies in bulk, special storage rooms are ideal.
Built-in benches with removable covers. These look like a bench, but if you open the cover you find that it’s a toy box. It’s also a convenient place to stash leashes and large doggy balls.
Stain-resistant fabrics and carpeting. Pet owners who don’t like the look of shedding hair have the option of choosing fabrics, rugs and non-toxic carpeting that matches their pet’s fur.