Feng Shui Tips for Living with Pets

Cat Boxes

One of the dilemmas in working with my clients  is where to put the cat box for indoor cats. Here are some tips for these tricky necessities. Please also check out this wonderful care2 article on eco friendly kitty litter.

Wicker Cat Boxes from Solutions Catalog are attractive and can be placed anywhere appropriate

1.   Do not put them in the bathtub! It is unsanitary and unsightly, and humans won’t enjoy being in the space.

2.  If you do not have an attractive cover,  find a place preferably out of sight such as the laundry room, garage or in a closet.

3.   If it must be in the bathroom or somewhere where you can see it, have a nice looking cover and a mat surrounding it to catch the litter.  Solutions Catalog has  attractive cat box covers that are made of laminated wicker so that they can’t claw them. You can also purchase a piece of furniture for the bathroom that doubles as a cat box cover. The good news about these is you can take it with you when you move.

Cat friendly bathroom furniture by solutions.com

4.   If you own your home cut a small opening in a bathroom cupboard, insert a small cat door, and put the cat box in there. This allows for easy cleaning by simply opening the door, and everything vanishes from view!

5. Make sure to get odor free and pet-friendly kitty litter that is also environmentally friendly and clean it often.

6. Address Pet Smells

Cat Scratching Post are both attractive and eco friendly

Feng Shui is about creating a warm and inviting space that we love being in. It also  acknowledges our intimate connection to all things.

Our home should be a place where we feel proud of entertaining friends and family. If we are ashamed of our space because it has been over run by our pets, we are not honoring ourselves.This  impacts our lives and everyone we are close to including pets, family and friends.

When we live with pets we often cannot smell them anymore. Ask a friend who will tell you the truth if your house smells like your pets. If you are wondering why your friends make excuses to not come to your home, it may be because they can’t stand the unpleasant pet odor and are afraid of offending you. You owe it to yourself to find out the truth and take care of the problem.

If this is the case you may want to purchase a good air purifier.  Find one that does not need replacement filters but uses washable ones. I used one by Ecoquest International for my home when I had nine rescue kitties and it took all pet smells away. It also kills mold and air-borne germs.  I am sure there are other good ones,  but I found the less expensive ones were useless after 6 months.

A very inexpensive way to eliminate odors is to have a large pan of water with sliced lemons in it heating on a hot plate. However, if you go away and leave it and the water evaporates it will be dangerous. Try for a good air purifier, you will use it for the rest of your life and it is well worth the investment. It will also help those who are allergic to animals and those who have breathing problems.

Pet stores will also have good cleaners to take out pet smells.  If you have one you can recommend please share it with us in the comments section.

Scratching Posts

If your cats are shredding the furniture, you will want to nip this in the bud. I have found keeping a water spray bottle close at hand when they scratch will curb this behavior. You will also want to get them a scratching post where they can sharpen their claws. These eco friendly posts can be found on line under eco friendly cat supplies. They are also much more attractive than the huge carpeted ones that cannot be cleaned successfully and shred.

Safety Issues

A big part of Feng Shui deals with safety issues in the home. When you are constantly tripping over pet toys, it is a safety hazard for you, your family and guests who come over. Get an attractive basket large enough to handle all toys and commit to gathering them up frequently and putting them back where they belong.

Make sure all toxic chemicals and cleaners are stored safely away from pets and children, or better yet, eliminate them all together. Replace all of your cleaning solutions with green ones that are pet and children friendly. Advanced Generation has  a good line of cleaning products that  you may want to look into.

You also want to make sure all pet beds are out of the main walking paths so that people are not constantly tripping on them.  Just like people, pets will naturally gravitate towards being in the power position. (See my article on Six Feng Shui Dont’s) which is where they can see the action from where their bed is, have a wall for protection behind them and not have their back to the door.  Your pets will instinctively not feel secure in the space if they are run into constantly, and will  have an aversion to spending time in their bed.

Smaller Pets

If we have fish, hamsters, birds, mice, snakes and other reptiles as pets, their cages and tanks must be clean at all times and attractive to look at.  All of our beloved creatures on the planet deserve to be honored, loved and taken care of so make sure their cages are large enough for them and filled with objects that will keep them occupied, engaged and happy.  Beware of keeping small pets in children’s rooms. They can be too easily neglected and are often disturbing to children’s sleep if they are nocturnal. (See my article on Feng Shui for Children’s Rooms).

Deal With Separation Anxiety.

If you have a puppy that chews through furniture when you are away, my friend and pet blogger Lisa Spector, a Juilliard graduate, concert pianist, and Canine Music expert has developed a CD series that has been clinically demonstrated to calm the canine nervous system. It helps them stay calm and quiet and alleviates separation anxiety.

Her CD’s are wonderful, I love listening to them myself and I play them for my cats when I am gone. I come home to a totally ‘Zen” house that is in the same order I left it. You can find these wonderful CD’s of Lisa’s at ThroughaDogsEar.com

You and your pets can live in harmony with a little effort. You owe it to yourself to create a space that not only accommodates your beloved pets but also honors you and your own need to have a home that you enjoy spending time in!

To listen to sound samples of this wonderful music series,simply click here.