What to Consider before Getting a Pet

We talked about getting a family pet for a long, long time, so when our kitten Belle came into our family back in May it was such a wonderful moment. She's quickly become part of our family, with her litter tray and food bowls becoming part of the furniture. There were a few things we didn't consider before getting a cat though, and one of those was how it would impact the flooring in our home. She's a little cat, but those claws mean business! So with that in mind, I thought I'd shared some things you should consider before buying new flooring when you have a pet.

Maintenance
An easy cleaning routine is something we all look for in flooring, whether you have a pet or not. Carpet isn’t the best choice when you have pets. They are traps for pet hair, so unless you have a specific pet-focused vacuum, you'll struggle to get it all up. Not to mention if your pet does decide to do it's business on your brand-new cream carpet, it'll be tricky to clean up (especially as carpets will soak up urine and trap the smell too).

With this in mind, I would recommend wood, laminate and vinyl flooring instead, as much more suitable options. All of these alternatives only require a quick sweep and a mop, which is so much easier to keep on top off. Laminate and Vinyl are also stain and water resistant, so are much easier for tackling any unexpected accidents too!

Durability
As pets will be running all over your flooring for many years, as well as your family and guests, you’ll need flooring that will cope with this and still look as good as new. Carpet does tend to show wear after a while, and as mentioned above can be a nightmare if your pet has any accident. Cats also have a tendency to scratch at things, a big no if you have carpet. This is why I would recommend laminate, vinyl and wood flooring instead.

Wood flooring is a worthy choice for pets, for if your pet’s claws do scratch the surface, it can be sanded down depending on thickness (although I would recommend keeping your pets claws trim to avoid any scratches). Vinyl and laminate on the other hand are scratch proof. They also present convincing realistic replicas of real wood and tile, meaning you can get their desirable look on a lower cheaper budget too.

Overall I would say stay away from carpet with pets if you’re looking to make your life as easy as possible. When it comes to the other three choices, it all depends on what is most important to you. If you have fallen for the beautiful charm of real wood, then be prepared to deal with the scratches if they do occur. However, if you’re all about practicality, then laminate and vinyl are the obvious choices.

This is a collaborative post.