Places for Dogs, Cats, and Fish

Our pets, at the very least, seem like our very good friends, and we can make sure that they enjoy living in our homes as much as we enjoy having them share it with us.  Pets are also a tremendous psychological support for their humans, particularly when those humans are stressed, because they can’t leave their home or for some pre-COVID reason (those stressors didn’t disappear), such as preparing for medical school exams.

Research presented at meetings of the American Psychological Association, and certainly at other groups as well, reports that a full grown dog has the emotional and cognitive capabilities of a 2 or 2 and a half year old human—we don’t realize how “advanced” their doggie brains are, however, because our dogs don’t speak to us in a straightforward way in words we understand, although we learn generally what’s up with them as we become familiar with each of our pet’s systems of barks, whimpers, and exasperated moans.  Keeping dogs’ “human equivalent mental age” in mind as you think about making a house dog-friendly can be useful.

Cats, of course, refuse to participate in any sort of research that would establish their “human equivalent mental age.”

And fish, oh well, there’s no info on their “human equivalent mental age” either, but since we often keep them in teeny, tiny bowls, I hope they’re not easily bored.

Both dogs and cats do need as much access to spaces within the home as possible.  With more access, it’s likely that they can find a place that meets their current needs, which, in reality almost always seems to be a place where they won’t be disturbed as they take another nap, sometimes alone, sometimes with a sympathetic human.  Dogs and cats also both benefit when they have access to outdoor areas, via dog/cat doors or humans who open doors for them.

Dogs and cats often have our permission to visit most of our home (or we have simply come to expect that they’ll turn up wherever we plan to be next).  The fact that dogs and cats have access to our whole house, however, doesn’t mean that they don’t also need a space that’s their own home base, their bolt hole, where we will really and truly leave them alone (although some yelling in that generally direction is justified if you find that the dog has, again, rummaged around in the trash, again).

Cats, owing to their oftentimes disturbing ability to jump unbelievably high and to slither through holes that are remarkably small, generally find themselves a sheltered, safe haven, where they can rest and reflect and do whatever else cats do, alone, without humans, just the way they like it. Just like dogs, cats benefit from having a safe haven and a little “time unseen,” when they choose; being truly alone can help a cat to relax, particularly if he needs to share his house with children, other pets, or, gasp, another cat.

Dogs are more terrestrial beasts, with more reasonable and appropriate body compression ratios (i.e., they can’t scrunch themselves down too much more than humans can), and need more help from us in establishing a safe haven. And we need to make sure that they have a refuge from us, our kids, and other pets (to the extent possible).  Just as young humans need a place where they can spend time reflecting on, and ultimately better understanding the events in their lives, so do dogs, especially dogs that might have been recently stressed out by exploding fireworks, humans yelling at each other, thunder, or their owner going back to work (cats, on the other hand, relish having the house to themselves, human-free (finally), for hours and hours again each day).

Your dog will likely feel more comfortable in your home knowing that there’s a space in it that’s theirs alone and help them stay and feel calm. A dog’s home base needs to be really and truly theirs (except of course on vacuuming-day when it really needs a quick clean).  It should be tucked out of the way enough to keep disruptions to dog quiet time down.  A dog will come to identify the space as theirs if it has things in it they “own” like plush toys, and their blanket.  Try to put the dog space in a place where the dog already went to be alone, at least occasionally before the home management team (you) decided to officially demarcate it as Fido’s Zone.  If your dog’s safe haven will be their kennel box, drape a towel or something similar over the sides so that, like any good fort, no one can see in.  It’s great if there is something that signals where their space begins and ends that’s a little more substantial than a blanket edge, something like the side of a dog bed or the side of a piece of furniture (think: the area between two sofas placed side by side or between a sofa and a wall).  In a pinch, a blanket under a table may do the trick but corners can be nice, they’ll make the retreat feel even more secure—and aren’t the best forts always made in corners?  There’s some evidence that dogs may even benefit from a little in-shelter soundscaping; try some nature soundtracks, ones reminiscent of a meadow on a lovely spring day.  Make sure that the space is free of hazards or things that would be a real doggie-user downer.  A cage door that can slam shut can ruin any dog’s day, so tape over the latch on a crate’s door, or take the door completely off its hinges if that seems like a good option because you have another place to contain your dog if you need to, for example, when that dastardly plumber comes by to fix what ails your pipes. Make sure that you and the other humans you and your dog share your home with know to leave the dog alone when he’s in his refuge.

Make sure dangerous things that can be eaten or chewed on are stored away in cupboards where your dog or cat cannot get to them.  Cabinets storing cleaning chemicals, pest poisons, and similar things need to be locked or “baby-proofed” or latched so securely that even very determined paws can’t get access.  Make sure the plants in your home aren’t poisonous to nibbling dogs and cats either.  Older dogs and cats will likely be less likely to make a buffet of the cleaning products, etc., but to make sure that your home is as safe as can be for your pets, who might “forget” how to be “good behavers,” keep the latches and childproofing in place.  A dog-proofed trash can makes your life and your dog’s better (he doesn’t get any tasty trash, but he also doesn’t get punished for creating a mess with the trash).  If your cat chews on electrical cords, you’re probably already doing whatever you can to keep your feline from getting electrocuted, whether that’s hiding cords behind furniture whenever possible, taped to walls, or under covering shield guards, or whatever else you can think of—if you’re considering getting a cat, be ready to hide your electrical cords if you bring home a “chewer.”

Dogs and cats need to be able to feel relaxed when they eat, so their food and water bowls should be out of the hustle and bustle, tucked away far from careless feet trudging from one part of the house or office to another.

Classical music relaxes dogs and cats, so a dinner time or other time classical music interlude can pay off.

Pet’s need to supervise their territories.  Dogs and cats also like to look out the window at the outside world.  Keep drapes and blinds pulled out of the way whenever you can so they can keep track of what’s happening in their yard, on their fire escape, etc.  Cats will be able to get close to a window and look out if the window is almost anywhere, dogs may need a little help accessing the view.  It’s great if there’s a window that dogs can see out of while standing on the floor.  If dogs will need to be above floor level to see out the window a place where they can stand/sit/lie down at windowsill height will make your dog very happy—and some older pets may need some sort of stairs to get to that sill height platform.

It’s a good idea to have some sort of opaque barrier, such as a blind that can’t be ripped by energetic paws, that can be used to block views when something that’s just much too much for a dog or cat is happening outside.  That might be an expected arrival of a delivery or service person or something that’s a one-off unplanned event, such as a squirrel that decides to give itself an extended bath just outside the window, which may overload the brains of otherwise quite reasonable or rational dogs and cats.

A completely enclosed interior courtyard that cats and dogs can enter or leave whenever they want, without any fear on their owner’s part of escape attempts, can be a dream come true for dogs, cats, and owners. These spaces not only provide needed outdoor access but also stimulation that puts dog and cat brains to work.

Older pets can slip on slick floors and hurt themselves and some pets of all ages can be stressed by travelling up or down open staircases.

Pets even without any sort of excretory issue can leave a scent in an area—so easy to clean floors, upholstery, and other surfaces in areas where pets are likely to spend lots of time can be a good idea.

Sound proofing areas of your home can keep neighbours (particularly in multi-family dwellings) from hearing your dog and your dog from hearing things that will goad them into barking in the first place, such as other dogs.

If you can bring your dog to work (cats aren’t usually as positively inclined toward some time at the office as dogs can be), you’ll need to take the same sort of steps there to keep your dog happy as you do in your home—creating a safe haven, making sure nothing dangerous is available for snacking, etc., but the effort will be worthwhile.  When there’re pets at the office, the pet owner’s stress levels fall (as measured by cortisol in saliva, for example), and so do those of people exposed to the dog somehow during the work day—all of which is consistent with research at health care centres and similar places that have found that pet therapy is great for patient spirits.

Dogs at work may encounter other dogs at work or people who are allergic to them, which makes some sort of easy-for-humans-to-move and hard-for-dogs-to-move-or-jump-over gate useful to keep all dogs in whatever place will keep dog-related excitement to a minimum.  Dogs at work also need some sort of food-water station and something to do to keep them entertained in between naps (whether that’s looking through windows or playing with toys or something else, just as they do at home).  It’s also in all’s best interest to make sure that dogs at work can’t get into chemicals, cleaning agents, and other things that may look tasty but are bad for tummies.

If you own a cat you know that they enjoy actively managing their environment, by, for example, removing unneeded upholstery from sofas with their claws.  Although their management may, regularly, lead you to consider taking them to the pound, you know you never will (and the cat is certain you never will), so thinking about how you can make your home cat friendlier is useful.

Cats do like to climb and somehow providing them with opportunities to do so that you’d like them to use (e.g., a climbing structure instead of the drapes) is a good idea. If you’re wondering how high to go, rest assured you can’t go too high, cats like to be as high off the ground as possible, they enjoy the view. Whatever is being climbed can double as something else; a chair with a tall back can provide access to stepped high shelves, for example.

Separating cat litter boxes from where a cat will eat makes cats more comfortable.

Cats are driven to get on top of balcony and similar railings, which, in the unlikely, but possible, event that they slip, can result in a cat splat.  Putting something on top of a railing that’s easy to sit on, like a wide sill or a planter, can help prevent a fall, and a clear barrier rather than one the cats can’t see through, reduces, at least a little, their need to jump to the top of the barrier in the first place.

Your pets are likely to be calmer if you are calmer, so the de-stressing tips in this article eliminate tension from the lives of your pet companions as your own tension ebbs away (also type in “stress” in the search bar at the top of our website here).

Fish live in their own ecosystems, with their individual requirements for water temperature, foot type/amount, water plant requirements, etc. Not much research has been done into what fish like to see outside their tanks as they spin about, but humans certainly benefit from their presence.  Fish earn their keep whenever we can see them.  Looking at fish in aquariums has been shown to significantly reduce human stress levels.

And if you wonder what your cat or dog or goldfish is actually looking at, what they see as they look around, visit this website (https://today.duke.edu/2018/05/details-look-sharp-people-may-be-blurry-their-pets) for a peek into your dog or cat’s world.