How to Keep Cats and Dogs Happy Indoors
Having a pet has become a common thing in most households today. Pets are a saving grace when we are stuck inside. They bring so much joy to families and make perfect companions. But after a while, they can get bored. You don’t have to open the door to the great outdoors to give your pet a more interesting life. Outdoor cats and dogs can cause problems and are exposed to fatal and contagious diseases. They are also exposed to dangers such as poisons, theft, and inhumane treatment by cruel people. Keeping your pets indoors is therefore a better idea. All you need to do is add a few environmental enrichments and your pet will be happy and safe indoors. Here are some of the ways of how to keep cats and dogs happy indoors:
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Stick to Their Routine
Wondering how to keep cats and dogs happy indoors? Make an effort of sticking to their routine and you will have a home with gleeful pups. Your normal routine is likely to have been disrupted in one way or another. In times such as these, it can be tempting to let your pet’s routine fall to the wayside too. However, this should not be the case. It is very important to ensure that you keep your pet’s routine as intact as possible. Feeding, potty, and walks should all happen as they do normally.
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Let Them Chew It Out
As a pet parent, you might be pondering on how to keep cats and dogs happy indoors, consider getting chew treats and let the pets chew them out. It can be helpful to give your furry friends long chew treats to help keep them entertained in moments when you need some rest. While these treats can be a fun activity for your feline companion, it can also be easy to overfeed them. It is therefore important to keep calories in mind and compensate for extra treat calories by feeding a little less at mealtime.
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Engage the Pet in Exercise
One sure of how to keep cats and dogs happy indoors is through exercise. Playing keep nerves in check and channel nervous energy into a productive outlet. Staying active is beneficial to both you and your furry friend. You can clear some furniture to make room for a game of fetch or tug of war. In case you have a backyard, get out, and play a game of chase with your buddy. Exercise is also another way to reinforce the schedule of your four-legged friend. Ensure that you have planned play sessions at around the same time every day as this encourages your pet to follow a routine. Nonetheless, doing so provides physical and mental stimulation and also promotes the bond between you and your beloved pet.
Related Post: Best Tennis Ball Machines for Dogs.
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Get Children Involved
Involving the children is a great way of keeping pets happy indoors. Children make amazing playmates and will therefore keep your pups active in the house. Having the kids involved is a great way to reinforce good pet etiquette and help kids understand the pet’s body language. It is also fun to involve pets in your child’s learning. Cats or dogs and children growing up together is beneficial as pets help children in some areas of learning such as reading. Implement and encourage reading-to-pet sessions as part of your kid’s routine if your pet is amenable.
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Stick to a Healthy Diet
Whenever suggestions are made of how to keep cats and dogs happy indoors proper nutrition is a must. The way to your pup’s contented life is through the stomach. Make sure you feed your pet a nutritious and healthy diet. Continue your pet’s feeding schedule and stick to offering their regular food as much as possible. Invest in quality food from reputable brands as they provide all the nutritional requirements. Do not start feeding table scraps just because your table happens to be your couch. In case you are feeding your pet more treats than usual as a way of rewarding them for being great companions, remember that no more than 10 percent of a cat’s daily calories should come from treats.
Read About: Best Wet Cat Foods & Best Canned Cat Foods.
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Be a Considerate Roommate
No one wants a roommate that is always noisy and your cat is no exception when it comes to this. Be mindful that pets hear a lot better than humans so now that you are spending a whole lot of quality time together keep excessive noise to a minimum. This provides them ample time to rest. Consider subbing in some classical music which is known to calm pets for the TV or radio occasionally, if background noise is a must.
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Play Some Mind Games
How to keep cats and dogs happy indoors: mental stimulation is another great way to tire your pet out. This can be done by teaching them a new trick or two. Feeding time can also be a way of mentally enriching your cat’s day. Scatter food or a treat around the house and let them use their sense of smell to locate it. You can also incorporate a puzzle toy into feeding to give your four-legged friends a little mental challenge. Pets also experience emotional responses to problem-solving. That positive surge of emotions when you figure something out is also experienced by cats as well.
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Create a Safe Spot
Your furry friend may require some personal space to feel safe and comfortable during a time when there are suddenly more people around. If you feel that your kitty or dog is suddenly overwhelmed by having more people at home, ensure that she has a safe space the whole family can respect. She is off-limits when in there and also helps her to feel invisible. Any cat and dog enthusiasts need to understand that pets who are in their special place are to be left alone until they are ready to play. Designating a cozy spot in your home for your best friend is a sure way of how to keep cats and dogs happy indoors.
Related Post: Best Indoor Dog Houses.
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Be Creative
To keep your pet occupied and happy while indoors needs you to think outside the box. Sometimes toys can lose the spark and so you need to devise something that will capture your pet’s attention. This can be achieved using DIY toys and enrichment. Provide your pet with toys that she has permission to destroy. This includes a cardboard tube with kibble hidden inside or a plastic bottle that they can chew through to get treats from within. Having a productive way to get any destructive energy is beneficial to both you and your four-legged friend. How to keep cats and dogs happy indoors requires a little bit of creativity on your end.
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Keep them Entertained
Some pets enjoy watching TV. There are special videos on YouTube for pet audiences showing movements such as of birds and fish which pets can find mesmerizing and entertaining.
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Groom the Pet Regularly
Regular grooming with your pet’s favorite brush is usually fun and feels like a massage. It is also good for the coat and prevents hairballs and matted fur.
You may like Best Cat Grooming Gloves.
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Provide Rooms with Views
Your indoor pet will know every one of its sights and sounds within just a few days regardless of the size of your house. It is therefore important to provide a little visual stimulation by putting a bird feeder outside a window fitted with a pet-sized ledge that enables comfortable viewing. However, be aware that the view of the world is not always going to work for your four-legged friends. If your yard is attracting other pets from the neighborhood, your pet may become frustrated by the sight. Blocking visiting pets from your yard or discouraging them with sprinklers may be a solution to the problem. You may have to otherwise make certain windows off-limit to your pet.
See Also: Best Cat Window Perches & Seats.
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Give Face Time
Wondering how to keep cats and dogs happy indoor? Give them a face time. One of the best things you can do for your beloved indoor pet is to spend quality time with them. Playing, petting or just plain hanging out is good. Your pet loves you and will love spending time with you. Stressful experiences usually have a major impact on the welfare of cats and may lead to higher incidences of infectious diseases in shelters due to raised cortisol levels resulting in immunodeficiency. Belly rubs and other bonding activities also go a long way in keeping your fur baby jovial.
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Keep Windows Open when Possible
This ensures that your pet gets fresh air. Also, ensure that each window is securely screened so that the pet doesn’t fall or jump.
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Go Green
Pets especially cats love nibbling on plants. You can get cat grass from garden centers and pet supply stores that sell wheat or oat grass seeds that you can plant in small pots for your indoor kitty. Make sure the seeds you choose has not been treated with chemicals and get rid of all potentially toxic plant from your pet’s environment.
Benefits of Keeping Cats and Dogs Indoors
- Lengthens their lifespan as they can live up to 15 years or more
- Healthier unlike outdoor cats which in turn saves on veterinary bills for treatment of contagious diseases, parasites, and abscesses from fights with other animals
- Reduces accidents such as getting hit by a car, getting lost, or stolen.
- Protects against adverse conditions such as cold or rainy weather
- Reduces problems such as digging and defecating in neighbors yards and fights
Conclusion
Keeping cats and dogs happy while indoors leads to a long and healthy life. However, to achieve that there are several things that you need to keep in mind. Putting into practice the things mentioned above leads to a happy existence with your pet. So get going as it doesn’t take much in the way of time or effort. Your pet will love it.
See Also: Secrets to Keeping Indoor Cats Happy.