Pet-friendly fabrics and flooring make decorating a breeze for dog and cat lovers

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

We’re in the market for a new sofa, and my friend Tamela Klisura, an interior designer, is urging me to get one in a light neutral shade instead of the colorful patterns that I love -- in part because they hide pet hair so well.

“It’ll get dirty,” I argued. Dogs will be napping on it all the time, after all.

Tamela, who has three dogs herself, pooh-poohed that.

“They have performance fabrics now that clean up really easily,” she says.

She’s right. You don’t have to buy furnishings that are the same color as your pug or Labrador’s fur -- or the Holstein cow pattern I’d need for my chestnut-and-white cavaliers. If you’re considering buying new furniture, reupholstering what you have or putting down new flooring, you have a lot of options to help keep your home looking and smelling clean, even if you have multiple dogs and cats.

Many fabrics and carpets these days are made to withstand odors and stains from spills, dog drool, pet accidents or animals who simply need a bath, thanks to a moisture barrier that keeps liquids and other messes on the fabric’s surface instead of soaking in. They can even be safely disinfected with a product that knocks out pathogens including E. coli, salmonella, MRSA, parvovirus and canine distemper virus.

“Those Crypton fabrics are made for a variety of high use and abuse,” says commercial architect Heather E. Lewis of Animal Arts, a firm that designs veterinary hospitals, shelters and other facilities. “What I have seen as an architect is an explosion in the number of cleanable fabrics that are used in health care, and those fabrics are also appropriate for use in a home.”

Flooring and carpets are also more pet-friendly, thanks to advances in materials. Vinyl, for one, has come a long way. Rosemary George replaced her wood floors with commercial-grade vinyl. “It looks just like wood but holds up better and is impervious to accidents,” she says. Melissa Frieze Karolak has vinyl planks in her basement, “luxury” vinyl in one bathroom and old-fashioned linoleum in the laundry area. “I like them all, and so far they have held up well to our two dogs and three cats,” she says.

If you’ve ever wished that you could just throw large rugs into the washing machine, well, now you can. A company called Ruggable makes lightweight rugs that go over a nonskid pad. The low-pile rugs, which come in a variety of styles, sizes, colors and patterns, are stain-resistant and waterproof. When they need to be cleaned, even the 8-by-10-foot size fits in a home washing machine.

“I have Ruggables and love the look, durability and washability,” says Marion Schuller, responding on Facebook to a friend who was considering buying one. “There is little or no padding, but the dogs like them and choose the rug instead of tile.”

Another option is carpet squares made with solid vinyl backing. When vomit, urine or poop accidents happen -- and they will -- the affected squares can be pulled up and cleaned or replaced altogether.

Wall-to-wall carpets are also made now to resist depredations from dogs and cats. Some are treated to prevent stains from forming after spills or pet potty accidents, prevent urine from penetrating to the pad and resist soiling. They can be good choices for people with asthma or allergies who prefer carpet to hard-surface flooring.

Whether it’s furniture or flooring, homes are being designed around pets. “I think that’s cool and it makes it easier for busy families,” says Lewis, who has kids and pets. “I love to see that.”

Q&A

How to build

a feline fort

Q: I want to build a safe outdoor area for my cat. What features should it have?

A: A “catio” is a great way to give cats some outdoor time and space so that they can sleep in the sun, nibble on grass, stalk bugs or scratch on logs.

Start by providing as much space as possible, both horizontal and vertical. Cats love to climb and be up high, so a good-size structure should be at least 6 feet by 6 feet, with perches at various heights. Walkways should hug the walls as well as cross the space diagonally so the cat can move around easily.

Use sturdy materials. Strong screening will protect your cat from invasions by other cats or by predators such as dogs, coyotes or, in some areas, mountain lions.

Minimize territorial disputes with free-roaming neighborhood cats by building a solid base wall about 3 feet high and then having screening go up from that surface.

Choose flooring that other animals can’t tunnel beneath to get into the enclosure. If possible, a sealed concrete floor is a good choice, and it can be hosed down for ease of cleaning, especially if you build it so that it slopes to a drain.

Cover the catio to prevent escape and to provide shelter from sun, rain and snow. Design the cover in such a way that your cat has access to both sunny and shaded areas.

A litter box inside the enclosure should be easily accessible for scooping and changing the litter. Other accessories your cat will appreciate include a small fountain with running water to splash in and cat-safe plants on which she can graze. Of course, one of those plants should be catnip!

For more tips on building a catio, visit FearFreeHappyHomes.com. -- Dr. Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Vet camp for

pet-loving kids

-- San Diego-area kids who are interested in becoming veterinarians or veterinary technicians can get a leg up on their career goals at Helen Woodward Animal Center’s You Can Be a Veterinarian Camp. Experiences include practicing suturing by sewing together the skin on a banana, using a syringe to inject liquid into a section of an orange, drawing “blood” from a balloon, and examining cells under a microscope. Half-day camps are $77 per child, and the next one is scheduled for March 7. Full-day camps, which cost $144 per child, are scheduled for May 3, Sept. 19 and Nov. 7.

-- A distillery in Montana has jumped on the bandwagon of breweries around the country that spotlight adoptable dogs on their labels. At Headframe Spirits in Butte, “Orphan Dog” side labels on bottles of Orphan Girl Bourbon Cream Liqueur sport images of area adoptable dogs from Chelsea Bailey Animal Shelter. The goal is not only to help the dogs find good homes, but also to raise money for the shelter. In addition to Headframe, the effort is supported by Highlands Veterinary Hospital, which paid printing costs. The dogs are photographed by Alycia Holland Carriger, who has been taking pictures of shelter dogs for the past three years to help them find homes.

-- Many cats around the world are thought to bring good luck. In the Land of the Rising Sun, the Japanese bobtail is the traditional feline luck-bringer. The cats with the kinky tails come in many colors, but the tricolor -- or mi-ke (pronounced “mee-keh”) -- is best-known. The cats stand out for their rich, vibrant coat colors; pompomlike tails, which come in varying lengths; and entertaining behavior. Their soft, silky coat can be short or long, and they are on the small side, weighing 5 to 10 pounds. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts headed by “The Dr. Oz Show” veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker, founder of the Fear Free organization and author of many best-selling pet care books, and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. Joining them is behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

Recording your pet’s life from beginning to end can help you answer questions, solve problems and build a relationship

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

When you find a diary, are you tempted to read it? Do you keep a diary yourself, under lock and key? Diaries feature in some of the world’s most famous literature, social history, fiction and children’s books: Anne Frank’s “The Diary of a Young Girl.” The diary of Samuel Pepys. “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” “Harriet the Spy.” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”

Diaries bring history to life, store secrets, record lives. They can make for fascinating reading. But they can also make for fascinating writing, especially if they focus on your best friend: your dog, cat, bird or other pet. It’s not just in Nancy Drew mysteries that a diary is filled with clues.

Susannah Charleson is a K-9 search and rescue handler and author of “Where the Lost Dogs Go: A Story of Love, Search, and the Power of Reunion.” She spoke last month at the K-9 Sport Scent Work Conference in Palm Springs, California. While her topic was the importance of logs for search and rescue handlers, she also touched on how keeping a log can make a difference in the health, confidence and success of any dog-human team -- including the partnership between people and their companion dogs. And there’s no reason to leave out cats, birds, rabbits, horses or other pets. Anyone can benefit from tracing the story of their relationship with an animal.

“I think for pet owners it’s invaluable,” she says. “If you’re doing any kind of training, even just to be a good companion animal, it’s all coming fast -- the dog is new, the training is new, how the dog views the world versus how we view the world is completely different.”

When you keep a diary and document the changes you see in your pet and yourself, you are capturing the journey of your developing friendship, as well as making observations that can help you solve behavior problems and identify health issues before they become serious.

Bringing a record to your veterinarian or behaviorist of when a behavior began and how frequently it occurs can be the first step in solving a problem.

Some owners track daily blood sugar curves and insulin doses for diabetic pets, delivery of medication, occurrence of seizures, and pets’ eating habits or weight.

People who participate in dog sports log trials and practice sessions to track their progress.

“Log entries allow you to start seeing a pattern and learning about your dog,” Charleson says. “They assist in self-evaluation. You’ve got all these beautiful signals that can tell you where your strengths and weaknesses are and find areas where you can improve, where your dog can improve and where you can improve together.”

Keeping track of a pet’s life can be done with a paper journal, on computer apps or social media, or on a calendar. I have a pile of calendars that I can’t bear to throw away because they record so many of the events of my dogs’ lives. Supplement diaries with photos and videos.

At the end of a pet’s life, a diary is a way to look back at the journey you and your pet have shared. The memories can help to heal grief and establish a foundation for the next partnership.

“When a career or life ends, logs trace the journey that you and a dog have shared,” Charleson says. “Logs tell a story. They trace the arc of our understanding and our ability as separate entities and together. They’re a history of the earliest days that we might forget. Write it all down. You’ll have a wealth of information to learn from, and at the end of a life, those words may save you.”

Q&A

Do kittens need

socialization?

Q: Do kittens have the same type of socialization period as puppies?

A: They do, but it starts even earlier and doesn’t last as long. My colleague Nicholas Dodman, a veterinary behaviorist and emeritus professor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, says the social period in kittens is between weeks 2 and 7.

During those early weeks, kittens soak up knowledge of everything around them, that clever kitty brain making new neural connections daily to generate learning and behavior. Kittens who see, hear, smell and experience many different people, animals, sights and sounds during this sensitive period grow up to be sociable, smart and curious.

Young kittens need to have many different positive experiences with children, friendly dogs and cats, people of all ages and appearances, common household sounds such as vacuum cleaners and blenders, car rides, being transported comfortably and safely in a carrier, and visiting the veterinarian. In an ideal world, they haven’t had any bad experiences with those things, and they don’t have preconceived ideas about what to expect from such experiences.

Limiting fear during this impressionable time is also important to a kitten’s development. A normal amount of fear is valuable because it helps kittens to avoid things that might hurt them, but protecting them from aversive experiences can help them to have more fulfilling lives as adult cats because they are more calm in the face of new experiences.

When young kittens encounter these things in a positive way during the socialization period, their brains store the good memories and help the kittens develop resiliency if they later have negative experiences with, say, dogs or scary noises. The neural connections their brains make during this period is how they become well-rounded, adaptable cats.

You can learn more about feline development at FearFreeHappyHomes.com. -- Dr. Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Cold plasma aids

pet skin problems

-- Veterinarians at Cummings Veterinary Medical Center in North Grafton, Massachusetts, are using cold plasma to treat animals with superficial skin infections, benign skin growths, chronic wounds that won’t heal and more. The treatment -- performed with a penlike device that streams the nonthermal ionized gas to the targeted area -- is harmless to normal cells but kills such pathogens as viruses, bacteria and fungi. According to veterinary dermatologist Ramon Almela, an assistant professor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, the bluish stream of cold plasma feels like air blowing on the skin, so no sedation or anesthesia is required.

-- Chasing geese, sharing community safety tips, sitting in on meetings and greeting members of the public are among the duties of two new crew members at the United States Coast Guard station in Marquette, Michigan. Thor and Loki, a pair of 2-year-old Labrador-vizsla crosses adopted from pet rescue group UPAWS, embarked on their careers as Coast Guard mascots when a “station dog” position was created to help support staff morale. After meeting the cute pair, crew members decided they couldn’t separate them and “hired” them both. The two are now social media stars on the station’s Facebook page as well as popular community ambassadors.

-- While you may have purchased antifreeze that contains a bittering agent to deter pets from lapping it up, it’s not a foolproof way to prevent your dog or cat from licking the toxic substance. First, it’s still toxic if your pet ingests it, and it takes only a small amount to harm your pet. Second, you don’t have any control over the type of antifreeze used by your neighbors. If you suspect that your pet has ingested antifreeze, get him to a veterinary hospital immediately. It’s not the time to take a wait-and-see approach. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts headed by “The Dr. Oz Show” veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker, founder of the Fear Free organization and author of many best-selling pet care books, and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. Joining them is behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

Regular grooming is an easy way to make pets happy and healthy

Andrews McMeel Syndication

There are few things that make a veterinarian happier than walking into an exam room to see a pet who's squeaky clean and perfectly groomed. That's because it's a sign of a pet owner who's paying attention to all aspects of preventive pet care and overall comfort.

How important is grooming to your pet's comfort? Consider a simple mat, so easy to overlook. Have you ever had your hair in a ponytail that was just a little too tight? A mat can feel the same way to your dog -- a constant pull on the skin. Try to imagine those all over your body, and you have a good idea how uncomfortable an ungroomed coat can be.

Your dog need never know what a mat feels like if you keep him brushed and combed -- but that's just the start of the health benefits. Regular grooming allows you to look for lumps, bumps and injuries, while clearing such things as tangles and ticks from his coat. Follow up with your veterinarian on any questionable masses you find, and you may detect cancer early enough to save your pet's life.

For shorthaired breeds, keeping the skin and coat in good shape is easy. Run your hands over him daily, brush over him weekly -- and that's it.

For other breeds, grooming is a little more involved. Breeds such as collies, chows, keeshonden and Alaskan malamutes are "double-coated," which means they have a downy undercoat underneath harsher long hair. The down can mat like a layer of felt against the skin if left untended. To prevent this, divide the coat into small sections and brush against the grain from the skin outward, working from head to tail, section by section. A tip: You can keep these long-haired dogs clipped short to keep grooming easier -- and you'll be rewarded with a dog who sheds the least of all, owing to the longer grow-and-shed cycle of long hair.

Silky-coated dogs such as Afghan hounds, cocker spaniels and Maltese also need constant brushing to keep tangles from forming. As with the double-coated dogs, work with small sections at a time, brushing from the skin outward, then comb back into place with the grain for a glossy, finished look. Coats of this type require so much attention that having a groomer keep the dogs trimmed to a medium length is often more practical.

Curly and wiry coats, such as those on poodles and terriers, need to be brushed weekly, working against the grain and then with it. Curly coats need to be clipped every six weeks; wiry ones, two or three times a year. (But clipping every six weeks will keep your terrier looking sharper.) A good professional groomer, along with your veterinarian, can be a dog's best friend.

Good grooming is about more than keeping your pet looking beautiful and smelling clean, although those are certainly pleasant payoffs. Regular grooming relaxes the dog who's used to it, and it becomes a special time shared between you both. A coat free of mats, burrs and tangles, and skin free of fleas and ticks, are as comfortable to your dog as clean clothes fresh from the wash are to you. It just makes you feel good, and the effect is the same for your pet.

Some added benefit for you: Giving your dog a tummy rub after every session is sure to relax you (and your dog, of course) and ease the stress of your day.

Q&A

Houseplants can make

chewing cats very sick

Q: I'm tired of shredded houseplants! Can you suggest plants that our two cats won't chew on?

A: We'd rather you satisfy your cats' desire to chew by offering safe plants for their pleasure, while removing all toxic foliage and cat-proofing the plants you want left alone.

Many common houseplants can make your cats ill, and a few can be deadly. Among the most dangerous are dieffenbachia, lily of the valley and philodendron. Various ivies and yews can be troublesome, too, and the bulbs of plants popular for "forcing" into early indoor bloom -- such as amaryllis, daffodils and tulips -- can cause problems for the cat who likes to dig and chew.

The Animal Poison Control Center (ASPCA.org/apcc) maintains a list of problem plants, and you should also be able to find such lists in most basic cat-care books. Check your household inventory against the "bad plant" list, and replace any dangerous plants with safer ones.

Indulge your pets by keeping planters of sprouting grasses growing in an accessible place for nibbling. Special blends of seeds for cats are available in pet stores and specialty shops, or you can purchase rye or wheat grass seeds at the nursery. Catnip, too, is something that's always better when fresh, as is valerian. While not all cats react to the pleasures of these plants, those who do will appreciate your keeping it in-house and using fresh cuttings to recharge cat posts, trees and toys.

When your cats have their own plants, you can work on keeping them away from yours. Plants on the ground or on low tables are the easiest targets, so make your houseplants less accessible to the bored and wandering cat. Put plants up high, or better yet -- hang them.

For the plants you can't move out of harm's way, make them less appealing by coating them with something your cats find disagreeable. Cat-discouragers include bitter apple, a nasty-tasting substance available at any pet-supply store, or Tabasco sauce from any grocery store. Whenever you find what your cat doesn't like, keep reapplying it to reinforce the point.

Pot your plants in heavy, wide-bottomed containers, and cover the soil of the problem plants with rough, decorative rock to end digging. Foil, waxed paper and double-sided tape are also effective digging deterrents, albeit less attractive ones. -- Dr. Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Powerful beaks give

parrots big leverage

-- The beaks of most parrots are remarkably well-designed for one of their most important tasks: cracking, crushing, prying or otherwise destroying the protective coatings around many of the foods they like to eat. Beaks should not be given routine trims: Overgrowth of the beak is frequently a sign of illness, such as liver disease or malnutrition. Any bird whose beak seems to be too long needs to see a veterinarian expert in avian medicine to determine the cause of the problem and treat it accordingly.

-- Viagra (sildenafil) is used for more than what it's most famous for. In veterinary medicine, the drug may be prescribed for severe pulmonary hypertension -- high blood pressure in the lungs.

-- Dealing with hairballs -- fur ingested as a cat grooms himself, then vomited back up in clumps -- is a normal part of living with a cat. Canned or fresh pureed pumpkin -- not pumpkin pie filling -- is a good way to increase the fiber in your cat's diet to help the hair work its way through your cat's digestive system. Many cats enjoy a teaspoon of pumpkin daily if it's mixed with something yummy, such as canned food or the water from a can of tuna or clams. Daily brushing can help prevent hairballs as well, by reducing the amount of hair a cat swallows. -- Dr. Marty Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts headed by “The Dr. Oz Show” veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker, founder of the Fear Free organization and author of many best-selling pet care books, and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. Joining them is behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.