Pet Clean Up Hints and TIps

Your pet - whether it's a dog, a cat or another type of furry or feathered animal - can bring enjoyment to your life. It can also bring its share of messes because, like humans, pets have to eat and eliminate. Keeping your pet clean by using the following cleanup tips and strategies can help you maintain your animal's health and beauty.

1. Brush often. For dogs and cats, regular brushing can help collect excess fur before it ends up on your floors, furniture or clothes and becomes a bigger cleanup problem. Typically, long-haired pets need more frequent brushing than short-haired pets. Use a soft- or medium-bristled brush designed for use on pets and brush the animal in the direction that its fur naturally lies.

2. Give baths. Dogs should be bathed when they begin to smell or are visibly dirty. Most dogs don't mind getting wet and can be washed in a bathtub or outdoors with a garden hose. Use a standard dog shampoo, available from most pet stores. Cats generally groom themselves and don't need bathing unless they have gotten feces or urine on their fur. Place a towel under the cat in a large sink or bathtub and holding the cat firmly so that it feels secure. Gently pour water over the cat instead of trying to submerge it.

3. Replace bedding. Some pets, like hamsters and gerbils, are raised on bedding material like wood shavings. Removing half of the litter every couple of weeks and replacing it with fresh litter helps keep the area smelling fresh. Waiting until all of the litter is soiled may result in a more difficult cleaning procedure and a definite buildup of smells, which can be especially noxious if the pet is kept indoors.

4. Remove bird waste. Caged pet birds have a tendency to knock their food and water around. Reduce the cleanup process by keeping the bird's cage on a plastic sheet. Instead of having to sweep the area, you can simply pickup the sheet and empty it over a waste basket to quickly discard of any bits of waste that may have escaped the cage's boundaries.

5. Deodorize pet urine. Even a house-trained dog or cat may occasionally have an accident and deposit urine on your carpet or furniture. This can not only stain the area, but it may also create a terrible smell. For the best results, use an enzyme-based cleaning spray formulated for pet urine. Such products are available in most pet stores. The enzymes break down the proteins within the urine that cause the smell. This is critically important when treating either dog or cat urine, since the smell of old urine may encourage the animal to return to the area to deposit urine again.

References:

1. "Pet Clean-up Made Easy: Tackle Any Pet Mess, Any Time, in a Snap"; Don Aslett; 2005
2. "The Complete Pet Bird Owner's Handbook"; Gary Gallerstein; 2003
3. University of Florida: Grooming Cats
4. Berkley Business College Parents Network: Animal Urine