Have you ever wondered how to keep a house clean with a cat? As a proud owner of a cat and a cat enclosure specialist, I have to say that sharing a house with a feline friend comes with both joys and challenges. Over the years, I have learned that, with a little planning and some tricks, one can keep a neat and clean home and still offer their feline friend a safe and enriching environment.
Cat owners with cats in their homes often have to deal with fine, floating fur and the clumps of hair that come off during a normal pat. Not to mention hair puddles left from Kitty’s day snoozing on the couch. Then there are muddy footprints across freshly mopped floors, the unpleasant odour of a used litter box, and, worst of all, when your cat decides to urinate on a corner of the carpet or spray the leg of your favourite chair. You might be wondering how to keep your home clean with cats and free of fur amidst all this.
In this blog, I’ll share my top practical tips for keeping your house clean with cats based on my years of experience and professional knowledge. Keeping your cat-loving home clean is all about getting into a daily routine, having the right tools and products, and understanding why cats do what they do.
Read on to find out more!
Do Cats Like a Clean House? Understanding Feline Cleanliness Preferences
We all know that cats are fastidiously clean creatures, who spend a lot of time combing through their fur and wiping clean their faces and ears. But did you know why cats groom themselves and want their environment to be clean? According to the good people at Kings Veterinary Hospital, it is recommended to provide a truly cat-friendly home, and it is also important to understand and provide a cat’s cleanliness needs.
Just like us humans, cats naturally differentiate between where they live and where they poop- a basic principle of good hygiene. Cats also like to keep their bathroom and hunting as separate activities, so food and toilet trays should never be kept next to each other.
To help cats maintain their high standards, you must scoop litter trays daily, and replace litter material if it gets too soiled. Otherwise, you may find yourself the recipient of a “dirty tray protest” where a cat decides the only clean enough place to take that poop is in the middle of your favourite new rug.Having a secure outdoor area with cat enclosures built by Kittysafe is a great way of allowing cats to maintain their cleanliness preferences by making it very clear that outdoors is for pooping and inside is for eating, sleeping and snuggles with owners.
10 Practical Tips on How to Keep Your House Clean with Cats
To keep your house clean with cats, you need to manage a few key things. Firstly, fur. Some cats definitely shed more than others, but cat owners will always come across some hairy situations, with fur getting on clothing, bedding, couches or just flying through the air. Fur is definitely something to get on top of! Then you’ll want to keep surfaces clean. They may be angels when we are around, but ultimately cats will do exactly what they want, and that trip from the litter tray to your breakfast bar might just be its next move. Keeping litter trays clean is also vital to ensure kitty isn’t driven to use your pillow as its bathroom place because the tray is just too smelly and dirty. And finally, you’ll want to make sure you have everything you need on hand to clean up any accidents, protests or unwanted territory marking.
Here are Kittysafe’s top 10 tips for keeping your house clean with cats:
- Vacuum: A good vacuum cleaner is worth its weight in gold if you have cats. Vacuuming daily or, at the very least, weekly is a good way of keeping your home clean and fur-free. A vacuum cleaner with a good rotating brush attachment to remove fur from carpets, couches, and curtains is a really good investment.
- Brush Your Cat: Why not preempt the fur by giving your cat a good weekly brush? You’d be surprised how much fine fur can be removed from a tiny cat in just a few brush strokes! Regular brushing not only keeps your home clean but also helps reduce shedding and keeps your cat’s coat healthy and shiny.
- Wipe down counters: Before cooking or serving at the table, it’s always a good idea to give it a wipe with a good disinfectant. Also, consider decluttering by not leaving cooking items like chopping boards, plates, or bowls out where cats might be tempted to give them a surreptitious lick, sniff, or sit when you are not looking.
- Invest in a quality clothes brush: A clothes brush is a must-have if you have a cuddly cat! Cats shed a lot, so your clothes will be covered in fur. If you don’t mind looking like your cat, you can just wear the same color as them. But if you want to keep your clothes fur-free, a good lint brush or sticky roller is super helpful. It will help with sweeping all those pesky hairs off your favorite jacket or sweater.
- Clean Toilet Trays: Cats need clean litter trays, and soiled litter trays can be extremely stenchy and make your home unpleasant for inhabitants and visitors. Daily or twice daily scooping wll reduce unpleasant odours, and prevent the “dirty tray protest” which might drive your cat to eliminate on your rug because it’s the only clean spot they can find!
- Put on a rubber glove: You’d be surprised how useful a slightly damp rubber glove can be when it comes to removing cat fur from clothes and furniture. Just put the glove on, dampen it slightly, then rub over the surface to clump up the fur and remove it easily.
- Clean accidents with enzymatic cleaners or vinegar: Accidents will happen, so you may as well be prepared to keep your home clean. After blotting up as much of the mess as possible, using an enzymatic cleaner, which can break down urine and bacteria, will prevent lingering odours and any traces of scent which might attract your cat to use the area again. Cleaning vinegar can also be used for the same effect.
- Invest in an outdoor cat enclosure: Because cats like to keep their eating and elimination places separate, providing a separate outdoor area for toileting needs can really help reinforce that indoors is not a place for elimination. An outdoor area with scratching posts and places to roll and encourage that fur to shed will also reduce the amount of fur circulating inside your environment. Not to mention, your couch might not become Kitty’s preferred scratching post minimizing scratching behaviours.
- Protect the furniture: Cat’s fur can stick to furniture, making it one of the biggest challenges when it comes to keeping your house clean. To manage fur effectively, consider using removable, washable covers or throws to catch the hair before it settles on the couch. If you prefer the aesthetics of an uncovered couch, go for materials like leather or microfiber, which are easier to wipe down. Regularly brushing your cat can also help reduce shedding, making it less likely for fur to cling to your furniture.
- Air out the home regularly: Cat litter boxes, even when cleaned regularly, can sometimes leave behind lingering odours. Ventilating your home is a simple and effective way to keep the air fresh and odour-free. You can either open windows or use exhaust fans to create airflow, especially in rooms where the litter box is kept. This not only helps to eliminate unwanted smells but also ensures a cleaner, healthier environment for both you and your cat.
Final Thoughts: Keeping Your Home Clean with Cats
Keeping a clean house with cats doesn’t need to be a chore. Concentrating on fur removal, wiping down surfaces and keeping those litter trays clean are the foundations of keeping a clean environment for you and your cat. In most cases, these are activities which you would already be familiar with as regular cleaning tasks around the house. Cats, like humans, enjoy clean environments, fresh food and fresh toileting places, and will be encouraged to treat your home respectfully as far as elimination habits go when its needs for a clean toileting area and separate eating area are met.
An outdoor cat enclosure is a great way of providing your cat with a space to roll and scratch and leave fur outside of the home, as well as have a firm boundary between where it should attend to its elimination needs and where it should be sleeping and eating. And because life is not perfect, it’s best to be prepared for the occasional accident by having a good, cat-specific cleaner on hand to deal with any urine stains or odours.
FAQs
How do I stop my house from smelling like a cat?
Cats don’t usually have a strong scent, but their actions can sometimes leave a bad smell. The most important thing to do is provide your car with a regularly cleaned litter tray so they won’t be tempted to use your clean rug instead! Even better, get your litter trays outside by installing a cat netting enclosure. And if your car has the occasional accident, an enzyme based cleaner which breaks down urine and bacteria can prevent odours from lingering is the best choice. You should also regularly clean cats bedding, and have furniture and carpets steamed yearly to remove any cat odours.
How often should I vacuum with cats?
Cats vary in the amount they shed, and owning more than one cat will also increase the amount of fur that will build up around your home. A good vacuuming schedule therefore could range from daily to weekly, depending on your situation. If you are noticing fur buildup on couches and beds, or dust bunnies in the hallway, it’s a good idea to break out the vacuum cleaner.
How do you keep an apartment clean with cats?
The main things you need to tackle are vacuuming up fur, sanitising counters, keeping litter trays clean and cleaning up accidents with a good enzyme based product. Most of these things will just be part of a normal household cleaning routine so won’t actually mean more work. A regularly maintained litter tray is a vital component of keeping an apartment clean with cats, as it will remove any need for the cat to find alternative cleaner places for elimination. Having an open window for fresh air and ventilation will also stop a buildup of stale smells in your home.
How do you get cat fur off clothes?
A lint roller and clothes brush will usually do the trick. Keeping cats out of freshly laundered clothes in the basket or open drawers and wardrobes is also worth keeping in mind! Some people claim that a slightly damp rubber glove is a great tool to brush fur off clothes and household fabrics.
Do cats need to be washed?
Unless they have got themselves covered in mud or some other sticky substance, a healthy cat does not need to be bathed. Cats will groom themselves, and owners can help them through regular brushing to keep the fur down. Most cats really don’t like water or being held down, so bathing a cat is not only unnecessary, but also cruel.
Do cats like houses to be clean?
They may not be able to tell you, but cats really do appreciate and need clean houses. Cats are very careful to clean themselves, clean each other, and bury their waste away from their sleeping and eating places. Your cat will be much happier, and much less prone to using your house as an extended litter tray, if you ensure access to a regular cleaned toileting tray and a separate clean eating area.
