You’ve decided that you want to add a new pet to your home, which means that you need to think about how you can prepare yourself and your family for your new addition. The fact is that when you bring a new pet into your home, you need to make sure that you are taking the time to properly prepare for its arrival. You need to make sure that you are also thinking about your home – and those you share your home with – and how you can prepare everyone.
There’s a lot that you need to consider when it comes to adding a new pet to your home, it’s not just a case of picking a pet and bringing them home. You also need to think about how to adapt your home and lifestyle to ensure that you’re able to meet the needs of your new addition.
Wondering what it takes to prepare to add a new pet to your home? Below are a few tips and ideas for how you can go about preparing to add a new pet to your home.
Think about space
One of the first things that you need to think about when it comes to adding a new pet to your home is space. Pets take up space and it’s important to think about what area you’re going to dedicate to be your pets own individual space – somewhere that they can feel safe and comfortable and can relax in.
If you have a laundry room or a conservatory, it might be that you have decided to make this area your pet’s space. However, if you don’t have enough room in your home to dedicate a whole area to your new pet, then you might want to think about dedicating a corner of another room to them and their stuff. You want your new pet to feel safe and secure, don’t you? Providing them with a safe space of their own is important for doing that.
How secure is your garden
It is also important to think about factors such as how secure your garden is and how safe it is for a pet. Of course, how secure your garden is will depend on the pet – it’s often far easier to keep dogs inside gardens rather than cats, however with the right approach it is possible to keep both dogs and cats safely enclosed.
However, while your garden might be secure for a larger dog or an adult cat, that doesn’t mean that it’s secure for a kitten or puppy, for instance. Younger animals are smaller in size, and thus can fit through smaller gaps, so it’s important to make sure that your entire garden is as secure as possible. To prevent this from being an issue, you could opt to get a puppy play pen to keep your new pet safe while outside.
If you are adopting a cat and want to keep your cat within the confines of your home and garden – various studies have shown that indoor cats live longer and are healthier than outdoor cats – then you might want to consider investing in some fence spinners to prevent your cat from being able to escape.
Invest in the essentials
When it comes to preparing for the arrival of your new pet, you also need to think about making sure that you have all of the essentials on hand. It can often seem a little overwhelming when it comes to adding a pet to your home, however it doesn’t have to be – it’s just a case of taking the time to know what you need to buy to look after them properly.
If you want to keep your new pet out of certain areas of the house, then you might want to invest in a stairgate for each room that your pet won’t be allowed in. There are also net alternatives to solid stairgates, if you would rather use a netted, soft product rather than an actual gate.
You also need to think about buying some sleeping essentials for your new addition. The last thing that you want is for your new puppy or kitten to have nowhere comfortable or safe to sleep, so investing in a dedicated pet for them is important. This is even more important if you already have other pets that have their ow beds, as you don’t want the new addition to feel pushed out.
It is also a good idea to create a dedicated feeding station for your new addition. You want them to feel comfortable to be able to eat and drink in peace. It is a good idea to set this up somewhere quiet and calm, so that they can eat and drink whenever they want to. For your feeding station, you will need a silicone pet feeding mat, feeding bowls, a water bowl or if you want to give your pet access to fresh water a water foundation can offer a good alternative.
Don’t forget to buy a selection of pet toys and treats for your new pet. Your new pet is most likely going to be extremely playful, so it is important for their wellbeing that you make sure they have access to a selection of toys to keep their minds occupied. There are some fantastic toys available online, with the Catit range being particularly impressive in terms of interactive toy designs.
As for treats, if you want to give your new addition training treats, you need to make sure that you have bought puppy or kitten specific treats to give them. Adult treats will be too strong for them, so using treats designed for their air group is extremely important.
There you have it, everything that you need to know about adding a new pet to your family. There’s a lot that you need to think about and consider, but hopefully, the guide above will help you to properly prepare for their arrival and the first few weeks afterwards.
