Keep Pets From Destroying Your Stuff

Then I direct my cat’s scratching impulses to a cat scratcher placed near her favorite scratching spots. I’ve tested dozens of cat scratchers with the help of 74 cats and kittens at a local rescue group, and these are my favorite scratching posts.

Prevent pets from peeing on everything

Pets sometimes pee where they’re not meant to — whether it’s because of poor training, a behavioral problem, or just an accident. And in a household full of stuff, it can be challenging to find just where the stench originates. Directing that behavior onto pet-friendly alternatives and reinforcing your pet’s good behavior with treats or praise will help your belongings stay pee-free.

Pads like the Iris Neat ‘n Dry aid in housebreaking dogs who think everything in sight is a tree, and they work well for elderly dogs who need a designated place to go indoors. The pads absorb liquids quickly, turning urine into a gel, so your dog won’t track pee-soaked paws through your home. Sutton learned the difference between a training pad and the rug at lightning speed whenever I fed her a pea-sized serving of cheese each time she used the pads or peed outdoors.

Cats who sneak behind the sofa to urinate can be dissuaded if you place a strip of aluminum foil back there (because they hate unfamiliar textures). But if they continue to relieve themselves nearby, they’re probably protesting a change in their environment — like if you switched to a scented cat litter or a smaller, hooded litter box for human convenience. Reverting back to your cat’s bathroom preferences may be a quick, inexpensive fix — as is scooping the litter box daily or having enough litter boxes in a multi-cat home. The A.S.P.C.A. offers a thorough explanation on litter box issues.

Other times, marking behavior can be a sign of a bigger concern, such as stress or pain. Synthetic pheromone sprays and diffusers can reduce territorial marking and alleviate newfound stress, say, if you’ve recently moved or added a new pet to the home. Wirecutter likes Feliway products for cats and Adaptil products for dogs.

But if your pet howls when they’re marking, or you see blood in their urine, it’s best to get them to the vet to rule out a urinary tract infection or other medical concerns.

Stop them from chewing on your things

Puppies and kittens are both prone to snacking on unattended, tasty-looking USB-C charging cables, and those resulting frayed cords may damage your equipment with improper power flow, are fire hazards, and can cause electrocution. Keep your home-office buddy safe by wrangling tangled-up cords with reusable cable ties, cable sleeves, and a power strip hider. Then lift them out of paw’s reach and secure them with a wall hook or tape them to the underside of your desk.