Often we don’t think ahead when we decorate our home. We move in, happy with our surroundings, then decide to adopt a cat and realize we’ve done something wrong. Suddenly, you have a kitten climbing the drapes and clawing the needlepoint chair. The black Persian quickly becomes attached to your cream-colored sofa and the white cat can’t resist leaving her fur all over the plum-colored settee.
You know that lamp you adore with all of the shiny crystals dangling from around the shade? Well, Puss-Puss is going to love batting at those pretties. She’ll also enjoy playing Jungle-Baby amongst the potted trees you’ve so carefully cultivated. And you might as well pack away your satin bed spread because, after a few months or weeks with cats lounging and playing on it, it’ll be ready for the rag bag.
Some cats have their own ideas about home decorating. Our Lily, for example, is most happy when surrounded by her favorite toys. And I guess she thinks that makes me happy, too, as she spends a good part of the morning bringing me her stuffed animals along with my socks and placing them strategically around me as I work in my office.
Your wardrobe might change once you bring home a cat. Tip: Choose either a light-colored 
or a dark-colored cat—not both. Why? The light-colored cat fur will show up more on your dark-colored clothes and the dark cat fur will be evident on your light-colored clothes. If you have issues with shedding, while a short-hair cat seems like a better choice than a Persian or Maine coon or Angora, for example, I have to tell you that some short-haired cats shed like crazy. Here are additional tips for animal-friendly decorating.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/decor-aid/pet-friendly-home-decor-d_b_10260336.html?utm_hp_ref=cats
Announcement: Next week: June 13-15, Barbara Florio Graham will be GUEST BLOGGER on the topic of training your cat. Barbara won the $1,000 Sticky Paws award for the best article on training your cat in the 2002 Cat Writer’s Association writing competition. You’re going to be blown away to read how she trains her own cats and I couldn’t help but ask the question, why? Don’t miss this series of guest blogs.
