Granted, most of the polls on Facebook are garbage, but one recently caught my eye. The question was “Do you let you pets on the furniture?”. I know this was mostly aimed at dog owners, but the troubling thing for me was that more than zero people said “no”.
What exactly is the point of having a pet if you aren’t going to cuddle with it? Isn’t the interaction the reason for getting a pet in the first place?
Admittedly, keeping a cat off of anything is difficult. But mine know not to go on the stove or the kitchen counters. But outside of that, they are allowed on any surface in the house. Most especially on the couches, chairs and bed! I could not imagine it any other way.
And before I’m told I’m all wet because dogs are different, in the late 90s I did have a dog. Her name was Indy (short for Indiana for the George Lucas fans out there) and she was the best dog. She was about 70 pounds as an adult, but she thought she was a lap dog. She was smart, she was gentle, and yes, she was allowed on the furniture. My ex got custody of her when we divorced, and yes, he allowed her on the furniture the rest of her life. I could not imagine it any other way.
The biggest reason I hear for people not letting pets on furniture is that they shed. To that I say, so do you. Humans shed between 50 and 200 hairs a day. We also shed dead skin cells by the thousands. So, unless you also intend to sit on the floor at all times, that’s a terrible reason to keep your pet off the furniture.
I would also add that if you are that much more concerned about your home furnishings than your pet’s happiness and well being, then perhaps a pet isn’t right for you. Maybe you should look into fish or pet rocks – you know, something that won’t shed on your precious couch.