Being the owner of 2 fully clawed cats though, I gave up on the furniture years ago. Strategically placed blankets and room placement hides (sort of) the shredded bits.

Our house also tends to be a revolving door of other pets – our foster dog Herc, a 15 year old jack russell/chihuahua mix, recently went off to his permanent home, but before then spent much of his time shedding profusely on things. No sooner did Herc leave then my friend had an accident and went into the hospital. Her 3 month old kitten, Juliette, has been staying with us while she recovers, and while you wouldn’t think a 1 pound kitten could have such an impact on a household, this one is a going concern.

Charlie, the 70lb lab is terrified of her. Cat #1, Molly, who is blind, will allow the little one to charge and attack and play for only so long before she gets fed up and body slams little kitteh into the floor. Cat #2, Hillary, is more of a mentor to little Jules – coaching her on the ways of hunting fish in the aquarium, and getting into tight spots.

All that to say, what would we do without our pets? Sure, life would be less furry, scratchy, drooly and stinky. But it surely wouldn’t be as rich.