Clutter Hack: How to Organize Your Pets' Stuff

dog and catBetween the toys, treats, leashes, crates, pills, sprays, food and grooming supplies, your pets’ stuff can quickly become an organizational nightmare. Here’s how I keep my cat Noni and Benny Bix Ochman Labradoodle Puppy’s stuff organized.
** Leashes and harnesses are on a hook right next to the door, so is a box of plastic bags for pickup.
** Portable play: A canvas shoulder bag we take to the park every morning is right by the front door. It contains plastic bags, a water bottle, a frisbee and a tennis ball.
There’s also a a Boson’s Whistle. Benny is trained to come when I use it, and he can hear it even when he is out of the range of my voice.
** Food: Dry food for the cat and the dog are in separate heavy-duty plastic containers with lids. They’re on the counter, with a measuring cup inside. (In addition to kibble, Benny gets raw meat, cooked veggies and marrow bones. I’ll tell you how I organize the preparation and storage in another post.)
The cat’s dish is on the counter because he’d never get to eat otherwise. (Cat food is second only to cat poop at a doggie delicacy.)[LG]These are great pet storage containers.[/LG]
** Cat litter: is kept in the bathtub so it’s not spilled all over the bathroom floor. Walking on cat litter barefoot, as you undoubtedly know if you’ve done it, is painful. And the shower curtain gives the cat some privacy. The litter is in a cabinet in the bathroom, along with litter pan liners.
** Medications – are in the same cabinet as our human vitamins, and we keep Frontline, heartworm pills, ear cleaning supplies, doggie toothbrush and toothpaste, in a drawer.
** Toy storage : The cat, alas, has none of those cute little mice and other tiny cat toys because the dog eats them. He gets catnip, and we play with him with his Cat Dancer and his all-time fave toy, a leather shoestring.
The dog toys are out of hand. Benny likes them on the living room floor. We put them away, he takes them out and strews them around. So far, every solution we’ve have tried has been eaten. But the search continues for the perfect container. Suggestions, anyone?

0 thoughts on “Clutter Hack: How to Organize Your Pets' Stuff

  1. mary

    My solution is not very good. I pick the toys up every night. There aren’t many toys nowadays b/c my dog (a chessie) eats them. Instead of wasting money on plastic toys I go to the butcher and have them cut up cow bones for me. These are great b/c it takes her 1 hr or more to clean them and it cleans her teeth also.

     
  2. BL Ochman

    Mary – i’ve done well with Tough Chew toys from Orvis http://tinyurl.com/2knekf
    Benny has *some* stuffed toys he won’t tear up, but eventually he gets at all of them – except the one he came home with from the breeder, two years ago. He likes to sleep with that one in his mouth.
    I give Benny frozen marrow bones and raw chicken wings (he eats a mostly raw diet) and those keep his teeth sparkling white, but i don’t think of them as toys. he still needs to tug and fetch.

     
  3. Kimberly Spencer

    That’s a wonderful blog entry, thanks for sharing. We just started a blog ourselves and I’m a complete newbie at this so kudos for such a good job on your blog! Good read by the way, thanks again for your efforts, I very much appreciated reading your thoughts. 🙂

     
  4. Eva Wallace

    Thanks Kimberly! It’s really pretty fun once you get rolling – Good luck with your blog!

     
  5. Andrew M

    I had the same issue with my dog going after the cat’s toys. The solution was quite easy, just get a plastic bin with a top and apply some Apple Bitters to the top area. The dog went for the bin and tried to get the top off and instantly learned not to. Apple Bitters is completely safe and available in several different styles, from a sprayer to dropper. Good luck!