How to Be a Better Pet Parent
Even though they're not our flesh and blood family, that doesn't stop us from thinking of our pets as our little babies.
They count on us to care and provide for them, and their whole lives consist of spending time with us. Even better, they don't have a crying baby stage, a know-it-all preteen stage or a careless teenage attitude—they are literally the perfect children.
If you want to be the ultimate pet mom, keep scrolling for all our best tips on how to be a better pet parent.
Be Patient
Even though pets don't have an attitude or the ability to talk back like real children, they're still a lot of work. They need to be fed, played with, entertained, allowed to use the bathroom—in general, they just require a lot of your time. It can be easy to get annoyed with how much your pet needs from you, but the key to being an awesome pet parent is staying patient, even when your furry pal is driving you crazy.
Remember, your pet counts on you for their every need. While it's a big responsibility, it's also super rewarding to know that you're taking care of another living creature. Next time your little guy drives you up the wall, take a few deep breaths and remember how much you love them before you lose your patience.
Make Sure Their Home Is Safe
When you have a pet, you're fully responsible for their safety and well-being. While accidents might happen, you can avoid your pet being hurt by making sure that their home is safe. For fish, guinea pigs and any other caged pets, this means cleaning out their cage regularly, and ensuring that it's in a warm and dry place that has no risk of hazards falling on top of it. For cats and dogs, this means moving chemicals, clothes, shoes, dangerous objects they could swallow and anything else that you want your pet to stay away from out of their reach. Your pets are curious and they want to explore, so you have to make sure that no matter where they are kept, they are out of harm's way.
Give Them Plenty of Exercise
Unless your pet is a fish, it's pretty likely that your animal needs exercise to stay happy and healthy. Whether it's letting your hamster roll around in their ball for a few minutes every day or taking your dog on a walk every morning, exercise will keep your pet in good shape and ready to play with you for years to come. Plus, running around and playing with your pet is an awesome way to bond and show them just how much you love them.
Pay Attention to Their Food
Just like exercise, food is essential to keeping your pet healthy. The amount of food you feed them, the type of food you choose and how often they are fed are all important parts of making sure your pet gets all the nutrients they need. High quality and natural ingredients are usually better for your pet's health, as they keep harmful chemicals out of your pet's body. Every bag of food should have a recommended serving size and frequency dependent on your pet's weight and age. Make sure you follow the instructions and give your little buddy all the yummy nourishment they need to stay in tip-top shape.
Buy Them All The Toys
When it comes to spoiling your little baby, toys are the best way to do it. Toys give your pet something to do when there's no one around to play with them, and it gives the two of you something to do together when taking them out of the house sounds like too much work. For cats and dogs especially, toys are essential. These little critters love to run around and break into things, often scratching up furniture or chewing on your favorite pair of shoes. Not only will toys save your personal items from disaster, they will also make your pet much happier because they'll be able to explore their natural instincts without getting into trouble.
Research
Part of effectively taking care of a pet involves knowing what your specific animal needs. If you don't know an answer to a question, research it! Whether it's the best type of food for them, what kind of shots they need to stay healthy or why they seem sluggish and inactive, you have a whole internet's wealth of knowledge at your disposal that can help you find the answers. In order to meet your pet's need, you first have to know what they need. Finding the answers to all your burning questions will always help you to be a better momma to your lil' critter.
Remind Them That You Love Them
Whether it's giving them a belly rub or talking to them in full-on baby voice, make sure you take time to remind your pet that you love them. Days are busy and sometimes we can all forget to let our babies know how much they mean to us. Animals understand a lot more than we give them credit for, so make sure your pet always knows how much you love them. It will make the two of you much closer, and it will give them all the warm and fuzzies to know that you care so much about them.
If you love your pup so much that you just want to tell the world about it, click HERE for nine Instagram captions for photos of your dog.