My husband and I are having an ongoing debate on what constitutes the proper way to serve our cat her dinner.
Sometimes, when I'm in a hurry, I simply open the cat food can and place it in front of Cuddles. The white-and-gray cat gives me a plaintive look as if searching for direction. So I officially announce (as if it really mattered), "There's your dinner" and move on to feeding the dogs.My husband thinks Cuddles prefers food in a bowl.This proves how much our pets have taken over our lives — and in fact, they now are determining what type of sofa we'll buy. This catering to family pets is nothing new to Julia Szabo, author of "Animal House Style" (Bulfinch Press, $19.95). The self- proclaimed expert on the subject of living stylishly with pets — she has six cats and six dogs — can filibuster on the pros and cons of nearly every sofa fabric ever to meet the business end of a beagle.Turns out leather is not a good choice for a sofa."A lot of people think that leather ages well, but nine times out of 10, the aroma of leather is like a giant rawhide to dogs," she says in a phone interview.I witnessed this animal attraction when I visited a friend's home in San Diego. I caught the dog licking their leather couch as if it were a filet mignon. And I noticed how the leather was marked with scratches.Szabo says you can forget about a sofa with wood trim or legs. A puppy is likely to view the legs as the perfect teething toy. I can attest to this, as several of the legs of our dining room chairs have bite marks from our dog, Bagel. That's the same dog who turned our shabby chic-style chaise to just plain shabby.Instead of leather, Szabo advises pet owners to look for microfiber upholstery. She particularly likes the Ultrasuede brand. The New York resident became a believer when one of her dogs destroyed her 7-foot leather sofa after a few hours home alone."Ultrasuede doesn't have an odor or retain odor," she says. "The pet hair doesn't poke through the fabric. It stays on the surface. It can also be spot-cleaned."Sofas with durable denim cotton slipcovers are another good bet because cushion covers can be removed and machine-washed, she says. She also advises not to buy dark fabrics, such as brown or dark blue."Try a color in the middle," she says. "A fabric that's too dark will show as much dirt as white does."But even chic white slipcovers and pets can work, Szabo says."If you use white or do a dark pattern, you have to really be efficient in keeping it clean," she says. "You could do a light green, oatmeal or khaki color."A true animal lover, Szabo is saddened when she hears people say they don't want to adopt a pet because "of the mess." She also doesn't like the idea of declawing pets."You should customize your furniture, not your pet," she says.Szabo's book is filled with color photographs of dogs and cats relaxing on chairs, chaises and sofas."The sofa is without question most people's biggest furniture investment," she writes, "and a key element of any interior. In an animal house, however, the coach is also the embodiment of critter comforts, an upholstered landmark that magically draws pets to nest on, in, and behind it."A home that is decorated with pet-friendly ideas — hardwood floors instead of carpet or coffee tables without sharp edges — has the advantage of being people-friendly as well, Szabo says."It's not silly or frivolous to keep pets in mind when decorating. Pets give so much to our lives."