Creating a Multi-Sensory Oasis for Your Pets
Creating a Multi-Sensory Oasis for Your Pets: Enhancing Home Life Beyond Basics
A dog’s sense of smell is said to be up to 10 million times more sensitive than a human’s, and cats have 200 million odor sensors in their noses compared to humans (who have 5 million). These statistics are a powerful indicator of the extent to which our pets rely on their senses to make sense of their environment and, of course, to satisfy their curiosity. If you enjoy diffusing essential oils or wearing your favorite perfume, know that your pets, too, can benefit from the creation of a multisensory environment where they can indulge their sense of smell (and all other senses).
The Sense of Smell
To make full use of the profound sense of smell your four-pawed friends have, consider diffusing pet-friendly essential oils through your home, or use a small amount of diluted, vet-approved therapeutic-grade essential oils like lavender or chamomile. These oils are known to help battle stress and induce a state of calm, so they are ideal for diffusion or a pet massage at the end of the day. You can also plant fragrant herbs and flowers, but ensure you first read the ASPCA’s list of plants that are toxic to dogs and cats. If you have any other animals, check that your indoor plant choice won’t harm them. If you bring your dog to work, take it to your outdoor landscaped space if you have one. Many offices these days have a blend of hardscapes and grassy areas so go for greener zones where you can play fetch with your dog or simply lie in the grass to relax during your break. Be wary of pointy plants like succulents, which many businesses are installing in their landscaped zones because they vastly reduce the amount of water needed to keep green spaces flourishing.
The Sense of Taste
Provide your pooch or kitty with a wide array of snacks with different textures. Think raw carrots, lettuce, berries, mangos, and a host of other foods that some pets surprisingly love. When crafting your snacks, once again check out prohibited ingredients online. For instance, for dogs, avoid onions, leeks, chives, garlic, cherries, many nuts, rhubarb, mushrooms, corn on the cob, grapes, raisins, and chocolate. Cats also are allergic to allium species of vegetables (such as onions and garlic), and should not be given grapes and raisins.
The Sense of Touch
Delight your dog and cat with ultra-soft, supportive beds and soft cozy blankets for the fall and winter seasons. Take them to play on various different surfaces, including leaf mulch, beach sand, and grass. Dogs love getting their paws dirty so even if you live far from the beach, consider building a mini sandpit in your garden and burying a favorite toy so they can expend excess energy digging it up! If you have cats, provide numerous scratching posts of various heights throughout your home, so they can enjoy digging their nails into them. For both pet types, invest in toys of various textures.
The Sense of Sight
To delight your pets’ sense of sight, provide a host of items they can look at… from pot plants and hanging plants to brightly colored toys in hues like blue and yellow for dogs and red and green for cats. Create safe window perches, from which your pets can view the world and wait for family members to arrive home. Fish tanks or moving objects, safe laser pointers, and treat labyrinths can all invite your pets’ attention. Some pets enjoy viewing tablets, so download a few dedicated apps for pets and see their reaction! Top apps to download include Furrific (in which your pet has to catch toys that appear on the screen) and Jolly Pet (which features a host of bright, squeaky toys that run around the screen, waiting to be caught).
The Sense of Sound
Soft, classical music can help calm a pet down, as can a white noise machine, which can help quell anxiety during fireworks season and indeed any time your pet is anxious. You can also indulge this sense by buying them toys that squeak and crinkle. If your pet responds to video chats, leave them a tablet while you’re at work and talk to them once in a while. Try to notice if they respond to the sound of your voice.
When creating a multisensory space, keep your pet’s preferences in mind. Plan out how you can stimulate their senses, starting with one sense at a time to keep it easy. From tablet-based games to crunchy foods, there are so many ways to engage your pet and keep them stimulated and excited about learning new things.
Article by: Nina S.
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