A house isn’t a home without a fuzzy little bestie. If you’re one of the 59.8 million households in the U.S. with a dog or 42.2 million households with a cat and have a bit of extra space, consider creating a pet room for your fur baby.
The Merck Veterinary Manual said that dogs “can benefit from having a dedicated space in which to rest or sleep.” And cats are reportedly drawn to enclosed spaces like cardboard boxes that give them “a sense of safety and comfort,” according to a Britannica article.
Usually these dedicated spaces have a blanket or a pet bed, but what about giving them their own room?
Canadian home renovation and dog owner influencer, Natalie Doef, transformed a closet into a dog den or bedroom for her pup Minnow. In an Instagram video, she said the project “saved so much space” and her dog sleeps there every night.
Doef also noted in her DIY Doggy Den Makeover post, where she showed the closet transformation, that she “moved all [her] clothes into the coat closet” and remarked, “gotta do whatcha gotta do!”
Long Island resident and animal rights activist, Julie Cappiello, said she made a pet room for her cats in her 1940s-era home’s mudroom.
“It’s about two and a half feet wide,” she said. “And then I have this, like, very large built-in closet that the previous owner put in.”
Cappiello adds that the room serves as a “safe space” for her cats to get some time away from her dogs.
“My cats are quite small, so they definitely needed space to kind of decompress and interact with [the dog] when they wanted to, but also where it’s, ‘Okay, a dog is not going to come up to me and want to play with me.’”
Remember, pups and cats are part of the family too. If you’ve been thinking about creating a pet room, here’s your guide to how to make that happen.
Where should my pet room be?
Depending on how much extra space you have, your pet’s room could range from a cozy nook to an entire room.
- A corner, mudroom or closet: If there’s an empty spot somewhere in the corner of your living room or home office, dedicate that corner to your pet. An extra closet or mudroom collecting dust is another perfect place to turn into an animal nook.
- Basement or garage: Clean out your basement or garage and transform it into a home for your pup or cat. This way, you don’t have to sacrifice any other rooms you use.
- Take advantage of free space if/when you’re an empty nester: Now that your kids may be all grown up and out of the house, it may be time to turn your kids’ childhood bedroom into a pet room.
- Create a new room: If you’re willing to invest some time and effort, perhaps you can downsize a large room in the house into two separate ones — thus, creating the separate private room of your pet’s dreams.
- Understairs nook: If you want to optimize space without compromising other rooms in your house, creating a nook under your stairs could be the way to go.
Also, consider the size of your animal when choosing where to make its home within a home. A corner nook may not be the best place for your husky, but it could be a perfect place for your shorthair cat. If you have a large dog or multiple pets, consider creating a larger space for them with an entire room.
How should I decorate my pet room?
Your pet room’s decor can include:
- A bed
- A kennel/crate
- Toy storage
- A leash, collar or harness hanger
- Blankets
- Food and water bowls
- Treats
- Lick mats or cat trees
- Pet themed photos either illustrations or photos of your pet
- Rugs
Why else should I consider a pet room?
A pet room can give your animal some free reign indoors in case they tend to mess up furniture in other rooms. And whenever guests with cynaphobia, ailurophobia or allergies are visiting, the pet room can serve as a humane, homey alternative to keeping your pet in a carrier or a cage.
Whether you’re looking for another home or looking to expand your current ones, think about where you might put your pet room during the process.
What are some pitfalls to a pet room?
A single dog on its own can cost at least $326 per year, and a single cat costs at least $340 annually. Investing in a pet room could expand that budget significantly.
If you want to create a new space like the under the stairs nook and create a whole new room in your house, it might be a good idea to figure out and plan a budget for the project.
Contractors hired to build a wall to separate two rooms could range from $973 to $3,176, according to data from Angie’s List. Urban Homecraft, whose clientele includes the founder and CEO of Apartment Therapy, estimated that understairs projects could cost $1,200 to $1,500 per linear foot.
If you’re not trying to spend a pretty penny on renovations, it might be worth giving that empty corner, garage or bedroom in your house a makeover instead.
Cappiello said she did not make any renovations to her mudroom, but spent time cleaning out the area to make space for her cats. She said she spent just under $500 on items like a cat tree, toys, a carpet runner and beds to make their cat room more cozy.
No matter if you choose to renovate a part of your house or not, your pet will thank you for giving them a pet room of their own.