Cat Parents are Embracing 'Garbage Interior Design' Because Kitties Are Adorably Destructive

After my kids outgrew the sticky-finger toddler phase, we decided to buy a new sofa—a gorgeous tobacco leather Chesterfield that I envisioned keeping until they graduated from college. Our cats were pros at using the scratching post, the dog was too small to jump on the sofa, and I had finally trained my husband not to spill wine anywhere.

Then we rescued a stray kitten.

Kittens can be trained not to scratch furniture. You can keep their nails trimmed, rub catnip on scratching posts, and even buy them cute little glittery nail covers to protect your furniture. But despite your efforts, they still jump, and your upholstery still gets marred—which is exactly what happened to my beautiful leather sofa. Have you ever priced getting a sofa recovered? It basically costs the same as getting a brand new sofa. So my sofa is artfully draped with blankets and now the dog sleeps on it and I'm pretty sure wine has been spilled on it.

Not my cat, but this tracks!

Pets ruin things. It's just that simple. My beautiful wool rug? A puppy we were watching chewed a hole in it before we could stop him. The underside of my other sofa has all the lining ripped out because my cats love sleeping in it. Sure, it isn't visible but it still bothers me knowing it's there.

So what to do? Especially if you love animals and want them to share your home but you can't spend every second wandering around with a spray bottle waiting for your cat to burrow into your living room chair. I vote we just go with it. That's right, we embrace the Garbage Aesthetic and realize our home will never look like it came out of Architectural Digest , as long as we have animals living in it.

According to a survey conducted by Redecor, entitled Pet-sthetic: New Survey Uncovers How Man’s Best Friend Impacts Interior Design :

Garbage Aesthetic is Trending, Especially If You Own a Cat

• 52% of cat owners admit to leaving garbage/recycling out around their home because their pet enjoyed sleeping or playing with them – only 36% of dog owners said the same.
• Counters are off limits for 54% of cat owners and 83% of dog owners have a “no pets on the bed” rule.
• Cats are more destructive than dogs: 54% of cat owners had to throw out a piece of furniture because of damage done by their cat.

The survey also states that

• 42% of respondents said they have intentionally not purchased an item for their home that they loved because they were concerned their pet would ruin it.

Now, I’m not advocating for living in filth. Use a lint roller to remove every bit of hair from your furniture! Keep those litter boxes spotless! And when your cat inevitably pukes on the dining room table, scrub it clean and disinfect it until it’s pristine enough to perform heart surgery on!

But maybe we embrace the scratched up sofa, and the drapes with the lining torn, the random water bottle cap we find on the floor that our cat loves to play with more than any $10 cat dancer. Maybe instead of wanting our homes to look like a spread in Elle Decor we realize the love and joy our cats give us is worth more than any Pinterest perfect version of what we thought our adult homes would look like, until we realized exactly how much our cats shed.

Cat owners? It's time to embrace the Garbage Aesthetic. And our adorable cats.

Things That Will Help Keeping Your Cat-Run Casa Clean

Get a Chom Chom . I cannot tell you how much I love my Chom Chom. I buy them as gifts for other pet owners. They are one of the best things you can get for removing cat fur. They cost like $24.99 and they are worth their weight in gold.

You also need a good vacuum. We own a Miele. It's ridiculously expensive. But I also own a Shark that sucks up pet hair like a champ. I always hear great things about the Bissell pet line but I have never tried one.

Mops are great but I can't really suggest anything other than an old school wring mop. I do love me a Swiffer for in-between mopping to remove cat fur and dust.

My Maine Coon cat loves nothing more than splashing his water all over. A boot tray helps contain spills and saves my sanity.

I hate to tell you this, but your litter box probably stinks. Mine does not, because I have a Clorox Air Purifier plugged in next to my litter box and this machine is amazing for removing bad smells and germs and improving your home's air quality.

Speaking of litter boxes, a Litter Genie will do wonders for your scooping and also keeping your home smelling like anything close to a litter box.

If your cat has destroyed your sofa I have heard good things about Joybird sofas for being pet-friendly but I have never personally owned one. Burrow is another brand that is supposed to have pet friendly fabrics.

Or you could be like me and just, you know, embrace the garbage aesthetic and put blankets all over your sofa. My cats love it!