I have a dog and a cat. Like me, they love Christmas – but not for the same reasons! They love Christmas because they get extra treats; there are lots of decorations to play with; and when friends and family come to visit, they usually get a lot of extra attention. This season, keep your pets happy and your floors looking beautiful with these helpful tips.

1.	When you put out milk and cookies for Santa, make sure they’re out of reach of your pets. You don’t want Santa finding spilled milk and cookie crumbs on your floor – and your dog and cat with milk mustaches!
2.	Don’t gift-wrap cat nip and put it under the tree as a present for your cat. Trying to get to it will drive your pet crazy – and create a mess!

3.	Use a tree skirt or large towel under your tree stand in case your dog forgets where his real water dish is located.
4.	Don’t hang your ornaments too low on your tree. Cats love to bat at shiny objects. If Kitty does knock down an ornament, get out the vacuum right away, so the shards aren’t tracked all over your floor.
5.	If you’re entertaining guests over the holidays, move your cat and dog dishes away from foot traffic.
6.	On your holiday to-do list, don’t forget your pets have needs too! And if you don’t tend to them, you’ll have another item to add to your list: mopping!
7.	Holidays can be a time of anxiety for some pets since their routines will be interrupted. Get your pets’ nails trimmed, so they don’t scratch or claw your floor in their excitement.
8.	If you’re thinking about getting a new floor, but are concerned about your pets, we have a solution. Armstrong offers many pet-friendly floors, like our Alterna and Alterna Reserve luxury vinyl collections.

Follow these tips and you won’t have to worry about Fluffy or Fido wreaking havoc on your floor during all the festivities.

Have a purr-fect holiday season! Ruff Ruff!

Robin deMackiewicz, User Experience Designer for Armstrong, creates graphics, produces videos and maintains the corporate style guide for Armstrong websites. When not at work, Robin enjoys playing with her dog Buddy and doing DIY projects with her husband.