• About
  • Contact
  • Courses
  • Binder Kits
  • Collaborate
  • Nav Social Icons

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Organize
  • Projects
  • Lifestyle
  • Crafts
  • Holidays
  • Courses
  • Binder Kits
  • Media and Press
  • Mobile Menu Widgets

    Connect

    Search

Organized-ish

Organized-ish

Progress > Perfection

  • Organize
  • Projects
  • Lifestyle
  • Crafts
  • Holidays
pet supply storage tips

8 Pet Supply Organization Tips For Fur Mamas

October 4, 2019 · In: Organize, Pets

“Everything the light touches is yours.”

That’s what I tell my pets when I bring them home for the first time (Yes, I even do the Mufasa voice), but they sometimes take that advice too literally. Toys are drowned in water bowls, food is nowhere near the feeding area, and before you find your dog’s leash, it feels like you’re the one being walked. Ya feel me? Here are eight tips to instantly bring pet supply organization to the next level.

pet supply storage tips

1. Create A Pet Friendly Entryway

This one is mainly for dog-mamas (and those brave souls that are able to get a harness on a cat and take it for a walk…I envy you so much!) Dogs are constantly going in and out for bathroom runs, daily walks, and car rides to Starbucks for pupachinos. So it makes sense to include their necessities near the door.

Use sturdy Command hooks or a cute shelf with baskets and coat hooks to hang your dog’s leash, harness, and cold-weather coat. And put a small basket nearby with extra waste bags and dog-friendly wipes to tackle dirty paws before they hit the carpet on the way back in from a muddy after-rain walk.

2. Stock A Travel Bag

Speaking of going for rides, I always keep a travel bag stocked up for my pup so he has everything he needs for our adventures. I just use a small sling-style backpack and keep it filled with the following items:

  • Collapsible Water and Food Bowls (these are my fave)
  • First Aid Supplies (this is the best kit I’ve found for dogs)
  • Insulated Water Bottle (this one has a built-in mini-bowl!)
  • Extra Waste Bags (I love these berry scented ones)
  • Paw and Fur Cleaning Wipes (I use these because they smell like cupcakes)
  • Allergy Medication (Pet-Friendly, like low-dosage Benadryl)
  • A Couple Of Toys (we LOVE Barkbox toys!)
  • Small Bag Of Treats (again, Barkbox, hands down)
  • Zip-Lock Bag Of Regular Food (don’t leave it in the bag for more than a month)
  • A Whistle (for safety in case we get lost or injured)
  • An Extra Collar And Leash (in case one breaks or gets damaged, I like these temporary ones)
  • A Travel Phone Charger (in case of emergency, this slim one is great!)

small laundry room organization for cat litter

3. Store Items Where You Need Them

This one’s a biggie. You may think it’s a good idea to keep all the pet supplies in one place. But I want to encourage you to think again. I brush my kitties in the living room floor while I watch Ellen. But I brush my dog on the front porch. The dog eats in the kitchen but the cats eat near the laundry room. And they all like to play in different areas of the house.

By keeping the items I need in the room I use them in, it saves you a lot of back-and-forth, and encourages you to actually put the items away after use. If you cut your pet’s nails after a bath, keep the clippers in there, not in the basket by the front door with the waste bags. Trust me, you’ll wonder why you didn’t make this switch sooner.

4. Use Proper Containers

If you don’t want to keep your pet food and treats in their original bags, make sure you are storing them in food-safe containers that have a tight seal. There are proteins in pet food that can break down when not stored in their special packaging, so if you hate keeping those bags around and must use a container, do your research first.

I keep our dog and cat food in a lower cabinet in my kitchen in tightly sealed food-safe large containers. I also keep a scoop in each container to make refilling bows at feeding times easier. If you don’t have an extra cabinet for storage, check out some of these ideas in another blog post of mine.

pet supply organization

5. Use A Medicine Tracker

From flea and tick prevention to heartworm prevention, to antibiotics and specialty medicines, it’s hard to remember when you last gave your pets their meds, and when to give them more. I had this same struggle, so I created a pet medicine tracker and I keep it on a clipboard in the cabinet I store their treats and medicines in.

This has been a total game changer for me, so I added it to the Freebie Library here on the blog so you can use it too!

6. Build A Mobile Grooming Station

Remember my cleaning caddy? That handy little caddy that allows you to take your cleaners all around the house? Why not create the same thing for pet grooming? You may not always groom your pets in the same place, so by keeping all your supplies in a small caddy, you can easily have everything you need, no matter where you decide to park.

I keep all the dog and cat grooming supplies in a divided caddy so I can go out on the porch or plop down in the floor without having to fill my arms with stuff and risk dropping it along the way.

Things to keep in your grooming caddy:

  • Brushes and flea combs
  • Shampoo, detanglers, and bath treatments
  • Ear cleaner
  • Paw wipes
  • Toothbrush and toothpaste
  • Electric fur clippers and shavers
  • Nail clippers
  • Spray bottle with water
  • Towel (roll it so it fits standing up)
  • Treat dispensing toy (for distractions)

7. Upgrade The Toy Box

First of all, if you don’t have a toy box, you need to get one TODAY. It can be a basket, bin, crate, or whatever works best for the height of your pet. Just make sure your fur babies can easily get the toys out.

And if you do have a toy box for them already, consider upgrading to a more functional one. I made this great pet toy box from a wooden box and casters. It’s perfect because I can roll it around as needed. We have a smaller bin I got from Target’s Dollar Spot for cat toys, and the kitties love playing IN the basket. (ha!)

Make it a habit to pick up your pets’ toys every night before bed and put them back in the toy box. And bonus tip, you’ll be able to see which ones your pets play with and which ones they don’t (their least favorites will always stay in the bottom of the bin) so you’ll know which toys you can purge.

dog bowls in kitchen island

8. Splash-Proof The Feeding Area

This is more along the lines of pet cleaning versus organization, but I just had to share what we did in our kitchen recently. Our dog Winston is a big boy, and when he drinks water it splashes everywhere. It was getting all over the hardwood floor and the walls, so when we had our backsplash added, we had the contractor use leftover tile in a new feeding area for Winston. Now the water won’t ruin any surfaces, and he’s got a swanky new dining area.

I get that you may not be able to add a feeding nook like mine, but consider getting a large tray to protect your floor from splashes, and maybe some peel-and-stick tile on the wall behind the water bowl to protect your drywall.

Download The Pet Medicine Tracker!

Before you go, don’t forget to swipe my printable pet medicine tracker! You can keep it on a clipboard in a cabinet door like I do, or you can pop it up on a corkboard or on the side of your fridge. (PS: My magenta printer ink was low so the pink is super faded in this pic…I promise yours will look better!)

Share Your Tips!

Do you have an organization tip that works for your pet supplies? Share it below in the comments! I’d love to get hear your ideas!

And speaking of more ideas, here’s my most popular pet post to date, Three Ultra-Affordable Tools To Get Rid Of Pet Hair.

And if your pets make your house, well, kind of stinky, this post on quickly making your home smell good is for you!

By: Lela Burris · In: Organize, Pets · Tagged: cat, dog, pet

you’ll also love

Lela Burris laundry room cat roomLaundry Room Storage Upgrade Part Two: Organization Tour
5 Tips For Planning To Adopt A New Family Pet
cat litter area organizationMy Top 6 Cat Litter Must-Haves

Get Blog Posts In Your Inbox

Every Saturday morning I send out a weekly recap of all the new blog posts. Want in?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sandra gandy says

    October 15, 2019 at 8:57 pm

    I love your pet ideas.

    Reply

Leave A Comment Cancel reply

Next Post >

How To Fold Clothes Without A Flat Surface

Primary Sidebar

Meet Lela Burris

Meet Lela Burris
hey-o!

My name is Lela, (say it like LEE-luh) and I'm so glad you stopped by my blog! Whether you're into organizing, home improvement, crafts, or you just think my pets are cute, you'll find all kinds of inspo here.

Tell Me More!

Connect

Get VIP Emails

Search

Shop My Planners

printable planners for home organization

Organize Your Craft Room

lela burris organiziedish

Hang With Me

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Follow Along

@lelaburris

Bin Clips are perfect for fabric bins and woven ba Bin Clips are perfect for fabric bins and woven baskets. I found these at Target, but Amazon has a larger variety to choose from. They come with a card inside you can write on, but I used a Cricut Joy and Writable Vinyl to make these cute label stickers. 🙌🏼
Do you have a running “too small” bin in your Do you have a running “too small” bin in your kid’s room?
Kids grow out of clothes SO quickly, and the ones that don’t fit often get left in the closet or drawers until we have time to deal with them.
To cut down on clutter, add a “too small” bin to their room. It saves you time and keeps their clothing that still fits tidy and easy to find. 🙌🏼
Wait for it… Organizing FAIL! Decanting is grea Wait for it… Organizing FAIL!
Decanting is great for items you buy in bulk to cut down on cost and packaging waste, as well as to keep some foods fresher for longer. But DON’T fall for the pretty organizing videos of every single thing moved into different jars.
I have seen some people decanting lotion, peanut butter, and even toothpaste, and I’m here to prove it’s a complete waste of your time and money. ✨What’s the weirdest decanting video you’ve ever seen?✨
Fill in the blank: It’s the […] for me 🤩 A Fill in the blank: It’s the […] for me 🤩
And it’s ALWAYS the ✨hidden trash✨ for me!

Footer

Browse By Category

  • Organize
  • Projects
  • Lifestyle
  • Crafts
  • Holidays

Get Organized-ish

  • Courses
  • Printable Planners
  • Shop My House
  • Amazon Faves

Blog Info

  • Contact
  • Media and Press
  • Disclosures
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Organized-ish LLC © 2023 · Theme by 17th Avenue