Take a walk a bit on wild side with pet-inspired home decor

By Sue Doerfler
Arizona Republic

Janet Farnsworth holds one of her cats, named Tiger. Farnsworth's Scottsdale, Ariz., home decor is designed around the family's four cats. She decided to blend domestic pet decor with a wild motif. Gannett News Service photo Find pet furnishings online Online resources for finding custom dog and cat furniture, pet-themed furniture and pet art: pettails.com: custom dog and cat furniture corda-roys.com: pet (and people) beanbag chairs snoozerdogbeds.com: dog pillows, chaises, cat condos and day beds andersonpetfurniture.com: cat scratching posts and houses dogcatsupplies.com: dog and cat mats and blankets moonik.com: funky, modern-styled, high-end cat furniture and beds

Perhaps you have certain beds, chairs or couches just for your dog or cat. Thirty-nine percent of pet owners have furniture reserved for their pets, according to the 2000 Pet Owners Survey by the Colorado-based American Animal Hospital Association.

Or perhaps paintings and photographs of domestic animals decorate your walls.

If you haven't looked lately, you're missing out on an ever-expanding selection of pet furnishings and works of art for your home.

Look in pet stores and online, and you'll see specialty doggie and cat dishes and pet beds in fabrics to match every decor and color theme imaginable, plus sofa throws, wall tapestries and pillows featuring dogs and cats.

In Honolulu, many pet stores carry pet furniture, while specialty stores such as Hawai'i Doggie Bakery carry personalized pet cushions and other home decorations inspired by and created for our animal friends.

Janet Farnsworth of Scottsdale, Ariz., says everything in her house belongs to, or is designed around, the family's four cats.

"I have everything special for the cats," named Milo, Delilah, Tiger and Squeaks, she says. Farnsworth's choice of flooring — hardwood — makes cleaning up fur easy. A lover of all feline creatures, Farnsworth blends domestic pet decor with a wild motif. The safari look is a backdrop for cats at every turn — the tops of barstools, figurines on shelves, picture frames, table centerpiece, woven rugs, pillows and teakettle. The colors of her four pets — multicolored, gray, black and orange — are repeated throughout.

Pets "become part of the family," says Kitty Anderson, owner of Anderson Pet Furniture. The Texas company manufactures 62 types of pet furnishings, including cat scratching posts and houses, available in pet stores and online.

Many pet items are like designer furniture: custom-made or created to your specifications. At www.moonik.com, Andrew Peterson, designer of high-end pet furniture, will take your ideas and create a piece of furniture for your pampered pooch or kitty. Or you can choose one of his designs, which include a canopied cat bed, a velvet-lined bed, an armchair and a couch with a contemporary flair.

Some people decorate with animal artwork.

Animal art "makes people feel good," says Cheryl Lasek, owner of MiasCo.com, an online retailer of artist-designed pillows.

Since Sept. 11, she says, people have been staying at home more, creating a cozy, "feel good" atmosphere filled with favorite things and comfy furnishings.

Vicki Pearson, owner of Naked Horse Gallery in Scottsdale, has found that "people go bonkers for anything to do with their dogs." Her shop represents Susan Rene, an artist who paints dogs wearing colorful bandannas and sunglasses.

"They love the whimsy, the happiness. They can relate when they see this," Pearson says, pointing to a Rene painting of a dog lounging on a sofa.