To their owners, pets are a source of companionship, comfort and love. They become a part of the family. Some are house pets and some live outside. When deciding to get a house pet, cleanliness should definitely be considered.

Someone is going to be responsible for keeping the pet and its area clean and so finding out what pets are the cleanest is one step in making a choice.

Cats

Not many people would argue with the fact that cat’s are clean. They are constantly bathing themselves and they use a litter box for their bodily functions. Unless the cat refuses to be trained to a litter box, they are very clean pets.

The downside to cats is hairballs and shedding. Hairballs are accumulations of hair that builds up due to the constant bathing a cat does. Eventually the cat will regurgitate them, not a pretty site and quite gross to clean up. Shedding isn’t gross, just a nuisance because it gets on clothing, furniture and helps create dust bunnies.

Another factor that plays against the cat is their curiosity. Cats are notoriously nosey and their ability to jump combined with their curiosity is a mess waiting to happen. Glasses knocked off counters and fish bowls turned over are some examples.

Dogs

Dogs are messier than cats, that’s a given. They are somewhat harder to train and have to be taken outside often. This means that if left alone there will be the possibility of accidents happening in the house.

Dogs have to be bathed and groomed; they aren’t able to groom themselves. If not bathed, they can develop odor which is not good for the house. Dogs also shed; even those that are labeled non-shedding will lose some hair.

Birds

Birds aren’t that messy in and of themselves. However, they do have to have their cages cleaned and some birds will spit their sunflower seed shells out of the cage and onto the floor. They are a fairly good choice for someone looking for a pet with minor upkeep. Clean water and food and a cage cleaning on occasion.

Hamsters

Hamsters are cute but they do make a mess in their cages. Being nesters, they move things around all over the cage. They aren’t particular about where they relieve themselves and so the entire cage tends to smell if no cleaned often. They don’t require a lot of attention but their cage does, at least on a weekly basis.

Snakes

The cleanest pet for the home is probably the most unlikely choice for the majority of people. While there are many people who have them, snakes, such as ball pythons are not a favorite pet for most people. In fact, many people won’t go near them. However, they require little attention, don’t shed hair and the minute amount of body waste they have is simple to clean up.

Beta Fish

Along with the ball python, the Beta fish would be the other cleanest pet for the home. These fish do not require aquariums with filters so there is little cleaning involved. All they need is a bowl of water that is changed occasionally and some food dropped in daily.

The cleanest pets are not the pets most people are going to choose, but they do exist. Pets are like most everything else, the more they require the more they give back. No one can argue that having a puppy cuddle up beside them is anywhere near having a Beta fish swimming beside them in a bowl.