105 of the Cutest Pets from Apartment Therapy’s House Tours

November is Family Month at Apartment Therapy, and anyone who says that pets aren’t part of a family is kidding themselves. Given that, I wanted to round up a ton of adorable pets from our house tours. That’s it… that’s the entire premise of the post. There aren’t any tips or advice for sharing your home with animals secretly embedded in this article. This is simply a visual celebration of the furry friends that are our roommates and biggest fans.

These are just some of the devastatingly cute cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, and more that I’ve been honored to share (along with their humans’ stunning homes) in Apartment Therapy house tours. They are in no particular order, none are cuter than the other, and honestly this is a TINY SLIVER of the amount of precious pets that have graced Apartment Therapy. (I simply had to put a limit on the amount I included in this post or I would have never finished it!) If you’ve been featured in a house tour on Apartment Therapy and don’t see your precious furry loved one included, please know they are perfect good boys and girls and they absolutely made me squeal the first time (every time) I saw a photo of them.

I’m certainly not saying that a home can’t be full of life without pets, but they do bring a certain spark to a space that can’t be replicated. They aren’t some sort of decor accessory, but don’t they seem to enhance the way homes look somehow? Spotting a cat curled up on a cozy corner of a sofa, or a dog snoozing in one of those how-are-you-sleeping-like-that positions on the floor warms the heart like nothing else.

I was recently out of town to safely socially distance visit some family, and I had to leave my two dogs and cat for an entire week (in the loving hands of good caretakers). When I got homesick that week (which I did, often, despite having been stuck inside the same house for eight-plus months straight), I missed the way the sun shines into our house in the morning. I definitely missed my own bed (and the hilariously thick pile of old quilts I like to sleep under). I longed for checking in on all my plant babies inside and out. And I yearned to drink my morning tea from one of my favorite teacups.

But what I missed most of all, so much I honestly felt physically sick, was cuddling up with my sweet pets on our big sectional sofa in the evenings. Seeing my big dog Otis rolling around in the backyard grass on a sunny day. Having to ask my mischievous cat Pepper to please not slap at the window and scare birds eating at my bird feeder. I missed my amazing, dream house, for sure. But I mostly missed the way my pets (and my human boyfriend) complete my little family and make my home feel so warm and snuggly and safe and right. So yeah, you shouldn’t be surprised that pets are a cornerstone of Family Month for me. And if they are for you too, give them all a little extra hug and pat today.