In the near future we hope to replace our carpet with something new. However, we have 5 house cats, who are extremely rough on our walls and carpets to start with. We have an ancient old shag carpet on the floor that is so gross. Have heard that Berber carpet is probably the best if I am dead set on getting carpet. I was wondering if any of you guys have experience in this out there? Also the cats are mostly white, but I have two black kitties. I know my burgundy chair shows the cat hairs BAD,. What color would be the best? I already know brown doesn't work so hot. Need advice! Thank all of you in advance.
Lori from Marion, AR
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I have also heard that berber is best for rugs in households with cats. I read that we should choose colors for decorating that mimic the color of our pet's hair. My cat is charcoal so that would be the color for my rug and sofa. If your cats are white, I'd try for almost white as the color of my carpet. I think the natural colored berber type rugs would be ideal.
We have two orange and one black kitty. We recently got rid of carpet and put in glueless laminant. It comes in hard wood or tile patterns. We installed it ourself, 1 room per day. Cost was less than the carpet I was looking for. In the past, some of the patterns looked fake but they've come a long way. I'll never go back to carpet again. I do have a few "throw' rugs but I just buy inexpensive ones and when they get worn out I pitch them. I can not tell you how much cleaner our house is now that we have hard floors. They aren't cold either, becuase you put a foam padding under them.
One more thing, If your cat's are clawing the walls, etc, you may want to consider "claw covers" They sell them at the pet store. It's like a little cover you glue onto the tip of their claws. I started doing it when we got new sofas. Works like a charm, you just have to reapply every couple months.
I don't know anything about carpet, but for the chair, how about one of those tweedy fabrics in a black/grey/white combination?
My cats "sharpen" their claws on the carpet. A plush syle works well for that as anything with loops, like a berber, will get the carpet strands pulled out. If your cats don't use the carpet that way, then berber should be fine. I have 2 black, one white, and a brown tiger with all colors. My neutral color carpet works well with the mix. It's like a coffee with cream color. If you can find something that has two different tones in it, that's even better for camouflage.
I have been reading online for days now and have read that berber is not good because it snags & no wool. Uncut is best. You also have to consider the lenght of pile and the type of backing. Do your own research before paying your hard earned money.
Brook
The berber with loops did not hold up well at all with my pets. I have found a short pile is the best bet. I have a tan field with a floral border that hides real well, and my five cats are all different colors.
Thank you for your help!! Yes, my babies use the carpet for their claws unfortunately. They use the walls and everything else, lol. Going to have to put up paneling to cover up the destroyed walls! Just wanted to figure out what best to put down to thwart their efforts because I know how they are!!
If you are changing your carpet why not put wood instead on your floor?
I haven't found any carpet that cat hair doesn't stick to like crazy (for claws short is better). And even if you vacuum daily, there is still tons of cat hair stuck there.
I was told at Lowe's that any carpet with a loose loop texture, especially berber, is bad because their claws can unravel the carpet. It's best to have a "cut pile" Frieze carpets have a short, durable, twisted pile fiber well suited for busy areas.
With a household of three dogs, three cats, and occasional foster kittens, we are replacing the bedroom berber carpets with carpet tiles instead. We installed them in the laundry/cat room, and it is perfect! Not very luxurious, but very very practical! Get the ones that have a moisture proof backing, and get extras in case you need to replace a tile. None of my cats or kittens find anything exciting enough about these to use their claws on them, unlike the berber, which seems to be a cat magnet! Be sure to get a few sisal rope cat scratchers for the kitties, rub them with catnip to invite interest... and good luck!
I discovered that cats love chipboard. Two strips were cut to fit the door frame and screwed in to place. The chipboard forms an L shape. The screws make it easy to undo the boards should they ever need replacing. My cats left the furniture and carpets alone after this was installed.
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We have three cats who sometimes claw at the carpet even though we have a couple of sizable alternate places they can scratch that have been sprinkled with catnip in the past.
The place of most offense is at the base of the sliding glass door. When they see another cat just outside the glass, they threaten by engaging in a clawing frenzy. Because the carpet is worn and stained in other places, we want to replace it for Christmas. What type of carpet would you recommend that could withstand clawing, but still would be comforting underfoot? We will not declaw them, because the process lamed our first pet cat, now deceased.
By Vivian P.
Trimming their claws will help them to not scratch things as much, but it won't stop them completely. When their nails are too long, it's uncomfortable for them & they will scratch even more. Scratching posts help some too.
I can't tell you what type of carpet to get, but I can sure tell you what NOT to get! Don't get the industrial carpet that is used in offices, schools, etc. It has a very short nap, wears well & is virtually stain resistant, but it's also too much like the carpet they put on scratching posts!
When we re-carpeted, we picked out a pretty blue industrial carpet because we had 4 kids at home that tracked dirt everywhere & spilled things. We thought that would stand up better, and it did, to the kids.
The 2 cats however, were just positive that we had installed this giant scratching post just for them! Within a week we already had little snags in the carpet & it continued for years. We couldn't stop them either, spraying or yelling worked when we caught them, but there was nothing we could do while we were sleeping or gone.
Even our one cat who had never been a scratcher just couldn't seem to stop himself from clawing this carpet!
I don't know anything about carpets. My cats mostly claw the furniture. However, I did see, on the TV, someone trimming their kitty's claws. Just like cutting your toenails with clippers. Didn't seem to bother the cat much. You could look into that. There are also little plastic covers you can put on their claws. I have seen cats with those, and they seem happy enough. Again, I just put up with them destroying stuff, but if you are getting new carpets, you should investigate these options.
My senior citizen cats scratch the arms of my sofas, so I covered them with throws and tucked them in. (The sofa arms, not the cats.) I have carpet on my basement stairs that is like indoor/outdoor, and that has been clawed to shreds. Don't get anything that doesn't have pile.
I don't blame you for not wanting to declaw your cats--it cruel, not to mention painful. In some places, it's even now illegal. Cutting the claws won't help since cat's claws grow and shed, which is part of the reason they claw at things. I've covered part of my carpet with heavy plastic runner that has been cut to size and nailed down (use large headed nails) in places where my cats scratch.
