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.
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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.
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