Best kind of carpet for cats?

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
GF and I are buying a house that's a bit of a fixer upper. One of the first things we want to do is paint and lay new carpet. We have 4 cats; and they can be messy from time to time (ie getting sick/hairballs, etc). 3 are short hairs, and one is a maine my excellent compatriot.

We have about 5 rooms to carpet, as well as stairs. We'd like to keep the costs under $3,000. Lower if possible.

Is there any kind of carpet I should be looking for? Any recommendations? We've not yet decided on color, but something creamy white would likely be what we go for.
 

NetWareHead

THAT guy
Aug 10, 2002
5,847
154
106
4 cats and considering creamy white carpeting??

I'd recommend hardwood or tile wherever possible and maybe with an area rug where you need carpet. Rugs are easier to clean than wall to wall carpet. Even laminate flooring is a good alternative.

Otherwise get stain resistant carpeting and invest in your own rug steamer/cleaner to stay ahead of the dander and stains.
 

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
4 cats and considering creamy white carpeting??

I'd recommend hardwood or tile wherever possible and maybe with an area rug where you need carpet. Rugs are easier to clean than wall to wall carpet. Even laminate flooring is a good alternative.

Otherwise get stain resistant carpeting and invest in your own rug steamer/cleaner to stay ahead of the dander and stains.

I actually pitched the idea of the fake hardwood planks (some look really nice) but the gf said, and she's kinda right, that at her last apartment with hardwood floors, they always looked disgusting because of all the loose cat hair floating around, etc. She'd rather have carpets that hide it and just vacuum all the time.
 

nisryus

Senior member
Sep 11, 2007
854
183
116
I recommend reading this..

http://theflooringgirl.com/blog/what-types-of-carpets-are-good-for-cats.html

My ex-gf (long before I got married) had this type of carpet.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/LifeProo...ly-Texture-8-in-x-8-in-EF-298609847/206131881

She had two dogs and two cats and the color did hid what you would expected from pets. However, the carpet had problem with the cats claws. She later switched to berber carpet and loved it.

The color is a bit different from this one, but close.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_503293-1761...5__?productId=50047307&pl=1&Ntt=berber+carpet
 

monkeydelmagico

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2011
3,961
145
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I actually pitched the idea of the fake hardwood planks (some look really nice) but the gf said, and she's kinda right, that at her last apartment with hardwood floors, they always looked disgusting because of all the loose cat hair floating around, etc. She'd rather have carpets that hide it and just vacuum all the time.


Any time the zoo lives indoors its time for tile or laminate and a Roomba. Even the nicest homes with great pets and expensive carpet end up looking and smelling like animals live there.
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
69,756
13,362
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www.betteroff.ca
Anything that is not carpet. Especially if you have a cat like mine that likes to puke all the time. Nice thing is if it's an old house and it does have carpet, pulling it might actually reveal a nice hardwood floor that you may just have to sand and refinish.
 

tracerbullet

Golden Member
Feb 22, 2001
1,661
19
81
We have 4 cats (I had 2, she had 2) and we can't wait to ditch the carpet in the house we recently bought for hardwood.

If you go carpet, I'd get the cheapest thing you can find because I think you'll change your mind later. We had to replace carpet in one room after we moved in and the Home Depot cheap stuff has actually been working quite well. It's a real short nap and barf tends to just sit on top of it and be easily cleaned.

One of the ~ $99 Bissell small wet carpet cleaners should be part of your plan if you stick with carpet.