A Romp Through Pet-Friendly Materials

geo55 Cat lover that I am, I have sworn off any more wool rugs! Yes, the ones I have look great when clean, but it is a time consuming and taxing daily chore to pull up all the hair and dust. I've found indoor/outdoor rugs (polypropylene) to be much easier and, with the many patterns and colors available, they look great too.

sssmith Having four dogs, two great danes and two labs, dog hair and sand from the yard are our two biggest obstacles. There is no wall to wall carpeting in the house. Tile and very sturdy handscraped hardwood flooring. The hand scrape is nice as it hides those occasional toe nail marks. Sisel rugs are all over the house as they clean easily and help contain the sand from their paws. The single downfall to these is they show liquid stains so easily. Leather couches and slip covered chairs that are washable. The latest slipcover I had done was made with outdoor fabric since it seems to repel dirt and water much better. I am hoping this will decrease the amount of washings the slipcover will require. It is a trade off - but I would rather have my dogs then a silk couch!

tersteve Don't buy leather furniture if you have cats. Their claws will scratch the leather. It is not so much them using it as a scratching post, but more the "launch pad" effect when they jump and dig in with their back paws.

gmr12 When we bought our sofa and love seat, we tried to find something in a color that would not show the fur left behind by our lounging lab. That was tough, but to make it easier, I found some pretty throws that I place on the cushions that coordinate well with our color scheme. They are machine washable which makes them a no muss, no fuss option. When guests come to visit, I take the throws off so that everyone can sit on the cushions without worrying about having dog hair on their clothing.

trebornab Yikes! We are trying to decide if we should get laminate. I have 3 little dashhounds and a greyhound who have accidents all the time. The laminate that we are looking at we already have in our living room and dining room but we have French doors that don"t allow the dogs in. The laminate says it's good for kitchens so I am guessing it is good for dogs. You have lots of spills in the kitchen so is it really a good idea? Would all the spills and doggie accidents go through the cracks and start to smell or warp the floor?!?!

xenasmom I am slowly repainting the floors in my house. With a pet bird, I can't use a high-odor oil paint so I am using a latex floor enamel. The house is over 100 years old and the floors are long past being perfect, so I figure if my two Dobermans mar the surface, it will just add to the natural distressed look. Time will tell whether that logic works or not. If nothing else, I have discovered that it is super easy to clean dog hair and accidents off a glossy floor. I haven't had problems with staining or residual stink.

I have come to the conclusion that carpeting only serves as a target so I have area rugs that can be taken out and cleaned periodically. I have also learned to buy carpets without fringe. There is no easy way to vacuum dog hair out of fringe.

beeje Thank you for the tips! Chewie is a certainly a beautiful dog. We have 2 young, high-energy dogs and a mix of flooring materials in our current home. We are in the process of buying a small vacation home and this ideabook will definitely help us decorate the new space - with an eye toward making it user friendly for our canine companions as well as ourselves.

paulanakamura It can be harmful for dogs to have slippery floors. Specially for big ones, the continuous effort to walk can develop hip displasia, which will bring your pet a lot of pain.
This way, I would certainly recommend non-slip flooring of any kind.
For me, there is no beautiful flooring that can be more important than my dogs health!

windshiftdogs For many years I had a giant breed, deerhounds. Mexican quarry tiles with 1" grout lines made the floors easy to keep clean, and the wide grout lines kept the slip factor to a minimum. A slip for a really big dog isn't good. I now have a standard poodle and several small dogs; a recent bathroom remodel makes bathing a dream with a bench for the smallies and an ADA soap ledge to tie the big dog.

Kathy Metzler I Love your dog! He looks more like a Tibetan Mastiff than chow. I had a Newf Shepherd mix and man talk about shedding! I have wood floors and I use inexpensive area rugs. Dogs are more important than style!

sheepdogplanet When we moved in, we removed all the carpet and now just have hardwood floors. Sure, they scratch up a bit, but they look so much nicer, and they don't stain like carpet. An added bonus - it provides hours of entertainment when we throw the ball across the floor and our two dogs go running down the hall and sliding into the kitchen to chase it. Yes, I do think we'll need to refinish it in a few years, but in the meantime we're having a blast.

Paula M I love reading about how much everyone loves their pets, us too! Do you know of a furniture fabric and carpet that will not attract the pussycats to scratch? We have a leather ottomen that one kitty will find the tiny seams and even scratch there!

fadingdust We had nearly 3 years of successfully keeping our Weimaraner pup off the furniture. It was undone by a single-instance of kindness. We're now retraining (lots of treats, affection & fluffy warm beds on floor, with boxes on couch). One trouble-spot we found: our pup likes to fluff his bed/our couch. This scraping would have destroyed a leather chair, and nearly did on a fateful night for the fabric chair. But if you've got a pup that you're ok with on the couch, I recommend large poofy pillows for him/her to toss about & lean upon (the poofy nature stops any scraping & turns it into pushing). And a slipcover.

Bette I, like windshiftdogs added a Master bathroom to my small home. Since there is access from the patio by this bath, I walk my standard poodle into my shower where his paws get a warm water rinse with the hand shower. I do need to solve the problem of sweeping "the outside up" from the inside of my home. I have wood floors with most of them covered with cheap Home Depot carpet that is easy to clean. I buy the wall to wall stuff and have it cut to size for each area with bound edges with a backing. It's inexpensive.

k_sera I have travertine floors. My dog has perfected the 4-point slide when running and playing. She loves to jump on the footstools and will sometimes curl up and sleep on the smaller one, which has a removable microfiber cover. She's destroyed tons of stuff - the couch arm, the edge of the area rug, many pillows (no more feather pillows in my house!) and anything she can reach. I consider it a good week if she only TP'd the house while I was out. She's actually getting much better as she gets older. I put mousetraps on the couch to keep her off when I'm gone. When I'm home, she only gets up if she thinks I'll let her sit on my lap - and as she's a 40-pound Norwegian Elkhound, I'd rather she didn't.

Stevie Comments are great. I have a pack of Yorkies which are alomst impossible to house train. When we are not home they are in open topped ex pens because I have learned that although they are adorablel they are BAD. I have removed most carpeting and have indoor outdoor area rugs where we do the most living.Leather sofas in the sun room. I am aware of the LP problems with my dogs and want to give them as much traction as possible so I don't let them skid around when I can help it. We have play time on the area rugs and access upstaires wall to wall is by supervision only. Only had to pay the $$$ for cleaning/disenfecting the oriental one time and that is now gated off. Not the prettiest but what price is love? I own stock in Natures Miracle Stain remover :-)

patscats2 Laminate that looks like hard wood, although I wish I had gotten a more rustic design. The one I have is very high maintenance but the dogs and cats don't hurt it one bit. Just drop a lot of hair on to it!! Laminate, even the industrial grade like I have will puff if water or liquid sits too long in the cracks. I had a vent leak in a bedroom and from the constant drip it swelled the flooring in that one little spot. It's not noticeable but I would never put laminate in a kitchen, laundry or bathroom. One bad spill and you'd have to rip up the entire floor.

I have microfiber sofa, bar stools and have recovered dining room chairs also. I had washable cotton bedspreds and washable area rugs.

mfarhadi Any suggestions for the best type of furniture in a house with 2 cats? They have already destroyed our upholstered dinning room chairs. What should we replace them with? We're ready to buy new furniture for our new house, but don't want it all destroyed by cat claws.....HELP!!!!!

janet4784 mfarhadi...there is no fabric cats can't destroy. That's life. The best choice is a nubby microfiber, as you'll notice the pulls less. Microfiber is the ONLY way to go with pets, and there are new styles all the time.

user12541 cats have taught me a lot about how to furnish. leather & cats do not mix--they are not destructive on purpose, but they put out claws when jumping onto & off furniture--oops. bought dark throw for dark leather couch & once a week I get to sit on the leather while throw gets washed. sisal or seagrass rugs are indestructible--those claws again. feels so good to knead on the rugs--ruination for woven rugs. microfiber is also indestructible thank goodness, & I have a tightly woven plaid on sofa which has faded a bit from sun, but no pulls in 15+ years. & fur--a losing battle with 7 cats, but those red fuzzy lint removers are great on furniture as well as clothes

patscats2 The best and least expensive odor neutralizer is called Odor Mute. It's a powder that you mix as needed, but it is the best. You can get it at a number of retailers on line and may be able to find it in some pet shops. Petsmart does not carry it unfortunately. I get mine at KV Vet Supply of of David City, NE.

Paula M, I have very tall heavy wooden/sisal scratching posts that sit at the corners of my sofa to keep the cats from scratching the spots they love best. Now they stretch up and scratch the post. I can't think of the name of the post right off hand, but you can find them at Petsmart and on line. They are about 3 ft. tall, 8" sqare with a solid wood platform and a wood top and sisal in between. They sell for around $60 but are the very best in scratching posts. The key with cats is to put scratching post in areas where they like to scratch so they'll leve the furniture alone. Of course I still have one cat who is just bad and goes to the center of the sofa to scratch. She also knocks over the water bowl, lamps off of tables and generally is a very bad cat!!! This I cannot control. LOL

Katya Popova Thank you everyone for your thoughtful and practical comments! Besides Chewie, I also have another 60+ lb rescue and her name is Kirra. I also have a rescued kitty, Rebel. What I learned by having all these different animals is that dealing with different types of fur (and claws) requires different types of materials. For example, Chewie's fur is long and typically doesn't get stuck on the furniture while Kirra's fur (a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Boxer mix) gets stuck everywhere...

Paula M, for our kitty, I have found that cut pile is the best way to go for rugs. That way, the kitty cannot pull out any of the threads when they claw it (in terms of stopping them from clawing, can't help you there!). Another options for area rugs? Sisal rugs are wonderful - I have never seen my cat go at it.

mfarhadi, when it comes to furniture, I have notices that my cat never touches our microfiber furniture... so my best advice is to go with that. I see several comments saying that leather furniture is a no-go with cats. In my home, we have two pieces of furniture that are leather - one of them is severely destroyed, and the other never been touched. I have no clue why one seems to draw all the attention but I have left it as it is so that he can spare the rest of the furniture... hope that helps!

Thank you all for the comments! Keep them coming! This is a great discussion...

robinread Word of advice..watch laminate and hard surface flooring with dogs...there is is a vet here that has said that he has never done more ACL repair surgeries since the inception of laminate. (very expensive knee surgery for canines with torn ligaments). A fact we wish we knew before letting our dog skitter around on the floor chasing his toys. We are slowly renovating our house and the laminate is going and being replaced with hardwood, the scratches are part of the charm and a small price to pay for company and comfort of our best friend. Lots of area rugs and will be getting a couple of cowhide rugs thanks to this article...always wondered how they would fair with a dog in the house, thanks for the info.

marilynw25 We have seven cats! I have removed all the carpet from our house except two bedrooms and the doors are kept closed on them. We installed a plank vinyl flooring everywhere and it is wonderful for cleaning up anything they throw at it. We have had it for two years now and it still looks good. I have one area rug in the living room and it is washable in a commercial machine. No leather furniture either because of the launch pad thing. But I did find they mostly jumped up on it if it sat in front of a window...they need to see outside. Our couch is covered in fabric but they have never scratched it because we keep scratching posts or cat trees in every room and have trained them from kittens to use them...catnip helps alot! Our vinyl flooring is Mannington Adura and it is not at all slippery for those dogs that injure themselves when they slip. I have gone through gallons of natures miracle also! I recently purchased a bissel steam cleaner for furniture and it works really well for cleaning up spots on my area rug between launderings. I also love the bissel steam floor cleaner for washing my vinyl floors.

sarvowinner I have two pembroke welsh corgis who shed all year round. My first strategy is to have floor materials that blend with their fur colour. We are currently doing seachange while waiting for our new apartment to be built. Our rental house is near the ocean and the downstairs is all tiled other than the guest bedroom. The tiles work quite well, but the carpet in the bedroom is dark brown and shows up all fur & lint. I bought a robot vacuum cleaner (LG Roboking) which is fantastic on hard floors. It is very quiet and quick. I send it on its way once a day and it picks up so much dog hair, sand and other dirt. It isn't the best on carpets but still keeps them clean between ordinary vacuums.
We have a small plastic wading pool just inside our gate and the dogs jump in it after beach walks.
In our new apartment we are putting in floorboards in all areas except the bedrooms. One corgi is very naughty and sneaks into the guest bedroom and poops. She likes the feel of the carpet. We try to keep the door shut. However as we only feed them dry dogfood, the poop is very dry and can easily be picked.
Our couch is leather, only one jumps up and sleeps curled up next to me. Leather is easy to keep clean and doesn't seem to absorb the doggy odours unlike fabric.

misscatheriner I dont recommend leather if you've got big dogs, their nails can dig into it and damage it. ...I got lucky FINALLY keeping the dogs off my couch, after going through 2 sets of couches. What I did was buy them new beds the same day i got my couches and put their beds right next to the couch, gave them treats every time they got on their bed. IF i'm not watching them, they will sneak on the couch, but i shoo them off right away!

judithesl Sarvowinner, I've done much the same as you. I have a fawn pug who sheds like crazy. I pulled the carpet up before moving in but didn't refinish the hardwood floors, which are in acceptable condition. The microfiber couch matches the dog's color, as does the inside of my car (the first was by happenstance, the second intentional. He's pretty good about going outside but he seems to like the area rug under the dining table for leaving presents (fortunately easy to pick up as he's also on dry food).
Thanks for the info on cowhide rugs.
The only real problem we have with pug hair is that most of our clothes are dark-colored.

dahneeze We have two large dogs who love to get on the couch when we aren't home. I figured out a simple way to keep them off when we are away (and at night). I purchased one of those expandable tubes that are used for agility training. I put on the couch when we're gone and compress it and store it in a box when we're home. The bonus is that my cats love to hang out in it. It's not too big of a deal getting it out and it sure beats vacuuming the couch and using the lint brush on clothes!

erie_berry25 I have marble in my front foyer... big mistake. It absorbs like crazy... so the few mistakes that my pups have made over the years, have ruined my floor. Going to have to get it restored.

Also, I recommend these beds 110%! http://kuranda.com/. They are chew proof and very comfortable [yes, I sat on one for a while with my dog :) ] I have had mine for 4 years now, and it's in perfect condition (with vinyl top).

If your pup/dog chews EVERYTHING you give him for a bed, you won't be disappointed with this.

Linda_HBG I'm echoing previous posters with a caution that cats & leather couches don't mix. I've got scratching posts and pads throughout the house but the "launchpad" effect seems unavoidable. On the plus side -- using FLOR carpet tiles has worked well in the living/dining areas .. and the Roomba does a great job of picking up all the Aus. Shepherd fur!

bunnit we have hardwood floors most everywhere and there are always dust bunnies lurking from our Ragdoll cat, but these can be easily dust-mopped up. There are a few scratches in the poly from his hind claws (launching) but these can be touched up. Our floor guy is coming in to re-poly after 4 years and will touch up as well. Seems the occasional hairball always hits the Oriental rugs, but somehow they clean up extremely well. The easiest furniture to keep clean is the leather. Yes, there are some scratches from the "launching" but doesn't this add to the patina of the leather after years of use? They are all surface scratches and do no real damage. A small price to pay for having 4 legged family members, don't you think?

OasisDesign&Remodeling Cats HATE cirtus scents, so I've used lemons, oranges & citrus scented sprays on my furniture. Works very well & the house smells wonderful!!! Leather & cats do not mix unless you like the worn patinaed look...which I do, but not for everyone. Laminate is no substitute for hardwoods, IMO. And porcelain is a better choice than natural stone, unless you are diligent about sealing it. Porcelain floor tiles usually has a nice "grip" to it. SOME microfibers are good, but cheap ones just make the problem worse, so choose carefully. We do have to sacrifice sometimes for what we REALLY want for our pets, but they are family, so this is an important consideration for homeowners.

(I write this just after vacuuming the fringed chenille pillows in the living room, so I had to laugh at the timing...the furniture was chosen before the cat)

laurat66 I like the images and tips you have here, but most of all, I love Chewie! He looks exactly like a foster dog I once had who reminded me also of Chewbacca. Thanks for rescuing and giving him such great digs - lucky dog!

Longust Distributing Also take a look at vinyl flooring.... it's not the 70's any more. Vinyl comes on a roll or in planks/tiles and print processes have improved so that it mimics the look and texture of natural stone or wood flooring.... the picture shows Vinyl luxury plank that has glue or lockdown installation, moisture resistant, temperature tolerant, hard-wearing; easy to clean with water
This type of floor works for families with children and pets; also vacation homes or homes in harsh environments with dust, damp and dirt.

Jean Batty Absolutely love this plank flooring in our vacation home!

smittycdm mfarhadi, I was wondering when someone was going to get the "scratching cat" issue. :) Some kitties are certainly worse than others, aren't they? They all have their favorites including a Holly Hunt Nubuc covered ottoman, Missy that little devil.

1) Nail trimming helps. Press between the little kitty toes, not on the toenail & it makes it easier to trim. I admit they may fight you the 1st time, so you might have to be satisfied with 3 or 4 toes one day, etc. Make sure to have plenty of treats and wear thick pants.
2) Dr Foster & Smith makes a sticky product similar to double-sided tape, but industrial strength, that you apply to kitty's favorite furniture scratching zone. (Detailed instructions are included & many sizes, strips, etc I described old packaging.) They hate the sticky feel on their kitty toes. I usually trim the loose "strings" of fabric Missy has pulled out before I attach the tape (I'm an anal accountant, what can I say ;-) It looks neater that way. She never goes back again, but she finds a new place. The tape is called Sticky Paws.
3) Again Dr Foster & Smith makes a spray, and I admit I haven't used this in a while, but it worked in the past. I'll have to order some again. The spray is called, what a surprise, No Scratch!
I also hiss if I hear the scratching, but I'm not always around.

Okay, there you have my repetoire, I hope it helps.

Bette My contractor has dogs. He told me to place big plastic bins on the couch. They don't climb on when the couch is full. I suspect this would be true for kitties? After a while, the bins aren't needed.

laurat66 Bette, apparently you haven't seen the recent online photo of a dog sleeping on a couch surrounded by big plastic bins! As for cats, tinfoil is supposed to deter them, but then who wants to have this stuff all over your nicely selected furniture and decor.

Bette How funny laurat66.

Lu mfarhadi, I have a cat-proof crate-style sofa with canvas-covered cushions. The canvas covers zip off for washing. It has served us well for many years and now I'm looking to replace it with a similar concept in mission-style furniture. All wood, with the fabric part being easily replaceable and washable, like this one from Simply Amish:

Paula M do your cats have claws? thanks

user12541 Ah, yes, I also have packing crate style furniture--in my living room. it is 30+ yrs old & has survived dogs & cats. had the cushions recovered a few yrs ago (time to do that again) with coarse cotton plaid. never see claw marks & the cats are able to get down under the couch framework & hide. win win on this decor!

tersteve Yes, my cats have claws. Can't bear to declaw them. They go outside some to so need protection!

Lu Yes, my cats have their claws, which I trim periodically. The cats occasionally scratch the tightly woven canvas but it seems very resistant to snagging or tearing. The crate-style sofa frame is a soft pine which scratches and dents easily, but a little lemon oil polish minimizes the dings. Fortunately a little distressing is part of the crate look! ;) I'm expecting the oak mission sofa to be harder and more scratch-resistant.

Lauren S. I have a great dane and a jack russell. Needless to say, keeping up with the hair drives me nuts. My jack russell was already a mostly white dog and I had already figured out that I would never be able to wear a black pea coat... So when I chose my Great Dane out of her litter, I actually picked her for her similar coloring. At least I can decorate to hide just one color of hair.

I have a white leather sofa (people called me crazy, but it was the best buy I ever made. It hides their white hair, and wipes clean) After my great dane went through puppy-hood, I ripped out as much carpet as I could. I painted our cement subfloor with a high gloss black paint, to bring out the natural texture of the unfinished cement and balance my light walls and fireplace. BAD IDEA! What was I thinking. I vaccuum, turn around, and there's more dog hair. Where does it all come from! I'll be putting in laminate wood floors soon, but I'm trying to avoid really dark colors (which is hard for me because I think they're just so beautiful!)

A good fabric option is actually velvet. I have a few long smooth velvet-esc pillows and such, and I actually made my dog's bed from velvet because it was easier to vaccuum than the canvas material, and less hair sticks to it.

My house revolves around dog friendly, but modern furnishings. The dogs arent going anywhere, so I guess I better make cleaning it up easier.

jesseystad I chose laminate for my whole condo with the exception of the bathroom and despite loving the look of wood, I would never make the choice again with a large, aging dog in the house. My boxer is 10 and isn't able to hold it while I am out like she used to in her youth. A few accidents while I was away have buckled the floor and it will need to be ripped out. It seems all the flooring options that are durable for accidents are also bad for the dog's joints (and the humans as well)! Considering painting and sealing a wood floor next go around. Or Cork? Any suggestions are appreciated as I am purchasing a new place soon and don't want to go through this again! Help?! :)

windshiftdogs I'm almost afraid to mention it, but there is nothing better than vinyl for an incontinent dog. Impervious, soft underfoot, nowadays attractive. I have used a wood look no glue vinyl from home depot which I could lay myself in a rental, with the landlord's permission. When I left, all we had to do was roll it up and they could install whatever they wanted. Now, in my fairly high end home, I have the same vinyl in the entire upstairs. When re-doing the master bath, the contractor commented it would be expensive to match/replace my hardwood since we were changing the layout. Imagine his surprise when I reached down and pulled up the 'hardwood'!

marilynw25 I agree there is nothing like vinyl. We had plank vinyl installed in our whole house except two bedrooms where spraying cats aren't allowed in. We bought mannington adura and it is waterproof but looks like real wood and the plank type of vinyl is a lot thicker than sheet vinyl so we didn't have to put in new subfloor. I don't even have any area rugs as the cats wreck them as soon as I put it down. Steam mops work great for cleaning.

Cheryl Holz Love the recommendations! We went with pergo to make collecting hair easier,and had good reputation for being dog proof. So,far-no scratches and has held up well. However, as the dogs age, traction becomes an issue. Slate is a good alternative. Hides diet tracked in, durable, beautiful, and they don't wipe out on it.

One other tip from multidog cat household (also a chow mix so we know about hair!)
Surfeit slipcovers! Can fit just about any couch, and you can take off an throw into the washer! Decent fabric and color choices...

Cheryl Holz Does anybody have any experience with pets and cork floors?
I love cork, but with cats and dogs and puppy training, wondering if it would absorb accidents? or encourage chewing?