I know this doesn't answer your specific question but may help you anyway. We have cats also. Cats often claw areas in order to claim them. If you have or can buy some Feliway spray, spray some on the carpet and that may stop the claiming behavior. Another idea is that cats hate any citrus scent. Put fresh orange (tangerine, lemon, lime) peels on the carpet and the cats will not go near it. Works in potted plants, countertops, etc. I don't know if a citrus-scented spray will have a similar effect. Good luck!

dekeoboe, thanks for picking up on the declawing comment and commenting; don't know why I skimmed by that. I too have to vigorously DISAGREE that young cats adapt to declawing. I worked for years with cat rescues and declawed cats tend to bite (because they can't scratch). Also, their declawed paws become deformed as they age and they get arthritis and other painful disorders much more often.

My cat loves the cheap cardboard scratchers that I get at Walmart or Petsmart. They are a rectangle that lays flat on the floor and have catnip to attract. I don't have to use the catnip at all anymore. He gets excited just to see a new one when I bring it in the house. He doesn't touch the rugs or furniture, he just goes to his scratcher when he wants to rip!

Let me be clear. I currently have two "clawed" cats and love them both dearly. I have not altered them as I got them as adults, and that's just too old. As my furniture is a bit older, I live with the destruction. I'm OK with that. Years ago, we had three cats that had been declawed at a very young age. There was no pain or stress for any of them. They were inside/outside pets and they continues to stalk birds, squirrels and mice. They climbed trees and never lost a fight. Rear claws are what they use when serious. They were quite loving and didn't shred thousands of dollars worth of furniture. Sorry if I'm a realist..............

Skip the rugs entirely if you can't train your cats. Or hire an animal behaviorist to train them for you. Cats can be trained. Even older cats. The key is consistency, and proper redirection of their natural tendencies. Don't set them up for failure by attempting to train them with a more desirable scratching surface (your rugs) still in place. You have to set them up for success by eliminating or making undesirable all other desirable scratching surfaces except for the approved ones. Develop the positive behavior as a habit first.

Most good vets will not perform the surgical procedure to declaw unless there are other health-related or aberrant behavior reasons to do so. A cat that has been declawed should be indoors only. Sure, they can climb trees without their front claws but getting down is much harder! And they are not equipped to fend off attacks by other animals domestic or feral. Indoor cats have a longer life expectancy - they are not exposed to diseases or attacks.

I agree with Green Designs, cats can be trained. And do get them used to claw trimming at an early age. It is good hygiene for the indoor cat and saves wear and tear on furniture, carpet, and your skin!

you don'tlike the citrus idea, try slightly sparying the rug with denatured alcohol.

Declawing a cat is a form of abuse and should be outlawed. It is EXTREMELY painful for the animal and you're also leaving them practically defenseless if they were to get out. Anybody that does this to their pet in my opinion is selfish and ignorant.

The ones I had altered when they were young were good, loving pets, ran outside and regularly captured birds and squirrels. ....and never lost a fight. The rear claws are the ones that are used in a major conflict.

Hey, whatever makes you feel better by all means keep telling yourself that. There's a reason it's controversial and not all vets will do it. You know what, why don't you go and pull all your fingernails out and let me know how it feels afterwards. Rant over... You can teach your cats to not scratch up carpet in time. As for now I'd invest in a good scratching post, lol. :-)

I have several.....all over the house, and they use them when they're not busy destroying my $1400 sofa.

A common misconception is that providing cats with CARPETTED scratching posts and cat trees will prevent them from shredding floor covers and upholstery. It takes a great deal of training to teach cats that one surface is fine for shredding, but the other similar surface is not. I learned that the hard way. Now the scratching surfaces provided my cats include logs or branches with their natural bark, corrugated cardboard, jute/hemp rope and fabrics, or short peeled logs. It took a deal less training to convince them to claw these instead of carpet and upholstery.

Declawing is the choice of people too lazy to train their cats.

this is just a remark from my vet: "if i didn't de-claw cats, many of my clients would either get rid of their cats or have them euthanized". now, i have a cat and he is not de-clawed and he really is not a huge scratcher/ripper. he has he's posts and cardboard scratchers and his happy with those. so i don't have any issues with furniture being destroyed.
but i do understand his point of view, b/c that would happen. i would rather have people keep their cats than have them destroyed b/c of scratching. i don't agree with it, but its better than the alternative, i guess.

my bigger issue is having your cat outdoors and killing wildlife. do a little research and see what a huge negative impact domestic cats have on wildlife. cats are meant to be indoors. wildlife do not "know" that they exist and have no natural instincts to be aware of them. even if your cat has a bell on, that does not register with wildlife. what natural predator has a bell on??
its illegal to have your cat outdoors in our neighborhood. if your cat is picked up and u go to the shelter to retrieve it, you are fined for having your cat outside. so please, think about it and keep your cat indoors. if u provide enough toys and stimulation, your cat will be happy, live longer and have less diseases.....

in response to the OP,, no, i don't know what kind of rug to recommend, sorry

People shouldn't have cats if they're going to declaw them. A person who gets a cat should know that they are going to claw things. It's their nature! Just train them if you really want one. There is also Soft Paws Nail Caps you can adhere to the nail to keep the cat from scratching. I've never used them, but if there was no other choice, I might try them.

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I have had a combination wool/jute rug from Pottery Barn for several years now. My three cats love it and will scratch it occasionally, but there has been no damage that I can see. I have sisal scratching posts and pads, and they use those too. Some cats like scratching horizontally (especially if they are older and have arthritis), and some prefer vertically. So provide both options. And I find that they prefer sisal carpet wrapped posts over the sisal rope ones.

I've always had cats that scratch rugs however there are a few rugs they haven't been able to destroy. They are the LL Bean braided wool one. Going on 15 years and it still looks like new! Also, we have old, thin orientals that they don't touch/ can't destroy. They also cannot scratch or ruin plush shag or thin but short pile nylon. They've destroyed expensive wool handtufted rugs that are thicker and clearly more enjoyable for them to scratch!