well it sounds like you have it all together, though i think perhaps this should have been under before and after. otherwise thanks for sharing.

Thanks much for your comments. Indeed i spent almost 2 weeks of dedicated time reading about flooring, and was all decided on laminate flooring during that period. I even went to various flooring shops to check out the laminate options and colors. Then i suddenly thought of the cat and started reading about experiences of pet owners. Many complained about laminate flooring that tends to warp and make visibly distorted surfaces on laminate due to pets. It seems like pets and flooring are not a perfect marriage. Any kind of flooring seems to have pros and cons of its own, but my conclusion was that vinyl is better than laminate for pet owners. Vinyl sheets are disliked by most people since they do not have the aesthetic appeal of planks or vinyl tiles.

Most cats do not pass urine inside home, but tend to spray in corners to mark their territory OR if they get restless/sick etc. This has been the case in my home, where he sprayed in couple of corners. I am planning to completely neutralize that area & concrete underneath with chemicals after carpet removal and before new floor installation. The cat is mature now, and is neutered and does not spray much these days......but he does vomit occasionally because he eats grass outside (cats naturally do this) sometimes. So, this vomit may go unnoticed for hours (until evening)- possibly upto 10 hours if he does this during night. Thus, i had no choice but to rule out laminate flooring, to the dismay of my wife and child.

Regarding underlayment for vinyl - my understanding is that the underlayment protects from moisture and acts as a dampening barrier. I found the underlayment at lows called "Congoleum Underflor UFB07 100-sq ft Premium 29mils Flooring Underlayment" that is tagged for vinyl and costs less than $1. The vinyl planks themselves have a cushioning barrier. I will have to pay extra for the contractor in order to smooth out the concrete subfloor, since laminate is going to be ruined sooner than vinyl with cat vomits. The cat does this in center area of the rooms rather than corners (which he prefers to spray - but i think the spraying has reduced a lot in last year or so, and might stop as he ages).

Currently, i am stumped on the choice of vinyl planks after visiting Flooring stores last weekend. None of them had a plank that had 1.0mm wear layer thickness. As you mentioned the Armstrong products in Home depot/Lowes were the lower end for $2/sq.ft and were less than 3mm thickness (whole plank). I do not know if i will ever find a plank that is 1.0mm wear layer. Very few products were over 5mm thickness (as recommended by http://www.flooret.com/vinyl-basics/). I might have to call in different flooring stores. From what i read in given links in OP, the underlayment can be laid only if the vinyl is thick enough. I appreciate suggestions, as material has to be ordered within a week or so.

I could be wrong but feel unsure that if wet sits in the cracks and seams you might end up with the same problems?

I know that sometimes we think that because we see on houzz everyday wood and other planks, that you must have it, everyone does, but this is not true. i did some research about laminate counter tops and found that despite what we read here, over 50% still have laminate. Even more have never had a backsplash. and the vinyl flooring is looking really good now. put a rug in important spots, and how many are going to stoop to check it out?

THere are vinyls out there that have a little bit of padding attached. If you read the installation instructions they point out NOT to use MORE underpad with the vinyl that has attached under pad.

Some allow it...others do not. I've even read an installation sheet that specifically states that the vinyl underpad is NOT to be used when the vinyl plank as the "integrated underpad"...but the sales person sold it to the homeowner even with the caveat in the installation instructions. The result: a "squeaky floor" that sounds like two balloons rubbing against each other - with every step! Yikes.

Once you choose your floor - you need to READ the installation instructions of THAT FLOOR! The more you bounce around reading dozens of things about vinyl flooring, the more confused you are going to be when you choose a particular floor.

As for 'wear layer' there are plenty of vinyl on vinyl planks that have 1.0mm of VINYL. The PHOTO does not go all the way through but sits on top. Many of these vinyls have a film (clear PVC is common) which is the REAL wear surface. Others have the "vinyl" on top and then are coated with UV cured urethane. That is the "real" wear surface on that type of vinyl.

Mixing up the "vinyl" layer and the wear surface is very easy to do with vinyl. I would choose a floor that is at the top of your budget that is gives you the look you want. That is as good as you will get anyway. Might as well reach for the top so you are not kicking yourself later. And vinyl quality is reflected in the price. The better the quality the higher the price.

For an average consumer this is even more confusing because PVC actually stands for Poly-vinyl-chloride, which is the chemical name of "vinyl". Online search reveals that the best vinyl planks currently offered by lowe's are

4mm thickness with a 12 mil wear layer. 12 mil = 0.3mm and home depot offers a their best at 0.5mm wear layer and 6mm product thickness. So, i am left to visit floor stores to find what i am looking for. During my last visit to a big floor store, the sales guy did not understand that the "wear layer thickness" is different spec than plank thickness. The big stores are currently selling the above mentioned at $3/sq.ft. So, my guess is 1mm wear layer would double the price. Any brand name suggestions are welcome. It looks like luxury vinyl plank is going to be more expensive than luxury laminate flooring from above numbers. I am in SF bay area where there are numerous floor stores, but the sales guys are mostly clueless on details like these, when i visit them.

Have you looked at Marmoleum? It's available in big sheets. Many patterns. It looks much higher end than vinyl planks or laminate. Also, you may want to choose a light color flooring so the cat barf can be found easily and quickly. http://www.forbo.com/flooring/en-us/products/residential-products/cgnra1

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The Marmoleum specs are online. Visiting a local flooring shop can be quite helpful because they will have experience various types of subfloors with earthquake prone areas where there is often ground settling between more exciting events. Ground settling due to extended drought has been observed in my area of southern California, too.