Sunday, April 28, 2019

How a Cat-person Buys a Rug

It was at last time to buy new rugs. Throughout the apartment, I have my own, highly disposable rugs covering the building owners’ carpets, so that urine and vomit (the cats’, that is) doesn’t stain property for which I would have eventually to pay. Needless to write, the cats usually manage to do their horrible business just beyond the edge of any rugs I place as a protective measure.

But not always. It was time then to replace the rugs. The one in the library meant emptying bookcases and moving them and their contents, so as to unroll the rug under their positions. That was trying. Furthermore, the original rug did not serve its purpose entirely, as the cats had, as some point, wet on the carpet underneath, probably before I put a rug in that location. There is no escaping the slight smell of urine in one corner. But at least with a new rug, it is not obvious to me. Whether it is to the cats is another matter. I had hoped that the new item would help alleviate Tucker’s need to wet in that corner, but, alas, that has not happened. I continue to require a soaker-pad there which, of course, may be part of the problem: no matter how well it is washed, the pads undoubtedly retain traces of urine from previous incidents. But to remove the pad all together runs the risk of someone (who shall remain roly poly) wetting on the unprotected rug. It is a vicious circle.


The rug in the corridor will no doubt be more successful. No one ever wets there, though Parker tends to throw up on it quite a bit. I’ve no doubt it will need replacing in its turn. But for now, it is pristine. It was also too wide. The previous rug was not, but when I was searching for rugs to buy, the narrower ones were thrice as expensive as the wider, so I bought two and cut one of them down to fit. It doesn’t look quite even, but I never have visitors anyway, so except for these photos, no one will see it.


Buying the rugs was interesting. I found myself taking into account factors that non-cat people would never consider. Others might want a colour or pattern to hide pet accidents; I wanted one to show them. After all, I want to see whatever Parker throws up, in order to gauge the amount and frequency of his upchucking, as well as its content. The thickness of the rugs was measured in regard to urine soaking through them, and the backing was felt for the same reason. How well bits of litter or food would resist a vacuum-cleaner’s suction was pondered, and the basic question of how easily the fabric might be cleaned. I think I spent more time deciding on rugs than an interior decorator with a millionaire client.

But it’s done now. Tucker spent an afternoon avoiding the rug in the corridor, trotting along its edges. But he quickly realised that the strange smell would disappear the more he lie on it. As long as he doesn’t think the same advantage may be had by wetting on it, the results of my purchases will be satisfactory.

16 comments:

  1. There IS a lot to consider when buying area rugs, if one has pets in the house. I wonder if an outdoor or indoor/outdoor area rug would be better. They make nice ones now, not like in the "old" days, and probably would be easier to keep clean. Especially one meant for outdoors, specifically. The downside is that I don't think they're soft underfoot...or under floof.

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    1. I hadn't thought of an outside rug. I will look into those when next I need one, and I will eventually.

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    2. That's what I wound up using inside the house. (You see! You're not the only one with these problems!) It's not perfect--I doubt there is ANY "perfect" surface for vomited hairballs and cat urine--but it's definitely an improvement.

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  2. You're right, John. When you have cats, you have to consider things that someone without pets would not. Such as: is the item safe for pets, will cat hair vacuum off easily, which lint roller removes cat hair the best, and the big concern - are stains easy to remove? It's always an adventure when you have cats!

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  3. Yup! I look for a color that won't show even a light stain in case I don't get all the stain out. It is rare for Katie, Admiral, any of them- to hork on the throw rugs I have laid all over the house which would have been so much easier to deal with. So far no one has peed. My fake Turkish pattern area rug is the best one for her to throw up on. the color must be close to cat vomit.

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  4. I never thought of rugs over rug...I still have much to learn. I do have a small carpet cleaner, as well as a large one and they get used fairly regularly. However the carpet in both the bedroom and basement could use replacement. Hopefully that will be left to the next owners.

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  5. catfather; long az de rug meetz with yur a proove all; itza good rug... we like ta walk de edgez two; ya never noe what kinda dangerz in de middle oh de rug.... til itz sat a bit in de houz !! ☺☺♥♥

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  6. Tucker made me laugh the way he has stretched out on the rug. Some take to new rugs much faster than others. When we brought a "vishus" deerskin home for the boys, Flynn went right in on the attack ripping and biting at the fur.Eric made a wide detour for about a week before he realised how comfortable and warm it was.

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    1. That's Tucker's 'bathing beauty' pose.

      Flynn was quite the hunter!

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  7. We've had really good luck with a solution of water and baking soda sprayed on urine and pee areas. The baking soda neutralizes the smell, so the theory is that re-peeing is eliminated. Even in carpet, I soak in the solution. Funny thing, I watched a marathon of "The Cat From Hell" episodes, all about cats who pee everywhere. Most often, the problem was outside cats, who intimidated the inside cats enough for them to mark their territory, but I know that it not your issue. Here's hoping the new rugs do the trick!

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    1. Does the baking soda leave stains? Maybe I could use it on the permanent fitted carpets underneath.

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    2. Hydrogen peroxide works really well, too. When we removed the wall-to-wall carpeting in my house, we found that the hardwood floor underneath had been badly urine-stained by the previous owner's cats. The peroxide cleaned the stains and neutralized the odor better than anything else we've tried. So far as I can tell, at least, the peroxide hasn't left any stains on rugs.

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  8. The rug I hauled around on my back through Turkey sees the upchuck action the most. But as the lady who wove it told me, It is indestructible.

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    1. I think that's what I need. (Hand-woven! Very nice.)

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