Cat proof carpet?

[secondcor521]

Hi all.

My house is 17 years old and has original average contractor-grade carpet and pad.  It's pretty worn out.

I have a 9 year old indoor cat who is healthy but sometimes regurgitates hairballs and stomach contents onto the aforementioned carpet.  With my mediocre cleaning skills and lack of prompt attention and general apathy these generally leave stains.

I've pretty much decided I want to replace the carpet with carpet (so no tile / hardwood / LVP / whatever).

I'm not getting rid of the cat.  Despite the regurgitation and all the other stuff on balance he's a net positive.

I'm realizing I can't really wait for the cat to die - that could be another 6-8-10 years.

I don't want the anxiety and pressure of having the old carpet replaced and following my cat around with a special cleaning solution afraid he's going to ruin my new carpet.

What I'd like is carpet that is bulletproof to cat regurgitation stains given an owner who doesn't really know how to or care to learn to properly clean.  I kinda hope something like this exists but suspect it doesn't.

Does it exist?  Is there another option I haven't thought of?

[YttriumNitrate]

My solution would be to find a carpet that generally matches the color / pattern of cat vomit. In my old house, we chose the carpet color to match our constantly shedding dog.

[yodella]

Unfortunately I don't have a specific carpet reccomendation, but we've used this cleaning product for cat vomit for years and it never lets me down:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Carbona-Oxy-Powered-Carpet-Upholstery-Cleaner-27-5-Fl-Oz/17283465?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&&adid=22222222227015514930&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40343347592&wl4=pla-78303925352&wl5=9028880&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=17283465&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAjwu5CDBhB9EiwA0w6sLfYiPQQHoIOTrudvqKzfz66xPM83WnBHr6nZJ_E0IxyzJzg6KPnUHRoCsNEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[therethere]

I've always used oxyclean and warm water in a spray bottle with good success. You could always get a SpotBot portable carpet cleaner or something similar after you replace your carpet. I've seen them at thrift stores before for <$40 and they work pretty well.

[ChickenStash]

Some folks have good luck with Scotchguarding the carpet but it still requires some upkeep. I've had good luck with the oxyclean-like spot removers for cleaning up the messes. The reality, though, is that there is no way to completely protect the carpet. Pick a style that doesn't show stains as easily and plan on bringing a truck-mount carpet cleaner regularly.

My biggest improvement with my cats is making sure their food doesn't have any dyes. I had them on one brand that had multi-colored kibble and had a heck of time cleaning the carpet when they'd hack up a hairball. I switched them over to Science Diet (as an example, others fit the bill) and the messes have been easier to clean. A secondary bonus is the frequency of hairball messes went down, too.

[lthenderson]

Last fall the last cat on the farm died at the age of 25.  If it were me and it had to be carpet, it would be one with a mottled color pattern and probably earth toned in color. I would probably go with a shorter nap too.

[TrMama]

I would get some cheap rugs and use them to cover any areas where the cat typically leaves a mess. If those get ruined they can easily be replaced. You could also get a steam cleaner so you can more effectively clean any stains.

[Frankies Girl]

Apologies if this isn't info you can use but I was surprised that the "hairball" formula cat foods weren't all hype. There is also a general suggestion that upping the quality of food fed can help. There's a theory that feeding a better ingredient food will reduce the amount of stomach upset, and any that are rated specifically for hairballs should help them pass through the other side instead of being hacked up on the carpet.

I had two cats that were major hairballers, one of which ended up having emergency surgery to remove a hair blockage in her intestines. We now feed those two a variety of either meow mix hairball formula, Purina hairball formula or Nutrish (it's got high fiber content and I caught a bag on clearance). None of mine have issues with switching foods but you might try the slow intro for yours unless you're sure they don't get upset stomachs from switching. I now only see hairballs maybe ever other week if that. I think they've gone as long as 3 weeks even. I also brush them when I remember but my god they shed like a whole cat's worth of fur every day it seems like.

Otherwise, if it was me I agree - go with the cheapest low pile carpet that matches their food color darker but not DARK because it will show every speck of lint and fuzz and look dirty just because of that. I also make sure to find foods that don't use the red dyes since those seem to stain the worst. Any kibble that has a reddish/orange coloration is ruled out.

There are stick-on tiled carpet squares for flooring too. Not sure how much but I saw a large stack of them at a ReStore once and those were pretty cool since you could peel them up if they got really stained, but they also used them for high traffic areas like the local library. Could be nice as it would still feel somewhat cush to walk on but won't absorb the barfs so cleaning should be much easier, and you can use rugs if you want to change up areas.

[Sibley]

Cleaning it up quickly is the best option I've found. I use paper towel initially, then switch to a damp rag to scrub the rest. It's not necessarily perfect, but it helps. I don't use carpet cleaners usually. Once I year I have the carpet steam cleaned.

But do consider trying other foods. I've had instances where a brand or flavor just didn't agree with the cat, so trying different ones for a bit can be helpful.

[dandarc]

We went with "replace carpet with cork flooring" when we bought our house in 2014. Less concerned with the vomit which we can clean up with varying degrees of difficulty as we are with the "cats destroyed the carpet last time we had it".

[dandarc]

Cork flooring because - looks pretty much like hardwood, Cork is renewable - I'm sure the "engineered" part of the flooring is less so, but the cork itself is harvested without killing the cork trees, it looks enough like hardwood to me, it is a natural insulator so it feels warm underfoot vs. hardwood which can feel very cold. There's some give to it as well - dropping something fragile is less guaranteed to break than on hardwood or tile. The pattern we got also sort of covers up for our lazy approach to housekeeping as well.

I will note - our house only came with 2 rooms with carpet. Rest is hardwood or tile. If you've got pretty much the whole house carpeted, it might be quite expensive compared to carpet.

ETA: somehow missed the "we want carpet" on my first read - apologies to OP, but I really like cork flooring, so I'll leave it up in case anyone else happens by.

[SunnyDays]

If you don’t mind hard feeling floors, eliminate the underlay so it doesn’t absorb liquid, and put in a very flat carpet (maybe commercial) in a goldish colour that will hide stains.  A pattern will help too.  But it’s still wise to clean up at least reasonably well, because you don’t want to step in it or have lingering odors.  You might also want to have the cat dewormed.  One of mine had spirochetes and after he was treated, threw up a lot less often.

[Frankies Girl]

yeah, I know that OP wants carpet, but my next house is going to have "distressed" concrete flooring and any stains/scratches/dings are going to just be "adding character" from then on out. Between animals, furniture shifts, dropping things and just random crap happening that leave gouges and scratches and stains, I am OVER having carpet/hardwood/whatever if it isn't cleanable and worry free and I'll just go buy a new area rug when I get sick of looking at the ones there.


And just in case anyone wondered why the $#@! cat seem to always head for carpet when they yak - I was told cats don't like the instability of smooth flooring when they're heaving and they can't hold on to anything on smooth surfaces. So they go to carpet to grab on and then hurl.

[Metalcat]

I had pet proof carpet installed on the stairs and landings at my old place and it was MUCH easier to clean, but you still have to clean it right away, and you usually have to have it professionally cleaned annually for the warranty to hold up.

It did make a huge difference, but no carpet will stand up to bodily fluids being left to seep in for more than a few hours.

[Cranky]

Get a good carpet cleaner. I've gotten some pretty amazing stains out with a Bissel and spot cleaner.

[BudgetSlasher]

Hi all.

My house is 17 years old and has original average contractor-grade carpet and pad.  It's pretty worn out.

I have a 9 year old indoor cat who is healthy but sometimes regurgitates hairballs and stomach contents onto the aforementioned carpet.  With my mediocre cleaning skills and lack of prompt attention and general apathy these generally leave stains.

I've pretty much decided I want to replace the carpet with carpet (so no tile / hardwood / LVP / whatever).

I'm not getting rid of the cat.  Despite the regurgitation and all the other stuff on balance he's a net positive.

I'm realizing I can't really wait for the cat to die - that could be another 6-8-10 years.

I don't want the anxiety and pressure of having the old carpet replaced and following my cat around with a special cleaning solution afraid he's going to ruin my new carpet.

What I'd like is carpet that is bulletproof to cat regurgitation stains given an owner who doesn't really know how to or care to learn to properly clean.  I kinda hope something like this exists but suspect it doesn't.

Does it exist?  Is there another option I haven't thought of?

On the cleaning front you could buy a Bissell SpotBot. Still not 100% as good and cleaning quickly and with some elbow grease, but pretty darn good. And lazy too, pick up the solid plop it down and hit clean, then dump it out later; we kept ours ready to go in out pets later years.

I am not aware of a bullet proof solution that will stand up to neglect. I have not met a treatment that will allow for long period of time before being addressed; they can be great for say preventing red wine from staining while you gather cleaning supplies or address broken glass first, but no so much for an item containing digestive juices that is left sitting for an extended period of time. And many systems have some sort of upkeep required.

I've never met a carpet that prevents the liquids from soaking into the backing, carpet pad, and sometimes subfloor.

Personally, I have some concerns about synthetic fiber carpets and especially some of the treatments, but that is up to each to decide.

I'll second many of the things said already.

1) Consider something more resilient than carpet.
2) Consider low and/or tight pile.
3) Consider a color/pattern that will hide stains.
4) Consider buying a less-expensive/shorter life carpet, understanding that you may have to replace more frequently or wait to get a good carpet until the cat passes.
5) If the cat has favorited places/you notice the current stains are in certain areas consider areas rugs. Ruggable, while not "cheap" are supposed to be waterproof (we have them over out HD floors in front of the sink and dishwasher) and they are machine washable.
6) See if there is anything you can do to reduce the impact of the hairballs in the first place; specialty foods, lack of dyes, brushing your cat (if tolerated), and so on.

[Villanelle]

Cover your carpeting with one of those Ruggable rugs, or similar washable area rug?

[Metalcat]

Hi all.

My house is 17 years old and has original average contractor-grade carpet and pad.  It's pretty worn out.

I have a 9 year old indoor cat who is healthy but sometimes regurgitates hairballs and stomach contents onto the aforementioned carpet.  With my mediocre cleaning skills and lack of prompt attention and general apathy these generally leave stains.

I've pretty much decided I want to replace the carpet with carpet (so no tile / hardwood / LVP / whatever).

I'm not getting rid of the cat.  Despite the regurgitation and all the other stuff on balance he's a net positive.

I'm realizing I can't really wait for the cat to die - that could be another 6-8-10 years.

I don't want the anxiety and pressure of having the old carpet replaced and following my cat around with a special cleaning solution afraid he's going to ruin my new carpet.

What I'd like is carpet that is bulletproof to cat regurgitation stains given an owner who doesn't really know how to or care to learn to properly clean.  I kinda hope something like this exists but suspect it doesn't.

Does it exist?  Is there another option I haven't thought of?

On the cleaning front you could buy a Bissell SpotBot. Still not 100% as good and cleaning quickly and with some elbow grease, but pretty darn good. And lazy too, pick up the solid plop it down and hit clean, then dump it out later; we kept ours ready to go in out pets later years.

I am not aware of a bullet proof solution that will stand up to neglect. I have not met a treatment that will allow for long period of time before being addressed; they can be great for say preventing red wine from staining while you gather cleaning supplies or address broken glass first, but no so much for an item containing digestive juices that is left sitting for an extended period of time. And many systems have some sort of upkeep required.

I've never met a carpet that prevents the liquids from soaking into the backing, carpet pad, and sometimes subfloor.

Personally, I have some concerns about synthetic fiber carpets and especially some of the treatments, but that is up to each to decide.

I'll second many of the things said already.

1) Consider something more resilient than carpet.
2) Consider low and/or tight pile.
3) Consider a color/pattern that will hide stains.
4) Consider buying a less-expensive/shorter life carpet, understanding that you may have to replace more frequently or wait to get a good carpet until the cat passes.
5) If the cat has favorited places/you notice the current stains are in certain areas consider areas rugs. Ruggable, while not "cheap" are supposed to be waterproof (we have them over out HD floors in front of the sink and dishwasher) and they are machine washable.
6) See if there is anything you can do to reduce the impact of the hairballs in the first place; specialty foods, lack of dyes, brushing your cat (if tolerated), and so on.

There are waterproof carpet pads, any of the pet-proof carpet brands will have them. But yeah, they have their limits if bodily fluids are left uncleaned. You're right that carpet just isn't a reasonable option if messes will be left for a long time. However, messes left will also damage hardwood, tile grout, Cork flooring, concrete, and pretty much anything except for linoleum or laminate.

[BudgetSlasher]

Hi all.

My house is 17 years old and has original average contractor-grade carpet and pad.  It's pretty worn out.

I have a 9 year old indoor cat who is healthy but sometimes regurgitates hairballs and stomach contents onto the aforementioned carpet.  With my mediocre cleaning skills and lack of prompt attention and general apathy these generally leave stains.

I've pretty much decided I want to replace the carpet with carpet (so no tile / hardwood / LVP / whatever).

I'm not getting rid of the cat.  Despite the regurgitation and all the other stuff on balance he's a net positive.

I'm realizing I can't really wait for the cat to die - that could be another 6-8-10 years.

I don't want the anxiety and pressure of having the old carpet replaced and following my cat around with a special cleaning solution afraid he's going to ruin my new carpet.

What I'd like is carpet that is bulletproof to cat regurgitation stains given an owner who doesn't really know how to or care to learn to properly clean.  I kinda hope something like this exists but suspect it doesn't.

Does it exist?  Is there another option I haven't thought of?

On the cleaning front you could buy a Bissell SpotBot. Still not 100% as good and cleaning quickly and with some elbow grease, but pretty darn good. And lazy too, pick up the solid plop it down and hit clean, then dump it out later; we kept ours ready to go in out pets later years.

I am not aware of a bullet proof solution that will stand up to neglect. I have not met a treatment that will allow for long period of time before being addressed; they can be great for say preventing red wine from staining while you gather cleaning supplies or address broken glass first, but no so much for an item containing digestive juices that is left sitting for an extended period of time. And many systems have some sort of upkeep required.

I've never met a carpet that prevents the liquids from soaking into the backing, carpet pad, and sometimes subfloor.

Personally, I have some concerns about synthetic fiber carpets and especially some of the treatments, but that is up to each to decide.

I'll second many of the things said already.

1) Consider something more resilient than carpet.
2) Consider low and/or tight pile.
3) Consider a color/pattern that will hide stains.
4) Consider buying a less-expensive/shorter life carpet, understanding that you may have to replace more frequently or wait to get a good carpet until the cat passes.
5) If the cat has favorited places/you notice the current stains are in certain areas consider areas rugs. Ruggable, while not "cheap" are supposed to be waterproof (we have them over out HD floors in front of the sink and dishwasher) and they are machine washable.
6) See if there is anything you can do to reduce the impact of the hairballs in the first place; specialty foods, lack of dyes, brushing your cat (if tolerated), and so on.

There are waterproof carpet pads, any of the pet-proof carpet brands will have them. But yeah, they have their limits if bodily fluids are left uncleaned. You're right that carpet just isn't a reasonable option if messes will be left for a long time. However, messes left will also damage hardwood, tile grout, Cork flooring, concrete, and pretty much anything except for linoleum or laminate.

Hrm, I wasn't aware there were waterproof carpet pads. Still, I cannot see them as being too useful if something has already soaked through the carpet and backing it will be pretty difficult to later clean it through the carpet.

I will defer to someone with a name that translate to bad/evil cat when it comes to cats damaging different floorings.

[Metalcat]

Hi all.

My house is 17 years old and has original average contractor-grade carpet and pad.  It's pretty worn out.

I have a 9 year old indoor cat who is healthy but sometimes regurgitates hairballs and stomach contents onto the aforementioned carpet.  With my mediocre cleaning skills and lack of prompt attention and general apathy these generally leave stains.

I've pretty much decided I want to replace the carpet with carpet (so no tile / hardwood / LVP / whatever).

I'm not getting rid of the cat.  Despite the regurgitation and all the other stuff on balance he's a net positive.

I'm realizing I can't really wait for the cat to die - that could be another 6-8-10 years.

I don't want the anxiety and pressure of having the old carpet replaced and following my cat around with a special cleaning solution afraid he's going to ruin my new carpet.

What I'd like is carpet that is bulletproof to cat regurgitation stains given an owner who doesn't really know how to or care to learn to properly clean.  I kinda hope something like this exists but suspect it doesn't.

Does it exist?  Is there another option I haven't thought of?

On the cleaning front you could buy a Bissell SpotBot. Still not 100% as good and cleaning quickly and with some elbow grease, but pretty darn good. And lazy too, pick up the solid plop it down and hit clean, then dump it out later; we kept ours ready to go in out pets later years.

I am not aware of a bullet proof solution that will stand up to neglect. I have not met a treatment that will allow for long period of time before being addressed; they can be great for say preventing red wine from staining while you gather cleaning supplies or address broken glass first, but no so much for an item containing digestive juices that is left sitting for an extended period of time. And many systems have some sort of upkeep required.

I've never met a carpet that prevents the liquids from soaking into the backing, carpet pad, and sometimes subfloor.

Personally, I have some concerns about synthetic fiber carpets and especially some of the treatments, but that is up to each to decide.

I'll second many of the things said already.

1) Consider something more resilient than carpet.
2) Consider low and/or tight pile.
3) Consider a color/pattern that will hide stains.
4) Consider buying a less-expensive/shorter life carpet, understanding that you may have to replace more frequently or wait to get a good carpet until the cat passes.
5) If the cat has favorited places/you notice the current stains are in certain areas consider areas rugs. Ruggable, while not "cheap" are supposed to be waterproof (we have them over out HD floors in front of the sink and dishwasher) and they are machine washable.
6) See if there is anything you can do to reduce the impact of the hairballs in the first place; specialty foods, lack of dyes, brushing your cat (if tolerated), and so on.

There are waterproof carpet pads, any of the pet-proof carpet brands will have them. But yeah, they have their limits if bodily fluids are left uncleaned. You're right that carpet just isn't a reasonable option if messes will be left for a long time. However, messes left will also damage hardwood, tile grout, Cork flooring, concrete, and pretty much anything except for linoleum or laminate.

Hrm, I wasn't aware there were waterproof carpet pads. Still, I cannot see them as being too useful if something has already soaked through the carpet and backing it will be pretty difficult to later clean it through the carpet.

I will defer to someone with a name that translate to bad/evil cat when it comes to cats damaging different floorings.

Lol, definitely not an expert on messy cats, my two are the only ones I've ever had since childhood and they're the cleanest animals I've ever known.

However, I used to have a lot of rescue dogs, many of which were seniors with health issues, who weren't always the most reliably tidy critters. The pet proof carpet pad was definitely waterproof, but it mostly meant that if you were to steam clean the area, it would be properly cleaned without liquids soaking permanently into the pad. It still required a deep cleaning though if a mess wasn't caught and cleaned quickly enough.

As for other floor surfaces, those I learned the hard way from rescuing a deaf, blind, one eyed, toothless puppy mill dog. He put all of my floors through a hard time.

[secondcor521]

Thanks all.

I should clarify about my apathy.  I'm not apathetic about cleaning up the hairballs; I'm apathetic about improving my hairball-cleaning-up skills.  I use a paper towel, then a rag with Nature's Miracle enzymatic cleaner.  I do clean them up as soon as I find them, but that can be several hours later if the hairball production occurs while I'm asleep or out of the house for the day or if it's in an out of the way spot.

The carpet is a uniform light tan, the hairball stains tend to be a bit darker.

Also, the carpet is contractor grade and original to the 2004 house, so 17 years is probably a pretty decent run anyway.

He's a very long-haired cat, so some hairballs are probably avoidable.

He produces all over the house, so the rug idea is probably not workable.  I'd basically end up with a second layer of carpet that way.

At this point I'm probably going to try switching his food.  He's been on Van Patten Natural Balance Indoor Ultra his entire life (well, the past 8 years I've had him anyway).  I like the Science Diet brand and may check that out, or I might try the Van Patten limited diet version.  I also might check out the other specific recommendations above about hairball reduction versions.

Other than the hairballs he seems to be a happy and healthy cat.  He's never had any medical problems - well not yet anyway, he is only 9 years old - and always gets good vet checks when he goes in for his rabies boosters.

Any other specific suggestions for cat food?

[Metalcat]

Have you considered shaving him?
We shaved DH's cat every few months and it saved her so much discomfort in terms of hairballs and mats.

[Dictionary Time]

Berber carpet is really durable. We had a lot of hair balls and puking kids and it really cleans up. Seconding the Spot Shot recommendation.  Other than that, what can you do? Life is messy.

[secondcor521]

Have you considered shaving him?
We shaved DH's cat every few months and it saved her so much discomfort in terms of hairballs and mats.

Had to have him shaved once because he got matted up beyond his ability to stay on top of things.  Now I just keep up with his brushing, so generally not going to shave him as long as that continues to work.  He's quite the beautiful boy if I do say so myself.

[AccidentialMustache]

How long do you plan to be in the house? Can you just target the carpet's expected lifetime to right around your tenure? If so great, it kinda doesn't matter if you'll replace it or leave it stained and give a carpet allowance when selling.

[Loretta]

I'm a longtime crazy cat lady (3 cats) and my cat commune has been having good results with this hypoallergenic cat food:  https://www.chewy.com/dr-garys-best-breed-holistic-grain/dp/291865 I have one long-haired dude and one short-haired barfer.  This food seems to help everybody.  As for carpet, I think the best carpet I ever had in a home was a navy Berber with flecks of peach but overall dark. 

Thanks all.

I should clarify about my apathy.  I'm not apathetic about cleaning up the hairballs; I'm apathetic about improving my hairball-cleaning-up skills.  I use a paper towel, then a rag with Nature's Miracle enzymatic cleaner.  I do clean them up as soon as I find them, but that can be several hours later if the hairball production occurs while I'm asleep or out of the house for the day or if it's in an out of the way spot.

The carpet is a uniform light tan, the hairball stains tend to be a bit darker.

Also, the carpet is contractor grade and original to the 2004 house, so 17 years is probably a pretty decent run anyway.

He's a very long-haired cat, so some hairballs are probably avoidable.

He produces all over the house, so the rug idea is probably not workable.  I'd basically end up with a second layer of carpet that way.

At this point I'm probably going to try switching his food.  He's been on Van Patten Natural Balance Indoor Ultra his entire life (well, the past 8 years I've had him anyway).  I like the Science Diet brand and may check that out, or I might try the Van Patten limited diet version.  I also might check out the other specific recommendations above about hairball reduction versions.

Other than the hairballs he seems to be a happy and healthy cat.  He's never had any medical problems - well not yet anyway, he is only 9 years old - and always gets good vet checks when he goes in for his rabies boosters.

Any other specific suggestions for cat food?

[secondcor521]

Update, since everyone was asking (heh, not):

Switched him over to Van Patten Limited Ingredient Diet, the salmon version.  He seems to have a much healthier skin and coat and the hairball production is also way down.

@AccidentialMustache, I think the realistic lifetime of my 17-year-old carpet was about 10 years, so it's past due.

[SunnyDays]

That’s interesting.  My cats have been on different brands of salmon kibble all their lives (ages 4 and 6 now), and while one was a bit of a puker when younger, I’ve only seen one actual hair ball in all that time and it was from the non-puker.  Maybe just lucky or maybe the salmon food has something to do with it.

[Metalcat]

That’s interesting.  My cats have been on different brands of salmon kibble all their lives (ages 4 and 6 now), and while one was a bit of a puker when younger, I’ve only seen one actual hair ball in all that time and it was from the non-puker.  Maybe just lucky or maybe the salmon food has something to do with it.

I doubt it's the salmon and more that it's limited ingredient.

Some cats just aren't hairball cats. DH's old fluffy cat never had hairballs and we could feed her anything.