Cat 2, Rugs 0

[Moutaineer]

Another cat issue here!

We moved house back in the spring, and prior to the move, we sent our Persian and Indian rugs out to be cleaned. They were all at least 20 years old and hadn't been professionally cleaned before, and a couple of them had suspicious cat spots on them. They didn't go back down until we were in the new house.

We have two cats--we have had many cats prior but these two have both been around and sharing the same house for several years--a grudging truce rather than a true friendship, but there you are. One is a Siameseish, the other is a Himalayan, both are pound cats of unknown heritage.

The Himalayan, Puff, is a polite cat who uses her litterbox. Sage, the Siameseish, has always been a bit hit or miss and has always preferred a pee pad, a preference I have accommodated rather than clean up after her, especially as she spends a lot of time outside anyway.

Since we moved, Sage has started pooping on the living room carpet. A violent attack of the kitty trots combined with my husband's total inability to look where he is walking completely destroyed it, so I replaced it with a cheap and cheerful, brand new one, but, still made in India, hand tufted and all wool.

She can't stay away from it.

Now Puff has started peeing on it as well and is also ripping it to shreds with her claws. I've tried the cat repellent spray, with limited success. I think it is beyond redemption in the space of 3 months and I can think of way better things to do with my time than cleaning cat outpourings out of a cheap carpet.

So, I've ordered a Ruggable, which I can at least throw in the washer if this behavior persists. I'm not entirely thrilled about having a plastic carpet in my beautiful living room, but I guess it beats the alternative.

Here's my theory... I think that they use some kind of Urea to fix the dyes in Indian wool carpets. I think the washing of the carpets somehow reactivated the scent, and I think the new one just, if you were a cat, smelled of urine, whether cow or whatever didn't matter.

I'd think behavioral to do with moving, but they haven't touched the carpet under the dining table, which is a much nicer Persian one, or the new wool one if my office, which is machine made rather than hand tufted, and they didn't do anything untoward on the bare wood floor when we were between carpets in the living room, (and to be honest, they have been much happier and more relaxed cats in this new village environment than they were up on the mountain.)

Any thoughts?

[Chancellor]

I would talk to your vet first and foremost. But the feliway spray usually works really well. Are you sure you used enough?

[Chisamba]

try go no carpet in the one room until the habit is broken?

[Moutaineer]

So an update on this...

We pulled the rug up and went bare-floored for a couple of weeks. We've now put down the Ruggable washable rug, (which, once rolled out, doesn't offend me quite as much as I thought it might,) and both cats have gone right back to using the litter boxes consistently and are happily sleeping on the new rug in front of the fire. Puff isn't exercising her claws on it, either.

So I do think there is something in my theory about the other ones smelling weird. Which is something to bear in mind if you are buying rugs and have cats!