Pet-friendly floors, rugs and furniture: grip for dogs and scratching spots for cats

Floors and furniture shape a pet’s day

A dog trots down the hall and jumps off the sofa. A cat wakes from a nap and digs its claws into the nearest sturdy thing. When the floor is slick or the best scratching surface is the arm of a chair, everyone notices.

This guide covers grip for dogs on hard floors, a better scratching target for cats, and covers that can go in the wash, with an original walk-through you can do in socks. For an older pet whose mobility is changing, our older-pet home guide goes further into routes and resting spots.

Give dogs grip on hard floors

VCA Animal Hospitals’ guide to creating a comfortable home for a mobility-compromised dog says hardwood, laminate and tile, though beautiful and durable, are much harder for dogs to walk and run on securely. Its realistic alternative to carpeting the whole home is to lay area rugs and runners where your dog spends the most time.

• Choose non-slip rugs. VCA says rugs and runners should be non-slip, with no raised corners or edges that could trip your dog.
• Cover the landing spots. If your dog jumps on or off furniture, VCA suggests non-slip rugs in that area as well.
• Check the stairs. VCA notes that stairs also need a non-slip surface, such as a carpet runner or stick-down grip tape.
• Keep nails and paw fur short. VCA says short nails and trimmed fur between the toes improve traction, and that most dogs need a nail trim at least once a month.

Why cats scratch the sofa

Scratching is not misbehavior. The Ohio State University Indoor Pet Initiative’s scratching page explains that cats scratch to stretch their muscles, shed old cuticle, sharpen their claws and leave scent marks. Cats Protection’s guide to cats and scratching calls it a normal, instinctive behavior and says every cat, indoor or outdoor, needs a scratching outlet.

The Cornell Feline Health Center’s page on destructive behavior puts it kindly: a cat that scratches your favorite sofa is not trying to destroy your home, but to meet its own needs. The practical goal is to redirect the scratching, not to stop it.

Cats Protection adds a caution. Scratching to mark territory can be a sign that a cat is worried or feels threatened by another cat. It advises helping such a cat feel more secure, not just adding another surface, and notes that a qualified behaviourist may help find the cause.

Offer a better place to scratch

Cornell suggests first noticing which surface your cat prefers and whether it scratches upright or on flat surfaces, then matching the alternative to that habit.

• Material. Ohio State calls sisal ideal because it is satisfying and stands up to repeated use. Cornell suggests a carpet-covered post for cats that scratch carpets.
• Direction. Ohio State notes that cats that scratch rugs and carpets may prefer a horizontal post or mat. Cats Protection suggests a scratching pad for cats that scratch carpets and stairs.
• Height and weight. Cornell says a post should be at least as tall as your cat standing on its hind legs with front legs outstretched, and sturdy enough not to topple. Cats Protection recommends a heavy, stable base that does not wobble.
• Placement. Cornell recommends placing the post right next to the spot your cat likes to scratch, with a post near each one if there are several. Ohio State adds that cats often scratch prominent objects near sleeping areas and room entrances.
• One per cat. Cats Protection says every cat should have its own post, placed in a different spot to avoid conflict.

Once the new post is in steady use, Ohio State says you can move it very gradually, no more than three inches a day, toward a spot that suits you better.

Make the furniture less tempting

Meanwhile, make the old target less appealing. Ohio State suggests covering it with something your cat dislikes, such as double-sided sticky tape or aluminum foil. Cats Protection suggests thick, shiny plastic sheeting, and Cornell mentions blankets and sheets of plastic. Cornell adds that the only guaranteed way to stop scratching in one place is to restrict access. A closed door is the simplest version.

Cornell also suggests an odor neutralizer on scratched areas, because cats are more likely to re-scratch places that carry their scent. Ohio State says you can clip just the sharp claw tips about once a week, after getting your cat used to having its paws handled.

Skip punishment. Cornell explains that cats see no link between punishment and the scratch, that punishment only teaches a cat to fear you, and that a cat punished only when you are present learns to scratch when you are not there.

Take a sock-foot floor walk

This is an original Housemates exercise. You need ordinary socks, a pencil and a rough sketch of your rooms.

1. Walk your pet’s routes in socks. Follow the paths your pet uses most, such as bed to water bowl or sofa to door. Mark an S wherever your feet slide.
2. Stop at the turns and landings. Pause at doorways, the bottom of the stairs and beside the sofa or bed. Note any rug that shifts or has a lifted edge.
3. Mark the scratched furniture. Put an X on each piece with claw marks, and note whether the marks are upright or along a rug or stair.
4. Pair each mark with a fix. Beside every S, write where a non-slip rug could go. Beside every X, write the post or pad you will place next to it.
5. Change one or two things. Start with the slipperiest stretch and the most scratched piece, then repeat the walk in a week.

The sketch is a home-layout note, not an assessment of your pet. If your dog starts slipping more or hesitates on familiar floors, mention it to your veterinary team.

Choose covers and bedding you can wash

VCA recommends that a dog’s bed or bed cover be machine washable, to protect against urine or fecal matter. The same idea helps with furniture. A removable throw on the sofa arm a cat favors is one of the blanket covers Cornell mentions, and it goes in the wash instead of the cushion.

• Keep a spare cover for each bed, so one is ready while the other dries.
• Wash throws and bed covers on a regular laundry day, not only when they look dirty.
• After washing a rug, check that it still lies flat and grips the floor.

For resting spots, see our guide to a dog’s quiet resting space. For perches that give a cat more to do, see the indoor cat enrichment guide. This guide is a household planning aid, not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian.