Rugs for Homes With Pets: Which Constructions and Fibres Hold Up

Which constructions suit a home with pets

Hand-knotted rugs and tight flatweaves in a low pile, because both anchor the fibre firmly. A deep pile holds crumbs, hair and grit and is harder to get a spill out of. We do not record pile height in our catalogue, so ask us about a design before ordering if the pile matters.

Wool vs synthetic fibres

We sell no synthetic rugs: every RS LIVING rug with a stated fibre is wool, a wool and silk blend or jute. UGA Cooperative Extension's fibre guide lists nylon as extremely durable and very resistant to abrasion but sensitive to strong sunlight, olefin as resisting stains with good resistance to crushing, and polyester as liable to pill and to absorb body oils.

The same guide lists wool as water-repellent, but subject to moths and carpet beetles unless treated, and weaker when wet. Wool's spring helps in a busy house: footprints and furniture marks recover rather than stay. We make no claim that wool beats any synthetic for a particular animal.

Accidents and cleaning

Speed matters most. The Carpet and Rug Institute advises blotting urine as soon as you find it, with plain white paper towels, and warns that urine left unnoticed can damage dyes and fibres permanently and that cat urine odour is unlikely to go unless the urine is fully removed. It notes enzyme-based treatments exist.

On a wool rug, our guidance is to blot, flush with a little cool water, blot again and use an enzyme cleaner made for wool; avoid ammonia, bleach and hot water. If it has soaked through to the floor, call a professional wool rug cleaner. The full method is in living with a rug when you have pets and children.

Claws and loops

Avoid loose loop pile if your dog or cat has claws, because a single pulled loop can run. Keep claws trimmed; most pulled tufts come from a cat working the edge of a rug. If a tuft is pulled proud, cut it level with scissors and never pull it. A pad under the rug stops it creeping when an animal runs across it.

Colour and pattern

Choose a mid-tone with three or four tones of pattern. It hides the ordinary marks of a busy floor far better than a plain pale rug, which shows everything.

What our pet line means

Our rug, pouf and cushion pages carry the line: Made for homes with pets. That line is the extent of our claim. This guide adds general advice from our care guides and the sources cited, and does not extend it.

Sources

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, Understand Your Fibers; The Carpet and Rug Institute, Technical Bulletin: Pet Urine and Carpet. Each was read on 22 October 2026.

RS LIVING: living with a rug when you have pets and children, choosing a hallway runner, rug care in the monsoon and care and cleaning. Design counts are computed from the RS LIVING catalogue.