There are many choices available to you as a householder when choosing carpets for your property, which means that you should take a bit of time to study them and find the one you like best. You can also speak to our carpet specialists to find out more about particular designs.

While matters like aesthetics will be one consideration, you should also take time to find out from the experts what the best and worst choices are if you have pets roaming the house, such as cats, dogs or even a house rabbit.

Cat website The Nest has highlighted the fact that this is particularly important for felines, as some types of carpet are much more suitable than others.

Pet hair is a bane of many homes and a carpet that is suitable for a cat or dog will not collect and hold discarded hair so easily that it needs an industrial clean to get it out. The same applies to messy accidents (or deliberate acts as a means of marking territory). Again, you will want something that you can get stains out of.

Some carpets are a mixed blessing. For example, Berber carpets with their characteristic loops are generally quite resistant to shedding fur and stains. But those very loops make them vulnerable to being pulled up by the hooked claws of cats.

According to Tapi.co.uk, the best kind of surfaces for cats and dogs are cut pile carpets like Saxony or twist carpet, for the above reasons.

The material you use is also important. Wool will hold stains more easily than synthetic substances like polypropylene, which will not only clean more easily but holds less dust.

Making choices like this might mean you don’t go for your first choice of carpet style or material. 

But you must remember that a carpet that looks just the way you want it when it is first installed should stay that way for years, and if owning pets means that is not possible due to clawing, shedding, or stains, there will be better options for you to ensure the best-looking floor covering in the long run.