Ikea SheepSkin Rugs?

[darlili]

I was at Ikea before the holidays and saw their sheepskin area rugs (about $20, I think). I was thinking my kitties might like them, especially in the cold weather, but wondered if anyone else had them. A woman at the store was actually buying some for her cats. Downside is that I don't believe they're washable, but, hey, Valentine's Day is coming and my babies deserve something!

Thanks for your thoughts.

[GingersMom]

I don't have any from Ikea, but I have two sheepskins (one is my motorcycle seat cover for cold weather riding and one is just a great big fluffly one that I bought on eBay) that I lay over the back of the couch.

All my kitties LOVE to knead on and snuggle up on the sheepskins. They can be spot cleaned with water and a cloth, and in fact, CAN be washed in the machine under the gentle cycle in cold water, and laid flat to dry, but the fur will never feel the same afterward, so try to avoid the need to wash them.

I use the Zoom Groom on them to clean off the cat fur that collects.

My Ginger especially LOVES the big fluffy one and will knead for 5 minutes straight with this intense concentration before she curls up for a nap on it.

I say, go for it!

[Natalie_ca]

I bought 2 fake sheep skin rugs, well, not really rugs, they are for your bed really. Supposed to be soft and comfy to lay on. I didn't like them! So I gave them to my cats and they didn't like them either.

So I ended up cutting them into circles and using them as polishing pads on my floor polisher, LOL They work great! Gives the wood a nice shine after having been waxed

[opilot]

I have 2 genuine real sheep skin fleece "rugs" - 1 inch thick each. Cats ADORE them. Drool, knead and zonk on em. I have them on my couch and I sleep on em too

If you want a good one, there are sales on Overland.com and other places that sell "single pelts". A single is all you need for cat or dog. V. plush, v. soft and smell divine to cats (lanolin like mothers fur...)

[darlili]

Thank you very much for your advice! Looks like my two will be getting a present within the next week or two, and, thanks to you all, if they don't like the sheep skin, now I know what I can do with them!

[pushylady]

I bought one from Ikea for my kitties a couple of years ago, and they both do all they can to avoid it! I thought for sure Wiggies would like it as he loves soft plush things. But nope, they don't go near it.

Originally Posted by GingersMom

They can be spot cleaned with water and a cloth, and in fact, CAN be washed in the machine under the gentle cycle in cold water, and laid flat to dry, but the fur will never feel the same afterward, so try to avoid the need to wash them.

Wiggies really let me know how he felt one day by taking a dump on it. I could not believe my eyes!!! Right in the middle of my white sheepskin rug. at that point I figured it was ruined anyway, so why not try to wash it? It came out fine, but I needed to brush the wool when it was dry to make it nice a fluffy again.

[AbbysMom]

Abby is very distrustful of fake sheepskin and won't go anywhere near it. I have to cover up her perch with a towel.