Is replacing carpeting and kitchen flooring dangerous to cats?

[misty8723]

An addendum to my previous post:
Often, it is not the carpet itself, but rather the foam pad that goes underneath it that can cause problems with offgassing. That is something to consider for things like formaldehyde or urea in the makeup of the foam.

Interesting! I did not know that.

 

[misty8723]

I hope you can find something you feel is safe when you need it. Just start by googling some safe/green flooring. There are companies out there that are environmentally aware and care about any child or animal that might be on the floor. Things produced in certain countries are more careful about this than others. Just do your research. I’m sure you will find something. Tack strips around the perimeter of the room can be used instead of glue for some carpet. The moldings will do the rest.
Oh! Lol I messaged right behind @NY cat man ! He knows exactly how to get that carpet down!

I actually need it now, lol. It's the original 25+ year old carpet. Some years ago (before we got cats) I was in the process of choosing new carpet when husband got laid off. That put an end to any thought of house upgrades, and he never was able to find anything else and went into a depression for awhille, so he pretty much just gave up and retired in his 50s. It's been all I could do to keep up with bills and such with just me working. Now we're both retired, but we did get a pretty big refund this year, so I'm looking into what I can get fixed. I'm just so nervous about doing anything that would harm the kitties and all my research keeps coming back to it could kill your pet! So I'll see if I can find something I feel safe about.

 

[misty8723]

Most wall-to-wall carpeting is not glued down; rather it is held in place by strips of wood that go around the perimeter of the room. These 'tack strips' are nailed to the floor and have points that stick up to catch the carpet. A 'knee kicker' is used to stretch the carpet and hold it in place on the strips. I have replaced carpet thusly, and while there is a learning curve, it's not too difficult to do. I would, however, check to see what is in the new carpeting to avoid any potential noxious chemicals.

Thanks! I will research tack strips. I'm fairly certain this is something I would have to hire someone to do, I'm not very handy and neither is husband, at least not now. And if he was doing anything like this, I would want to get a hotel room or something for a couple days until he was through