suzanne-def going to look into the LL Bean mats. Enduring thanks for the game room furnishing tip-I'll see if there is one in our area. All the chairs I've tried in the furniture-dinette stores are around 200 to 300.00-too pricey for us at this time. Everyone above-thanks for confirming what I thought-Rush and cats do not mix. Really like the chairs but I've learned my lesson-it's not all about what you love! How about the Shaker chair below? It has tape instead of rushing and they are well within our price range. Has anyone sat in one? I'd love to try one and see if they are comfortable but they are in the Gaithersburg Maryland area and the chairs are not refundable. Open to suggestions for comfortable,cat proof chairs that will fit in the small space between my peninsula and dining area. My DH is against stools-but I could prob. order two stools and two chairs. He does not need a big chair-he's quite slim. :)

Not necessarily so but yes, you could be headed into a problem. Scent is a big thing for cats and the new one may start marking because he smells marks on the rug already. It's probably going to be dependent on the cat. Why is your cat peeing on the rug? You didn't mention him having medical problems so that leaves a behavioral issue. What have you used to clean your rugs? If you can still smell pee in the house (unless its from a brand new pee episode) you haven't used the correct cleaner. I've learned the correct cleaner is a necessity. You've got to get a good enzyme cleaner designed for pet urine. Soak the soiled areas and you might have to go down to the padding/floor boards if it was deeply soaked. Sometimes you have to do it twice. It's a chore but try to eradicate any sign of odor to see if you can correct it if he's having a behavioral issue. (They sell black lights that you shine on your carpet in the dark and urine spots show up to help you find the places needing treatment). Does he seem lonely for a playmate? He might be happier living out his days as a solo cat if he's elderly rather than being introduced to a new guy. That's a consideration, too all dependent on his personality and age. I'd personally try to get his problem corrected before bringing in a new one. Pee smell in the house is awful! Remember, a new guy is going to cause him some type of stress which might exasperate the situation.

I married a butcher/meat cutter. I am a very clean cook, but I also am a cat lover. I could not believe my spouse when we married to his objection to cats, and it all came down to the counter issue in a nutshell. He is an animal lover, and we've been married over a quarter of a century now, and he also loves the cats. I don't voluntarily let my cats on or near the counters or tables, but I have to laugh because I've done the squirt gun routine for years, but I also know that they find their way there when I'm not about, and occasionallly 'forget' to jump down and hide when I come into the kitchen. My beloved little siamese/tabby mix was particulary fond of my advent wreath and would curl up inside the ring of it, with candles and bulbs all around her. She was an inside only kitty, and I suppose it reminded her of the great outdoors with the scent. I have to admit, that neither I nor my husband removed her from her throne. As for people who do not 'like' cats, I don't trust them because I suspicion they are likely control freaks who can't abide animals who don't drool and slather at them in worship and who can't respect personal space, mine or my cat's. LOL. Cat haters will also be quite open about your animals with a look of distaste on their faces and a smirk. Anyone who can sit in your house and rag on your beloved cat would just as easily tell you your kids are ugly and they don't like them either. ;-) As the old saying goes "love me, love my cat(s)" However, I do respect people with cat allergies. I warn them beforehand and we often visit in our gazebo, instead...or at least I keep the kitties in another part of the house, so they're not jumped on or smooched. BTW, as for clean counters, I just 'assume' a cat has been on mine, whether I see them do it or not. I use a cutting board I keep put away, and I also bleach/sanitise my counters before I cook. I have a picture somewhere of my siamese on my puter counter with her head submerged in my mug, drinking my iced tea. I tried not to think about that, says the lady who keeps her cups of tea parked all over the house.

If I put a sweater to "dry flat," she has to crawl under it. She goes in my closet and climbs on the shoulders of my garments (snagging) to jump to higher shelves. She jumps on the refrigerator and paws the cabinet door until she can climb inside the cabinet. She lies on anything new that comes in the house, even the new dress I got to wear to a wedding. She taunts the dog when he is eating. Her life is not boring; she stays busy, believe me. Cute and funny? Not so much, but I love my kitty even though some of what she does annoys me. She's just being a cat. I guess the cutest thing she does is when she sprawls out long. I measured her from toes to nose, 30". She's 7 years old. Here she is assisting with a sewing project. She's "crafty" all right!