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If you are a cat owner then there must have been a time when you felt like your house is drowning in cat hair. Piles of cat hair on the carpet, on the blankets, on the couches and the worst: flying in the air in the kitchen!
And no matter how hard you clean it, in the shedding season, you feel like that guy in the movie “Groundhog Day”, every day feels like the hair pile is the same!
If you want to make your life easier, when getting new things for your home, you need to choose the texture, color and material of the furniture and home things that are cat hair resistant.
This will make your home maintenance much easier and will keep your home clean for a longer time.
What Material Does Not Pick up Cat Hair?
The best material that will not attract cat hair is a fabric that has a tight weave. Cat fur will not stick to the smooth surface of tight-knit materials and it will be easily shaken off or removed.
Furthermore, to hide the cat’s hair as much as possible the color of the materials is best to match your cat’s fur. As you can’t really design your life around your cat, if you buy new stuff for your home you are best off choosing some neutral colors, like grey or cream colors.
One thing I have noticed is that cat owners have cats that somehow match their preferred color (in most cases at least) so the color matching will come naturally.
So if your cat is white it is wise to choose lighter material colors instead of brown or dark – for the obvious reason of blending the cat hair into the material so that it is less visible.
Fabric that Does Not Attract Cat Hair
Here are some of the best choices with a short explanation beneath each fabric:
Tightly Woven Cotton
Cotton is made of natural fibers and is a very high-quality fabric, breathable and hypoallergenic. The ideal type of cotton for repelling cat hair is the one that is tightly woven.
In the below link you have a more detailed explanation, if you’re interested in knowing more about how well cotton performs around cats please check it:
Inside this post about cat hair-resistant bedding there is extensive research on why cotton is the perfect cat-proof material.
Microfiber
The thing that makes microfiber so great for cats is that its surface is very smooth and has no loops which means that cat hair will be very easily removed.
I do have to tell you that microfiber is a polyester fabric and it may (in a humid environment this is not the case) have a static charge which collects cat hair but on the other hand, the cat hair is very easy to clean and this makes a good balance for having microfiber in your home with pets.
Another thing is that microfiber is claw resistant as well and this is the perfect combination for any pet owner. It is a very durable material that is easy to maintain. Just make sure you buy thick microfiber that is high quality.
Microsuede
Microsuede is the have-it-all material for pet owners. It is like faux leather that has all the good characteristics of leather but it is much more affordable. The main reason it is the best fabric for cat hair is the way it is knitted: millions of very fine polyester microfibers are knitted with no loops, which make its surface incredibly soft.
The smoothness of the surface does not attract cats to scratch and cat hair does not stick to it. It is very easy to remove cat hair by simply wiping them with a wet sponge or vacuuming them. This material is extremely easy to maintain and it is very affordable. Check all the benefits of microsuede: extremely soft and comfortable, highly durable, pet-friendly, kid-friendly, stain-proof, easy to keep clean, and inexpensive.
Leather
Leather is truly excellent for cat hair as the hair simply slides off the surface. It is literally impossible for cat hair to stick to a leather surface. But (as there always seems to be a but in life) you have to be careful to choose high quality and genuine leather, which we all know can be quite expensive. The reason for getting genuine leather is cat scratches. Real leather will be hard to scratch and will last a long time but anything less may be prone to cat scratches which can be visible and hard to repair.
Also leather may require maintenance with cleaner and conditioner every few months. In a final verdict, leather is a natural material with all the benefits it brings and if you can afford it it is definitely a great material for a house with cats or dogs.
Denim
All of us know the great qualities of denim material. It is the very same material that hard-working farmers used as extremely durable and comfortable to wear. Its popularity shows how practical and good-looking this material is.
If you wear jeans you may have already noticed that cat hair does not stick to your jeans, or even if there is some amount on them it is very easy to get rid of it. So even based on your own experience, you can see how cat hair resistant denim is. This is thanks to the tight weave of the denim which prevents holding cat hair on it.
Denim is a strong cotton fabric that can endure a lot of wear and tear – including cat claws. It is eco-friendly, affordable, very easy maintenance and perfect for all seasons. All of this makes denim the perfect material for pet owners.
There are other fabrics that are cat hair resistant but you have to consider the cat claws as well and balance these fabric characteristics. The best example is satin: it is highly pet hair resistant but very impractical for cat owners because it can easily rip under cat claws.
In regards to the texture (the body and surface of the fabric), the less texture the fabric has the better. In simple words the smoother the surface the better :), cat hair will fall off naturally from such surface as there will be nothing to hold on to.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cat Proof Material
Do Cats Destroy Microfiber?
No: microfiber is one of the most resilient fabrics when it comes to cat claws. The reason for this is the smooth and tightly woven fabric which does not attract cats to scratch it in the first place as there is nothing for cats’ claws to hook on. This makes microfiber unattractive for grooming cats’ nails and cats usually just love to sleep and lounge on microfiber.
If you add other distractions like cat scratchers in most cases you will not have any issues with your cat destroying your microfiber couch. You can also add scratch-proof couch covers and have total peace of mind regarding cats destroying microfiber furniture.
On a personal note, I must add that I am totally in love with microfiber (mainly I can’t get enough microfiber blankets) and I think every cat lover will agree: this material is just so soft and warm – just like our perfect kitties – and as bonus cats love it very much as well :). It’s the perfect trio: me, the cat and the microfiber blanket.
Does Cat Hair Stick to Velvet?
Velvet has a silky texture with a dense and short piled surface. What you need to know is that in the past, velvet was made from silk but today, velvet can be made from linen, cotton, wool and synthetic fibers.
Silk, cotton and linen do not attract cat hair but wool and synthetic fibers are not so good at repelling pet hair. So it really depends on the material that velvet is made from.
But even if cat hair does tend to stay on your velvet furniture the positive thing to know is that it is very easy to brush it off as the surface is smooth.
As velvet is very resistant to cat claws and it is easy to remove cat hair from it, this makes velvet one of the best materials for cat owners.
And velvet is so gorgeous to have at home, it just elevates the whole atmosphere and gives it a luxurious and warm touch, and a bit mysterious too. I mean how can you NOT LOVE having a velvet couch and enjoying it together with your cat?
Does Cat Hair Stick to Microfiber?
Microfiber is made of very thin and fine synthetic fiber – thinner than silk fiber. Depending on the usage microfiber can be made with any of these abilities: softness, toughness, absorption, water repellence, electrostatics, and filtering ability.
For cat owners, it is good to know that microfiber is a very durable material and more stain-resistant than other fabrics. It has also a very useful ability, which when used for upholstery furniture like couches, is to be somewhat water repelling.
Generally, cats do not scratch microfiber due to the smooth and tight weave of the surface which is another positive point on why to use microfiber if you are a pet owner.
Microfiber may collect cat hair due to static electricity but it is very easy to brush it off with a wet cloth or by vacuuming, so cleaning will be a breeze and you’ll have a cat-hair-free couch or blanket. And you can use a static guard to reduce the static electricity so this issue is eliminated or at least greatly reduced.
As a cat owner myself, I have (lots of!) microfiber blankets and they have been great at not collecting cat hair so it also depends on the type of microfiber – microsuede is the best at not attracting cat hair.
By gathering all the positive characteristics of microfiber it is easy to conclude that it is definitely a fabric that is among the best ones for pet owners and if you add the fact that is not very expensive then the decision to use it in the home is not very hard to make.
The above section also gives an answer to the question: Is microfiber good for pets?
Does Pet Hair Stick To Nylon?
Nylon is made of synthetic fiber and may have static electricity which will attract cat hair, but as nylon is often mixed with other fabrics it really depends.
For example, a windproof jacket made of nylon will not attract cat hair but stockings and tights made of nylon may retain cat hair.
The answer to this question also depends on the specific type of nylon you are referring to. Nylon fibers come in different lengths, from long ones like those found in stockings or pantyhose, to short ones like those found on a tarp or tent. As you can guess a tarp or tent will absolutely not retain cat hair 🙂
Nylon, when used for furniture, is excellent in repelling water and will probably be made of short nylon fibers so in this case it is recommended for cat owners.
Does Fleece Attract Pet Hair?
For me there is nothing like a polar fleece sweater for winter – cat hair or not. I have a few such sweaters and although I do not pay too much attention to cat hair, it is just not visible on my polar fleece sweaters – this is from my own experience or just maybe I have gone cat hair blind while living with my precious furry friend.
Fleece is very popular because it is soft and warm for people as well as pets, but the question is does fleece really attract cat hair?
Unfortunately, fleece does attract cat hair and it can be quite difficult to get it out – but the material is just so amazing for winter that I would not give up on it just because of cat hair. The main reason why fleece attracts pet hair is the fuzzy texture and the static charge.
You will probably have to spend a significant amount of time using a lint roller – but honestly, it’s a small price to pay for living together with such incredible creatures that our beloved cats are.
Here is my best cleaning cat hair tip, it works wonderfully for me!
Here is my Puffy sunbathing on a late afternoon. You can also see my rocking chair covered in a microfiber blanket and I absolutely have no complaints about cat hair on it.
