When choosing carpet for a home with pets, the first thing to think about is color – not just the color of the room, but the color of your pet. Is he black, white or brown? Does he shed a lot? If you have a pet with darker hair, CRI recommends purchasing a medium to dark carpet to help camouflage shedding. The same goes for lighter-haired pets. Of course, this is for those times when you don’t vacuum as often as you would like. Keep in mind that a dark carpet may not be the best option for your white-haired, four-legged friend.

"Carpet is very forgiving," says Ken McIntosh, director of technical services for CRI. "It not only helps disguise animal hair, it also helps minimize airborne pet dander and keeps those fuzzy hairballs from forming in a room’s corners as they do with hard floors. Vacuum often – for cleanliness and for the carpet’s appearance."

The pet’s activities may dictate a certain type of carpet. People whose dogs are vigorous diggers, or whose cats enjoy "kneading" surfaces with their claws, should avoid carpet with large loops, as claws can become caught in the pile more easily.

Comfort should also be a consideration, as pets, like their owners, enjoy softness underfoot. In fact, a study by the American Pet Association found that more than seven million dogs spend their nights on the floor.