The Ripple Rug is the original cat activity mat designed and made in the USA. Beware of inferior copycats! The Ripple Rug from SnugglyCat Inc. was created by cat lovers Fred and Natasha Ruckel to provide cats with a safe and versatile enrichment experience.
This is the ultimate cat play mat. The Ripple Rug comes with two generously-sized pieces of carpet, a base piece with a non-slip backing and a top piece with 14 holes of varying sizes and 12 touch-point fasteners. Simply attach the top piece to the bottom with the fasteners, creating tunnels, bumps and ridges for your cat to explore. Cats can play on top or climb inside like they are hunting in the wild.
100% polyester fibers made from recycled plastic water bottles make The Ripple Rug non-toxic and durable. It’s resistant to mold, mildew and stains, plus it’s color-fast and UV-stable. Simply clean with soap and water to refresh as needed and you can also vacuum the carpet pieces to remove loose debris.
The Ripple Rug is now available from the Hauspanther online shop. Choose from two styles — the original round corner version or the fancier royale shape — and four different colors to match your decor. I guarantee your cats will love it!
Great concept, but we’ve had one for some time, and they always flatten. The only way we’ve found to keep parts up high enough it to shove boxes underneath. Too big to fit in the washing machine, and not fond of spraying with starch — would have to be outside to have it not go everywhere, or put on a big plastic tarp or something. We now just use it to make a hiding place against a sideboard that one of the cats goes behind if it’s thundering (though after using the app Zoundz for some time, she is doing much better. No affiliation!) Would love these if they were stiffer.
Hi, Jan! The folks at the Ripple Rug say that you can use a steam iron to restore the stiffness to the top piece. First you need to make sure the rug is clean and free of any debris or oils from pet hair. You can wash in the tub using a dish soap with grease cutter, then hang it up to dry thoroughly. Once the top piece is clean and dry, here’s what they recommend:
STEAM IRON TEMPERATURE SETTING: Set your clothes-iron to the nylon/polyester setting (around 300F).
HOW TO IRON: Place the hot iron on the underside of the Ripple Rug (the same side as the hook-tape). Do not press the iron, as you would when ironing clothes. Gently place the iron in one spot at a time, for up to 60 seconds. After 60 seconds, lift the iron. Glide lightly to the next area. Allow the weight of the iron to work its magic.
NOTE: Light pressure is okay, however – hard pressure will flatten out the rug like cardboard, causing irreversible damage.
EXTRA NOTE: Do NOT apply the hot iron to any of the velcro touch-points. This may cause the touch-points to release. Always remember, let the iron’s weight and heat do all the work.
FOR EXTRA STIFFNESS: A little steam and light pressure (use steam sparingly, as in, don’t soak the rug). Alternately, a fine spray of water can help. REMEMBER, don’t apply hard pressure when ironing, just lift the iron moving it place to place around the carpet!
This process can be repeated over and over to restore your Ripple Rugs stiffness.
I’ve seen these and I know a lot of cats love them. The choice of colors is nice.