Neither of my kitties ever pay attention to the window coverings at all. Having said that, I got sick and tired of trying to clean my vertical blinds. They have to be professionally cleaned or dry cleaned. So out with my verticals and in with roller shades. Tracey, I've ordered some very similar to yours and they will be installed at the end of the month. They are from Sears and completely block out the light. Cleaning is just with a soft soapy sponge. I can hardly wait.