LOVE THIS RUG! I shopped for weeks at a few different places, and then I hemmed and hawed about this one for several days before finally clicking BUY. Then I had my fingers and toes crossed until it arrived in hopes that it would work out. The idea of shipping it back was too much for my sense of practicality. Thank goodness it's PERFECT! I ordered the 8X8 -- it came rolled, not folded, so no wrinkles or warps to work out. The other reviews had me worried about that. The packing smell was gone in a few hours, and my cats LOVE IT! It's super soft -- no pad needed. The beige is darker than what's shown in the photo online, but hubby is thrilled that I now want to recover my flowery chair pads (which he's always hated) to match the darker color in the rug (which we both love). It's going to look AWESOME!