$1000-$2000 Floor-standing speakers for larger room w/NAD 326bee

joshelston-Thanks for the lead on the Elos, they look interesting.

@kenm10759- The KEF are over my budget new but I bet I can find used within the budget. Thanks for the suggestion.

@redbaron The ML look great, except I think they will look even "greater" to our cats!

@axememan and @64voxac30 - I have considered Tektons, especially the Lore and Enzo models.

So many possibilities out there, but keep the suggestions coming. Now I need to get some listening in!

A couple notes on the PSB Imagine option.

I have the Imagine T2.  The grils are metal, which is a fine feature.  I ordered a back up set from PSB because I switched out the grill cloth on one set to off white--for WAF.  On the white set I made I painted the metal grill white.  The takeaway here is that even if the cat got after the grill cloth you could always consider removing the grill cloth--the cat may not like the metal.  

In any event, the curved small surface area of the grill is slim and may not be attractive to the cat in the first place (i.e. there's not much surface area inviting the cat).  Also, Lenbrook (the parent company of NAD and PSB) has great customer service and stocks replacement parts.  I know this firsthand as I just received my backup set of grills from them. 

With regard to recommendations,  folks have given you many good ones.  I'm very happy with my T2s.  They are out of your budget new, but you could find a pair used right within the top of your budget.  You may want to consider this as an option because the T2s are a real contender (Stereophile recommended) and they might give you room to upgrade other stuff in the future.  

With respect to build quality, the photos online do not really show how nice the T2s (or T3s--I've demoed those too) look in person.  They are in the league of Focal and BMW.  

And finally, the T2s are big on WAF in my house.  My wife comes from the interior design field and these made a small shortlist of acceptable loudspeakers in my house.  They are super slim and their profile doesn't overwhelm the room.  The Tektons, for example, didn't work for my WAF as they are pretty boxy and un-elegant--in my opinion. 

I won't address sound unless you want me to.  I'll say this the T2s are superb and do many things right and nothing wrong.  

What about Totem Arro, Staff, etc?  Those fully comply with your cat clause, as there is only wood exposed and they likely don't make a scratching post for the animal.  They also have huge WAF (very slim and seductive).  Totems also don't mind (and are recommended) to be placed near walls and aren't fussy with placement. Just another thought. 

Just let the cat out and.......well, let the cat out. Problem solved!

64,
"My room and listening dimensions are very similar to yours. I found a fantastic deal on fully upgraded Tekton Pendragon's for $1,800 barely pre-owned".

Barely pre-owned? Is that like almost pregnant? LOL!