any cat lovers with leather furniture out there with same problem
Answers:
My leather couch is the one that has sustained the least amount of cat damage. In fact, I see no claw marks on it at all whereas my fabric couch was destroyed by the cats and some 1960's pleather chairs were totally trashed.
It may be that the couch is a Le Corbusier and has an exterior tube metal frame that covers the corners of the arms, which are my cats favorite places to claw.
We got a new couch and my husband made cat scrathing posts by covering boards with carpet that matches the room and them rubbing cat nip on it every few days. We hung them low on the wall near the couch. This way, if kitty is heading toward the couch, he bypasses it and heads for the catnip.
Also, for the first few weeks we had it, I put tall baskets in front of the arms. My cat didn't see the arms and so he didn't claw them. So far, so good. He doesn't claw even when the baskets are gone. Good luck. I'd go for the leather. And way to go for not declawing! Ick!
Get rid of the cats
It's not going to work, and you know that :)
No matter how well you think you have them trained and what precautions you take, the day will eventually come when it gets ripped.
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Give them a scratch pole. Wait a while until they've loved it and see if they don't scratch at other surfaces and things anymore before buying the sofa.
I had the same problem a couple of years back. I got a kitten and a few months later wanted a new leather sofa. In the end i didn't risk it. Glad i didn't. Just one big scratch from your cats and your 拢1000 sofa is ruined. You can't watch them all the time.
Don't buy one
Train them not too, or dont buy the sofas, i think cats only claw on fabric covered sofas, lether is harder to tear threw
get rid of the cats.
buy a big cat scratching post play thingy.
spray the sofa with that animal stop stuff
either keep them away from the sofa or get them one of those scratch posts and keep it away from sofa.
hope i helped
Get the cats declauded or get the cats a scratching post.
I hate cats but i used to sell sofas at DFS.
Contrary to belief, animals dont usually go out of their way to scratch leather furniture and the leather is very hard wearing.
We have had our leather suite for 5 years now and its only just starting to show signs of wear, and we have got a spangador dog who seems to spend most of his life on it.
Fabric wears much quicker and cant be wiped clean, removeable covers are the worsed, ok you can wash them but that wears them out even quicker and you also run the risk of shrinking and fading.
If you do get a leather then get a good quality hide, if you do get any tears or rips then the individual panels can be replaced but remember that as it gets older a colour match cant be guarranteed.
Hope that helps.
We ahve leather furniture and two cats they have a scratching post. We've trained them to use that instead.
you can by these plastic caps you can put over there nails so they don't scratch
Wow, I'd like to know what are cat-haters doing answering these questions? Can't find any other hateful site? Sorry just had to mention it. As I've known from friends with leather furniture, cats don't really care to scratch them, fabric is more desirable to them. But I'd watch them for a while to see how they react to the sofa. as for a scratching posts, well I can't say much about them cause my cat wants nothing with them, she has a post and hasn't even touched it, not interested at all. I got her a "Turbo Scratcher" which she really likes, I put some catnip on it and she's happy, even sleeps on top of it,I got it at WalMarts, PetValu have them too, and in Canada some Homehard ware stores also sell them. I never let myself run out of the replacement inserts. If I wanted leather furniture I'd get it, hope for the best, good luck
material things vs living things. no matter what it is made from they will have a go. Get a 5 tier scratch post like mine - works wonders although my furniture is not perfect my house is clean and my pets are happy. I have resigned myself to the fact that with 4 cats and 3 dogs i aint ever going to have a show home. I dont even watch tv more than maybe twice a week cos i am always cleaning but it keeps me fitter looking after them more that sitting on my sofa would. I use throws on my sofa which i wash religiously every weekend also i dont leave any pets in the living room when i aint home to stop them misbehaving, if i am there and they scrath i can move them away from the sofaa and give them a cuddle to distract them.x
The easiest on both you and your cats is not to get a leather sofa.. But if you still want that sofa so badly, I suggest training the cats not to scratch the furniture you already have.
Put some coins into a can and when the cat does something you don't like [ie: scratching the furniture] rattle it loudly. They don't like the loud noise and will often stop. Either that or blow in their faces. It usually gets them to stop. Just make sure to buy a couple of scratching alternatives such as, posts, pads, etc. If that doesn't work, and if your cats are indoor cats, get them softpaws [http://www.softpaws.com].
I don't see the two things cohabiting well together at all. My mother had a leather recliner and a cat, and believe me, it did not work well. She finally accepted that the cat WILL mess up the leather recliner, stopped fighting it, and everything is ok now. Except of course the recliner, looks bad!
You can't really train cats not to scratch. You could always buy a cat scratching post for them if they havn't already got one. Or another solution...don't buy the leather couch. Sometimes you have to sacrifise for you're pets.
Please dont buy my sofa cost 拢2500 and its ruined with scratch marks and my cats only ever scratched there scratch post or get rid of cats only two options im afraid
I have a leather sofa and a cat!
He has never, ever tried to scratch it. It does have a few tiny marks from when he goes on a 'mad one' around the house, but you cannot see them unless you look very closely. It certainly hasn't been wrecked by my cat! I don't think they actually like the texture under their paws - they prefer to scratch fabric!
However, I had my cat from the age of 9 weeks and he has been trained to use the scratch post.
It sounds like your cats scratch your current sofa? Do you let them do it because it's old, or do you actually try to stop them?
The way you will have to go about this is to start the training process all over again:
1. Buy some 'Pet Behave' spray from your local pet shop, which will stop your cats even going near the sofa.
2. If you don't already have one, invest in a *good* cat tree / scratch post like this: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/product/pa... (the single posts are rubbish!) Spray it with loads of catnip every day.
3. You may wish to cover the corners of the sofa with plastic bags or towels for a while to protect the leather whilst you are training your cats.
4. Invest in a water spray bottle or get a tin full of coins. When or if they attempt to scratch the sofa, spray the cats (not in the face!!) or shake the tin, and it should scare them off. Eventually they'll learn to associate scratching the sofa with the loud noise or spray of water and it should put them off.
5. Most importantly, you MUST take them to the scratching tree immediately afterwards. Preferably, take them to the tree before they start scratching. Teach them to use it by placing their paws on it, or scratching your nails on it and wait for him to copy you. Trust me, it works! Put the post in the lounge, even if it doesn't look great - it will keep them off the sofa.
6. Bear in mind that it will take time and also that they will pay no attention to the rules once they are alone, so do not leave them in the lounge during the day time or during the night - shut the room off!
http://www.catscratching.com/
As long as you train them properly, you will probably be ok!
xx Emmie
I have 3 cats and leather furniture, so I had rubber tips put on all three cats, declawing is inhumane and really hurts the cats, it can also cause life long damage. go to your vet and get rubber tips put on your cats claws, they are about 25 dollars and last for 4-5 months, then you just go back and get them put back on. they dont hurt the cat at all, and there cheap!
Don't buy leather if your cats love to scratch. They will shred it. You could get a cheap vinyl version and replace it every few months.
It's really strange my cat never scratched my leather sofa. We are getting 3 kittens in 2 weeks time so looking forward to keeping our sofa in one piece.
As for the curtains well that's another matter. ;o)
When the cats jump up on things they always use their claws for leverage, they wont scratch it to be spiteful.
A water gun or spray bottle will work wonders for the cat who will use your fabric suite to sharpen his claws on. A big scratch post will work and if it is a young cat you can train it to use it.
You will know you have a problem when the cat looks you square in the eye with a smirk on it's face whilst scratching your sofa to death.. ;-)
Seriously, good luck! Oh and have it's claws clipped a bit!
I have recently aquired 2 rescued cats and they started scratching my leather chairs. I have bought a scratch mat that fits on the corner of the chair and put it on their favourite corner.
I have covered the other chair with a throw and sprayed repellent spray (do patch test first) on any exposed areas. I have also sprayed catnip where I want them to scratch.
Seems to be working so far!!!
my three cats loved to scratch, you only have to look at my bed to see that, but recently we bought leather sofas and they haven't scratched them at all, infact they wern't even that keen to sit on them at first.
hope you're a lucky. :-)
You could turn the cats into a pair of cushions for the new sofa.
We have a leather sofa and chair and Nev, who is six months old, loves to scratch, however, he has never touched the sofa or chair, unlike the wallpaper and radio speakers, buy them a scratching post, I got one for Nev about four months ago and uses that quite a bit as well.
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