nuLeather and cats with claws
-
Lori J on Jan 26, 2014I would avoid leathers and leather look alikes--wovens are more forgiving of little holes. We have two cats, for the first time in years, and this time around we did front declaw. However, our vet says do it YOUNG or not at all.Helpful Reply
-
-
The Garden Frog with C Renee on Jan 26, 2014My first question is: do your cats go after the furniture now? If they do not, then do not worry too much about new furniture. You may have to keep an eye out at first but there are things you can do to keep them from clawing at the furniture until they realize they cannot. I have seen plastic pieces on corners of sofas and chairs to keep them from clawing. Having a post to claw if they are indoor cats only. Many leather couches and chairs are leather on the areas that touch or skin and body and around the backs and sides is "fake" leather -unless you pay the big bucks for an all leather sofa or chair. I have had cats for 25 years and found that they did not go after leather any more than any other piece of upholstered furniture. I guess I am lucky because I have leather and upholstered both and find every so often they decide to claw and I quickly scare them off. We did have a cat once that went after the leather recliner one winter when he could not go out and he clawed it up a bit but it was not any worse than I have seen cats do to upholstered. My cats are indoor and outdoor so they do not go after the furniture. I did have a cat scratching chair for them when we lived in IL because the winters were too cold for them to go out. That kept them from clawing the furniture. I have never and would never declaw a cat. good luckHelpful Reply
-
-
Susan Hogan on Jan 27, 2014I have a leather sectional and my cats never scratched it because I had sisal and cardboard posts. We just got a new rescue and he loves the cardboard!Helpful Reply
- See 1 previous
-
-
Pam Massey on Jan 27, 2014When my cat was in the kitten stage he liked to chew on the leather covered recliner lever. Protected that but the main problem I have is just the jumping around have left sliding claw marks on both the couch and recliner. He doesn't sharpen his claws on it.Helpful Reply
-
-
Carole on Jan 27, 2014Does your cat have a scratching post? They need to sharpen their claws regularly. if you don't have one, I suggest you get one and teach the cat to use it before replacing your furniture with new.Helpful Reply
-
-
Cynthia Fuller on Jan 28, 2014As a 6-cat owner (don't ask- never planned) I switched all of my living room furniture from cloth to leather or pleather years ago. Leather does not attract cat hair, so you're not always brushing fur off the furniture and can sit down and stand up without a fur-covered butt. Plus, if they pee or barf on it, it's easier to clean. That said, my experience is that cat attraction to leather is cat-specific. I have had cats who loved to claw on it and others who didn't even like to site on it. Cost-wise, I would opt for pleather (vinyl) where you can, and try using Feliway diffusers (gives off a cat "happy" hormone). Give them plenty of optional scratchers embedded with catnip and place citrus oil in areas where you'd rather them not be. Don't declaw the cats (cruel!) but keep the nails trimmed. If you take a broad approach, it won't prevent damage to leather, but it will minimize it.Helpful Reply
-
-
Jennifer G on Jan 28, 2014I had a super soft real calf-skin leather love seat that my cat completely destroyed (mostly unintentionally - just jumping on or off the couch arms left gouges). Same cat, different leather couch years later - this time I bought a heavy weight cow leather couch and had no damage whatsoever. It depends a lot on quality, weight and finish of the leather. If you choose real leather - go for a thick and firm leather, instead of a soft, thin and lightweight one. If you choose faux leather, some of the 'suede' finishes are quite durable, while I'd avoid the super shiny finishes since they show wear and scratches more easily. Mostly, my cats don't like the real leather to sleep on and I try to keep them off it anyway since they have a cat tree for scratching, sleeping and viewing 'their' terrain.Helpful Reply
-
-
Beca @ Creative Dominican on Jan 28, 2014Thank you!Helpful Reply
-
-
Jeanne888 on Jan 28, 2014Cats seem to embody the saying "diffrent strokes for diffrent folks"—they don't all like the same surface for scratching (and they change their tastes). One of my cats loves the log with rough bark and also the sisal; the other prefers carpet (we have about 6-7 different surfaces for them to scratch). One of the cats used to use the leather sofa, but I attached 2" tape sticky side up, and she hated that and never used it again. And neither one likes microfiber, but they do like the rough-textured fabric.Helpful Reply
-
-
Rose Hominick on Jan 28, 2014We have the cat from H.E. double hockey sticks, if you know what I mean! She completely destroyed our cloth couch so we decided to go with a leather one. We did a bit of research and asked our friends who owned leather couches, adn what we found was if you bought a quality leather couch that was not bonded, but completely cow hide, cats do not tend to destroy them. We have found this to be true, and have had no trouble with our cat and our new gorgeous burgundy leather couch. Now that is not to say that there aren't a few minor scratches where kitty has jumped up on the couch for a bit of loving from me, now and again, but it is nothing significant, and I just call it "patina". After all, we are pet owners and regular use of leather cleaner and conditioner keeps it to an acceptable minimum. I so agree with you about not declawing! I mean, I like MY nails and wouldn't want someone to surgically remove them, so I extend that respect to my kitty!Helpful Reply
-
-
Rose Hominick on Jan 28, 2014Hey! I am not from Belgium, but good old British Columbia, Canada!Helpful Reply
-
-
KathrynElizabeth Etier on Jan 28, 2014I bought a gorgeous red leather chair and ottoman set and within months it was destroyed by my cats. Mostly as others have mentioned, from jumping back and forth. They also destroyed the cushions on two other ottomans that were leather, and a leather bench. The upside to the last three items is that I covered the cushions with other fabric and like them so much better now. (And the BIG plus? I got the upholstery fabric free from my local upholstery shop's scrap pile.)Helpful Reply
-
Related Discussions
How to replace a toilet seat?
I need advice on how to replace a toilet seat, please. What do I need to know when looking for a new one?
Cat Litter containers
Hi! we have three rescue cats and I am always buying those large plastic litter containers - seems a waste to throw them out and they just hold clean litter but can't... See more
Cat urine vs dyed leather
Male kitten/cat began "marking" in several places in my home. The worst was on my leather couch!! It is a lighter cordovan color and has now been christened more than... See more
Use a window roller shade for a pet gate??
Has anyone in Hometalkland tried this?? It seems like it would work - the retractable gates they sell are basically sideways window shades, aren't they? Looking for... See more
Suggestion for coffee grounds
I had that if you dump your used coffee grounds at the roots of your rose bushes, it is great fertilizer. I have found this to be true. My rose bush is flourishing. A... See more
I'm looking for something to use under litter boxes to protect carpet
How can I disguise/camouflage black wire dog crates?
I have 3 dogs. They are house trained but still sleep in their crates. Tried to take them away but my dogs were not happy. i put towels on top of them to semi cov... See more