Cats vs leather...Cat wins

There are sprays you can get at most pet stores to derer pets from messing with furniture. I'd pick some up real quick.

It sounds like you need a fairly tall scratching post. You can either buy one or get some scrap 2x4's and carpet and make it yourself. Cats like to stretch and being able to do that AND claw is juat heaven. Our cats do the same thing. Get or make the scratching post well in advance of getting the new furniture. That way, the cats will be used to scratching the post and shouldn't look twice at the new stuff.

I forgot one thing, you can also buy nail covers for your cats,they even come in cute colors. Check it out at www.softclaws.net Haven't tried them myself yet, but I want to.

You have a very interesting problem, jdeforge, a problem for which I have absolutely no solution. I can only gape helplessly when my cats are in a scratching mood, and they scratch anything and everything. She even tried sharpening her claws on my hip, once, in the wee hours of the morning. Luckily, I had a thick blanket over me, and my hips are still in once peice. But I woudn't declaw them for anything because I think it is one of their pleasures in life.

Get a leather patching kit.. lol thats what I had to do when I first got my leather furniture and you can't even see where i repaired it. It didn't take very long before they left it alone.Getting one of those larger cat trees would also be a good idea and maybe a squirt bottle of water to deter them from your leather.

There are many products out there that will stop your cats from going near the furniture. go and talk to your local petshop about some of the organic based ones and then do some research on them. These smell bad to cats, but we can't smell them, due to the less than cat like noses. I would also set up somewhere they could destroy, like a cat tower (again, go to your pet shop) These provide different stimulants for your cats and give them some where to climb and scratch. Warning, they are expensive, but if it comes down to replacing your couch all the time or getting one, I think it is worth the investment. Make this the only place they get treats and you can hide them around it. You can use a Vegemite like product to smear on it too, and they will spend hours licking it off. (Vegemite is an Australian product made from yeast and vegie proteins) Cat nip is a herb they go beserk over, so try getting some toys with it in. There are also sprays out there that have the same result. Good luck and I hope your new furniture lasts until the end of the warranty!

There are things you can spray on the item you want them to stay off of. I don't know what that will do to the leather though. I will check on that before telling you. I will post back later. Meanwhile, use aluminum foil placed on the chair to keep them off. It usually works.

I have two full grown cats and I also have leather furniture and although you can trim their nails instead of declawing I ended up having to get my cat front claws removed to keep them from scratching. Its just something that cats do.