Cats vs leather...Cat wins

@jdeforge (224)
United States
November 13, 2007 2:26pm CST
Alright all you cat lovers, I need advice. I have two cats, both well behaved but they've lived with me in a very "college" like atmosphere. Meaning, I had this ratty couch they could scratch, I had a ratty computer leather chair they destroyed yadda yadda. Well now its time to be a big girl, I'm getting a new apartment in two weeks and I found this perfect couch I want. But..part of its leather, and it comes with a leather ottoman. I cannot have these cats destroy it and I simply don't know what to do! Declawing is NOT an option. I've noticed they only scratch things they can reach up and out for, and the ottoman I'm buying is quite low to the ground, so I'm wondering (very much hoping) they'll leave it alone. Does any of you cat lovers out there have suggestions, or maybe someone who's been in this situation and how they were successful?
3 people like this
7 responses
@uath13 (8192)
• United States
13 Nov 07
There are sprays you can get at most pet stores to derer pets from messing with furniture. I'd pick some up real quick.
2 people like this
@Aurone (4755)
• United States
13 Nov 07
I have friends who have used the sprays and they say it works quite well. Might want to give it a try. You can also try training them away from the couch using a water bottle. A small spray of water in the face can be a good deterrent.
1 person likes this
@uath13 (8192)
• United States
13 Nov 07
That would've my next suggestion if the first didn't work. Lets not tramatize them if its not necessary.
1 person likes this
@jdeforge (224)
• United States
13 Nov 07
Well water spraying would work on one cat for sure, my other cat? ya..no he goes in the shower. He's a freak. I sprayed him once and he shook his face and looked at me for more. I will definitely look into a spray, I just wouldn't want something smelly or thats going to ruin leather. I've also read about those plastic caps to put on, which sounds great, but cats need to scratch and I would hate to take that away from them. I built a cat tree with scratching posts all over it and they love it.
@HighReed1 (1126)
• United States
14 Nov 07
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.
@jdeforge (224)
• United States
14 Nov 07
Well the cat tree I made is very tall, they love it. I saw a 32" post at petsmart the other day, that would be perfect. I just want us all to be happy! Thanks for the responses though, definitely has given me some other hope :)
@Aurone (4755)
• United States
13 Nov 07
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.
@uath13 (8192)
• United States
13 Nov 07
My cats would hate me if I even thought about that. Besides those are made for dogs. Cats have retractable claws. Those pads would probably be very uncomfortable since they couln't pull their claws in properly.
1 person likes this
@MH4444 (2161)
• United States
13 Nov 07
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.
@brandy78 (159)
• Canada
14 Nov 07
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.
• Australia
14 Nov 07
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!
• United States
13 Nov 07
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.