Need Immediate Help and Advice

First off I do apologize if this behavior issue has been discussed here before. I just got some nice furniture in my house yesterday and my babies think it's the new jungle gym just for them. Not so much Petunia, but Barkley loves to lay all over it, jump and climb on the back of the sofa, and strategically plans his assaults once he sees me leave the room or get up for a quick second . I wouldnt mind if it were old and already tattered, but this is new and in very good condition, I would like to keep it this way. Plus, the furniture is black, Barkley is a white furred cat, YIKES!!!!!

Can any of you who have had this similar issue with your feline companions and won the battle suggest anything that I can do to keep them off my furniture? The problem isnt so much scratching (although Barkley and Petunia do that as well at times) but rather laying on it and leaving their fur behind for all to see and get on their clothing. All advice given is much appreciated!

First of all...why do you need help fast?
Slow down, take a deep breath & be thankful that you have healthy kitties to share your life with.

Now...my kitties are mostly white. I learned the hard way to decorate using light colors. I have cream throws...sheets, blankets everything is light colored now. I use washable throws on my couch & chairs that are light colored. This is not an expensive solution. I bought fabric at a store & made mine.

Please remember to always be grateful for your sweet healthy kitties. There are solutions. Just be patient. Keep looking. You will find answers.
Lei
PS...I always warn guests that fur comes with my place & have them sit on a hardwood chair if they mind getting fur on their clothes.

rub a lemon scented soap lightley over the surfaces (not so hard it leaves a waxy residue) and put a few lemon scented car fresheners inside the cushion covers and under neath the sofa. the citrus smell should keep them away from it.

I don't think anyone has ever "won this battle". Just get some throws to cover your furniture and you can keep it clean and then take them off when company comes. Why did you ever get black furniture when you have a white cat?

Cats belong on furniture, don't you know that? I use throws on my furnitures as well, especially during wintertime. There really is no way to stop a cat from laying on your couch, or running over the top of your furniture, especially kittens. They want to be where you are, and you sit on furniture, so why can't they? Plus they will be deposting their scent on top of yours, claiming you as all theirs.

If you have cats, yuou have to buy furniture with you furbabies in mind. YY and the sphynx love to sit on all the furniture so I just do more vacuuming. You could encourage them not to sit in certain places but a positive reinforcement approach is the best. You can also buy those cat friendly blankets (the ones that seem to draw cats and are warm and so on - Petco has them) and place one on each piece of furniture. My sister has one on each chesterfield or sofa and her Siamese and Tonkinese kitties love it!

Hmmmm don't know if you're going to win this one! It is excessively hard to train cats out of doing things they feel they are entitled to - ie lying on your couch! They are not like dogs that can be trained out of habits you find undesirable. I would say the best solution for you would be to do what others here have suggested - buy light-coloured throws or kitty blankets. It might help to groom them daily, also.

I use one of those lint brushes (you know - the ones for clothes?) on my furniture and linen and it works beautifully. Sunday leaves big chunks of black fur everywhere, not to mention just the normal shedding. It comes off in a matter of seconds with one of those brushes and everyone's happy!!

I bought a series of light rugs/throws that match the sofas and keep them there for the cats to lie on. Having a black and a white cat, not to mention the b/w one, I can't win whatever colour decor I have! And a sticky roller that takes hairs off is great - I use mine daily. When guests come I can remove everything for a few hours. But you cannot keep cats off things - nothing works, and anyway, why have them if they can't feel comfortable in the house?