Cats with claws and Leather furniture

ayeshajae

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Opting for leather furniture was the bad choice for me. While it's true they don't scratch it they just have to jump on it to cause permanent damage.
 

nutro dawn

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I understand that one. Miss Puff is 13 years old and she uses her claws to get to the back. I have not found anything, short of keeping her nails trimmed that has helped. 
 

2crazykittens

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I have leather furniture too, there has been some damage done from the boys running across it. Since then I have placed slipcovers on the couch and chair to prevent further damage. I also keep their claws trimmed regularly and have 2 scratchers in the living room for them to tear up. They have never tried to scratch the leather as of yet, even with covers on it.  I suppose leather is not the greatest choice when having cats, and I really didn't want to cover it all but it is better to save my investment than just have the cats kill it.

I think the trick to having them avoid scratching it up is:

1. Have cat scratchers in the same room as the furniture.

2. Regularly trim nails

3. Use sofa covers if necessary.
 

oreomama

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It's the strangest thing. I had picked out kid-friendly and pet-friendly furniture when I moved into my new place last year. Microsuede, leather and cowhide were the materials I opted to go with. I figured scratchmarks might enhance the patina of the leather and cowhide, but oddly enough Oreo hasn't gone near these pieces. On the microsuede sofa, I do put a thick fleece throw but mostly that is so I wouldn't have to wipe down or vacuum his fur off the sofa. 

I guess for your leather furniture, follow all the helpful suggestions above. I read somewhere if you find him scratching the furniture, to put a cat scratcher right next to it and try to redirect his focus. Otherwise, a thick throw for him to sit on could help and he leaps off the sofa.
 
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chloejune

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None of my cats use my leather couches as scratching posts because from the beginning I scolded them whenever they did. But scratches still end up there. My cats tend to dig into the back part of the arm rests of my recliner especially, since they were frequently hanging out in the space behind the couch.

Solution 1: Placed black duct tape on the back part. The tape is not very noticeable and protects the leather for sure. 

Solution 2: Place a bunch of pillows behind my recliner to block out the cats. 

Scratches are inevitable especially when the cats are using their claws to keep from falling. Nothing you can do except identify the most likely parts of the couch and protect those spaces.
 

shannonmari1

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Well, then all y'all who said that their cats don't mess with leather are VERY lucky! My two kitty cats have totally ripped up my red leather chairs in my dining room----I've tried sprays, I've tried a water bottle, I've tried moving them away, I've tried scratching posts in the same room but not only did they scratch that, they'd just walk over and start scratching the chairs! I want to get a leather couch but I'm afraid to!! I have no idea how to keep them from scratching and declawing is not an option to me!  
 

Margret

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We had a leather sofa left to us by my father. The cat decided it was fun to climb the back of the sofa. Not clawing or kneading, climbing. The sofa has now been hauled away. In addition to the cat damage, as the sofa aged the leather on the cushions split from my husband's weight. We will never buy leather furniture again. It appears sturdy, but in reality it's incredibly fragile.

Margret
 

moddycat28

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First of all: Do NOT declaw your cat/kitteh! My ModdyCat has no interest of our entire leather furniture. He'll maybe sit on the arm of the couch for a bit, but that's about it. I bought a few big squared sisal "mats" and I keep one in the garage (he loves to sit at the front of the garage looking out) and the other on our screened in lanai. He loves to scratch the h*ll out of them, and then he goes on his merry way. You can always use one as a "Welcome Mat" near your door. It really helps!!  >^..^<
 

mbsitler

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Seems to be a matter of preference  whether they scratch the leather or not, I was given a nice new couch and looked up everything on how to prevent scratches, out of 5 cats, only 1 goes nuts on the arm of the leather couch, I try to keep a blanket there to stop him, but...

it kind of makes me cringe when I hear him in there sharpening his claws on it, but ive learned to accept it now. lol.
 

Kat0121

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I have a leather recliner and a leather sofa. The sofa is older than DD (20) and the recliner is a little younger than she is. Both are in fantastic shape especially for their age. Up until recently, they ignored the chair and used the couch for the occasional nap. Lately, Sophie has been climbing the back of the chair because she wanted to get onto the windowsill behind it so the chair is sporting some nice scratches on it. The leather is thick so the scratches are light. I think some leather conditioner will make them all but disappear. Last week when the AC went out, I moved the chair to put the window unit in there and doing that obviously opened up that windowsill. Both Sophie and Lilith were thrilled. They like having that extra windowsill so much that I'm just going to leave it like that. No more scaling Mt. La-Z- Boy for Sophiesaurus 
 

shannonmari1

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Well, we had a friend sell us their leather couch and you guessed it, my kitty cats are both are clawing it! I bought that stuff that has tree tea oil in it and sprayed around the couch and around (not at them) when I catch them but yep, it already has claw marks on it and I'm like, durn it! My husband is pretty mad about it but I don't know what else we can do but to keep spraying this stuff on and around them so they stop, but it is frustrating--it's not like I can put them in Time out! ;)
 

sabbysides

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Hopefully everyone that has had issues with cats clawing the leather has put out scratching posts. I got a ragdoll kitten earlier this year, and I was terrified that he would ruin my beautiful espresso leather sofas. I've had him for 5 months, and I am happy to report that weekly claw trims and plenty of scratching posts have kept the couches in great condition. Every now and then I will see a scratch, but for the most part they buff out completely with a little rub down of conditioner with a microfiber cloth. I had been considering declawing (first time cat owner), but then I looked more into the surgery and was horrified! I am so glad I did not do that to him. I will say that he is a pretty laid back cat to begin with (with temporary bouts of kitten crazies), so temperament may have something to do with it as well.
 

Margret

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My congratuulations. My Sweet Thing used to climb the leather couch! No number of scratching posts would cure that. I'm very glad you decided against declawing. No furniture is worth putting a pet through amputation.

You should be aware that the "kitten crazies" continue well into adulthood. In fact, if they ever stop entirely, it's time for a vet visit. It's likely to mean your pet has arthritis. It's a cat thing.

Margret
 
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MegMarkR1

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I know this is an older thread, but I don't get where people are saying that cats don't like leather furniture because that's totally false. Various websites say the best furniture to get with cats that have their claws say to get microfiber/ultrasuede, not leather. And, I'm living proof not to have leather furniture. My Reyna Cat has clawed up our living room leather furniture (two chairs old and new leather) so much that the stuffing is coming out and I'm embarrassed to have company over. It's THAT bad! We've had Cat Towers and Scratching Pads (wasted money with this cat) and she refuses to use them preferring our furniture instead. She is an indoor/outdoor cat. I've thought about getting her claws capped, but I don't know how that will affect her outside and hunting/defending herself.
 

Pucks104

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I'm confused.... We have a leather couch and both cats leave it alone completely.
We also have leather furniture and neither George nor Louie bothered it at all. I do clip their nails once a week. I also provide lots of appropriate scratcher options so they can scratch to their hearts content.
 

Royalty

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We have a marble dining table with faux leather chairs bought two months before our cats who are now 16 months yes they have ripped the chairs despite having two huge climbing trees n 3 storey cat beds with sisal on the outside n three other cat scratchers but to be honest I should have thought about it before buying the dining table n chairs
 
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