Leather furniture is nice to own but can be easily ripped to shreds by a pair of feline paws. Leather or not, cats usually find a way to scratch furniture if the correct preventative measures are not taken to curb this behavior. Leather couches, leather sofas, and even plastic and wooden furniture are not safe from cat scratching. Here is a guide on how to protect leather furniture from cats in your living room and any other room in your home.

Do Your Cat’s Claws Get Stuck Often?

If you find that your cat often sinks their claws into or gets their claws stuck on furniture, trim their nails. If you are able to, this should be the first course of action for any cat owner to take to help curb furniture scratching. The problem may be as simple as your cat’s claws getting stuck on fibers. Trimming a cat’s claws will also help curb their need to constantly scratch and file them down themselves. If your cat is afraid of trimmers, you can try applying nail caps to your cat’s claws. 

Nail caps are a great option for the patient cat owner or if their cat doesn’t mind having their paws touched. Nail caps can be found online or in pet stores and are small plastic coverings that go over each nail. The nail cap is a safe alternative to declawing and gives the sharp end of the nail a blunt plastic covering to protect furniture, walls, and any other surface your cat would typically try to scratch. The one downside to using nail caps is that they must be reapplied regularly.

Apply Scratch Guard to Furniture

Assuming that fabric furniture covers are out of the question (because who would want to hide their leather furniture?), the next best option for protecting your couch would be to use scratch guards. Scratch guards are adhesive tabs that can be bought online and are designed to deter scratching. Apply the tabs to the spots on your furniture you think your cat will want to scratch the most. This way, when your cat goes to try to claw that spot, their paw will become temporarily stuck to the adhesive and they will be deterred from scratching in that spot in the future.

Direct Your Cat Toward Scratching Posts

Cats need to sharpen their claws. It’s normal and healthy behavior, and should not be reprimanded harshly. Instead, this behavior should be redirected. Training your cat to use scratching posts requires some patience, but using a scratching post should come naturally to your pet for the most part. You can buy a standard scratching post for your cat, or you can even have something as simple as a wooden log or welcome mat.

When you see your cat begin to scratch your furniture, pick them up or direct them toward the new scratching post/object. This may take a few tries. Once they begin to use the correct object, reward them with a treat or with playtime so that they begin to form a positive association with their behavior. After a while, they will forget all about wanting to scratch on furniture, because now they have something better!

Why Declawing Cats is a Last Resort

Before resorting to declawing to keep your cat from scratching, it is recommended to exhaust every other option available. Many vets are even beginning to ban the practice of declawing due to the harmful side effects. The side effects of declawing a cat often create larger problems than just clawed furniture. 

Declawing involves the removal of part of the bone of the cat’s paw. This can cause lifelong pain in some cats and may cause the animal to develop behavioral problems. Other cats may not experience pain but may turn to biting as their only form of defense. Declawed cats’ personalities may also change as a response to prolonged pain and through a feeling of defenselessness. Declawing can also cause litter box issues among cats.

Buy Low-Priced Faux Leather and Microfiber Furniture

If all methods of how to protect leather furniture from cats have failed and you cannot deter your cat from scratching leather furniture, it may be time to find alternative materials. Luckily, Bel Furniture sells a range of furniture in a multitude of fabrics. The best type of fabric for cats that scratch furniture is microfiber because this material is hard to scratch. If your heart is set on the look of leather, however, then faux leather is a great option for you. A faux leather piece of furniture will cost much less than real leather, saving you a ton of money if your cat does scratch it (hopefully not!). You can find deals on microfiber and faux leather furniture plus more at Bel Furniture.