Brilliant! I've been sitting around wondering how i could get behind the fabric and pull it back...der

I've done this with tweezers and sweaters too... but very very carefully.

Great idea! Cats use their claws for a number of reasons; and it's a vital behavior for them. Scratching surfaces related to their territory is not a rare event: not only does every species of cat (35+ species not including housecats) claw, but every healthy individual cat of every species claws things, at least several times every day.

Cats rub their faces against objects to leave their scent, but scratching things also leaves a scent and a physical mark which designates their territory. So they do this not just to claim an individual piece of furniture, but to create a "fence" around stuff that is theirs. Seeing other cats outside may make them feel nervous; they don't know that the doors are locked and that other cats can't get in, after all. So far as they know, they need to re-establish their territory over and over every day.

Scratching posts, therefore, are a tad meaningless. They don't serve to make the cat comfortable (like would a sofa, for example) and it does not flow with the surrounding area they would want to protect. If a cat loves their guardian, the cat will want to protect the couch or bed where their guardian spends most of their time, to establish that you "belong" to that kitty who values you so much.

We've been using soft claws on our scratcher. You only need to use them once a month (or until they grow out) and they make your cat look really stylish...

We are one of those families who resorts to putting throws on the furniture to keep the kitties from scratching and shedding all over everything. The sticky strips sound interesting.

As for scratching, I tried Soft Paws on my worst offender. The cost of the tips and application at the vet's was $40 - and my cat had all the tips chewed off within a couple of days! It did give my friends at good laugh at me for spending more on my cat's nails than I do on my own.

Emmi, thanks for the reminder on why felines behave this way. It helps me to remember that they are not just being ornery. ;-)

Two things that have worked for me:
1. Putting pieces of foil over the couch (usually just the arm rests) when we leave. Cats don't like foil and will generally stay away.

2. Getting a tightly woven door mat for the hallway. This was an accidental fix, but I was amazed to discover that my cat stopped scratching the couch and moved on to scratching the door mat, which is still in the living room area, behind the couch. He'll scratch it and then lay down on it, so I think it fulfills the same purpose as the couch did. The doormat only cost $30 and it's sole purpose is to get dirty, so I couldn't be happier with his new behavior.

Now when there's a magical fix for cat scratches on mircofiber couches, I'll be interested. Unfortunately, we don't have a woven couch. And on microfiber its kind of a lost cause. (Early on a depiller (for sweaters) worked wonders)

Watch out for the Stickypaws! I just pulled some old strips off the back of my Room & Board chair and they left a disgusting layer of sticky goo behind. Fortunately scrubbing with Goo Gone followed by Resolve did the trick -- surprisingly, left no damage at all. I will stick with nail trimming, my big homemade scratching post and a squirt bottle from now on.

Thank you for this tip!!!

Oh man. I resorted to a naugahyde couch to address "inappropriate elimination" issues (one of my cats pees when stressed out, which is 1x every six months but impossible to predict) and also to address the cat hair issue (I have a small army of kittehs) but, when I wasn't around, they've taken to scratching the custom-made slipcover I had made.

I have NO idea what the hell to do about that now.

Crochet hooks work wonders, too, with sweaters and with upholstery. Pick the hook gauge by the weave of the fabric you want to repair.