apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Two Words:

Custom Made

two more words... give away the cat.

oops- that's four.

"oops- that's four."

Too Funny - But you're right...

...If I had a pet that demolished my $3000 sofa - It would be dead.

Interesting. I actually got leather because the cats scratch the fabric. I've never had a problem with the leather.

Maybe DWR would know of a source?

Keep the cats, furniture is not as important as companion creatures. Although you could banish them from that room, maybe? On the other hand, if you are keeping their claws clipped well enough, maybe there would be less damage. Or try those soft paws claw covers, perhaps.

many possible solutions...

I'm not that optimistic that a tight slipcover would solve your problem. We're trying to deal with the same issue: Cats vs. new expensive sofas. We've found that if you cover the sofa with loose fitting fabric (we're using sheets right now), the cats don't claw it. But if we tighten the fabric so that it clings to the sofa like a snug slipcover, they attack it as vigorously as an uncovered sofa. Attempts to distract them with alternative shredding objects have been futile. (Scratching posts, cardboard boxes, an old beat up sofa, etc.) To their pea sized brains there is no better target than the most expensive piece of furniture in the apartment. So, we either hide our fancy sofas under bed sheets or we declaw the cats. Good luck.

I realize bepsf probably thinks that comment is hilarious, but it just makes me sad and angry.

My dog destroyed my year-old $4000 sofa (albeit purchased at a discount at the DWR Annex), and while I'm upset about it, I still love my PET more than a piece of furniture.

Animals don't know understand what furniture is, and they certainly don't discriminate between one that cost $3000 or one that cost $300. They are animals, not adult humans, and we have to accept that when we choose to take them into our lives and be responsible for them.

That said, to the OP: I'm afraid you're looking at custom-made if you want to maintain the clean lines of your sofa's design. Go for something super-durable and washable! It's worth it.

i'm hoping bepsf thinks his comment is hilarious but sadly, i'm not holding out much hope. like anna at d16 said, you took the animal into your home, it's part of your family. your furniture isn't.

Geez - didn't realize that I'd cause such a ruckus...
...but I actually have been forced to make a choice between home and pet:

Several years ago, during the Dot-Com Boom, I had a roommate with a sofa - and I adopted a very cool dog from a neighbor/friend who could no longer care for his pet.

After a few months, despite coming home during lunch to walk the dog and try everything I could to make the dog happy - he had successfully demolished half of the apartment, including the roommate's (crappy) sofa.

As much as I hated to do it, I had a very tough decision to make - which was to keep my barely-affordable home (moving was not an option what w/ the economic conditions), pay the roommate for the damages, and get rid of the dog.

then give away the sofa.

Lets get real... Kitties need to have claws trimmed AND a product called soft paws applied to the offending feet. I clipped my last cat's claws for 15 years... this minimized damage. Soft paws are available from pet supply stores... these are the feline version of acrylic nails and soft plastic is glued over kitties freshly trimmed claws. The soft paws last about 4 weeks at which time it is time for a fresh kitty pedipaw. Good luck saving your leather and your kitty.

The couch is from DWR. Did the cats come from DWR? No, they didn't. The cats came out of some other cat's abdomen.

I think your cats need to realise this, and, by extension, their lowly place in the wider scheme of things.

If you want nice furniture, get rid of the cats.

If you want cats, sell your couch before your cats do any more damage to it and begin acquiring all your furniture on the Craigslist free page.

There is no other way.

Aparently DWR sells a slipcover for your sofa for $1600. Pricey. Take a pic to an upholsterer or seamstress and see if they can do better. I think a looser slipcover would be cool, and you can take it off when you have company and want to show of the leather.

As for the pets/vs. sofa issue, you can either confine pets to a crate or separate room to avoid damage when you are gone. When home, you can enforce the "off the sofa" rule til they get it. Another suggestion is to put a carpet runner on the sofa seat when you aren't present. Cats will rather claw this than leather anyway, I am guessing.

We just got a kitten, and are confining her to one room til we are sure all of our household are not allergic. We take her out to play, let her roam the basement when my son is with her. Once we are comfortable, and the dogs are used to her, and she to them, we will loosen the boundaries. In the shelter she was in a much smaller space, so the son's bedroom with loft and toys is plenty when he is in school for the day.

Dogs do well crated during work hours, and in the wild are naturally drawn to a den, small space. Some animals suffer separation anxiety and do better in crates when owners are not home. If the animal is walked and played with the rest of the time, they will be fine.

this is my sofa
http://www.ikea.com/PIAimages/68277_PE182429_S4.jpg

$399 and cat doesn't even go near it

Discipline. You need to spank your cat or get a spray bottle and spray it with water EVERY TIME it gets near the couch. It will eventually learn not to go near it. But make sure you give them something they can destroy.

This is helpful (although you probably can't slip cover your sofa with foil):

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/cat_behavior_tip_sheets/destructive_scratching/

Sometimes cats become fixated on one piece of furniture. Removing or slip-covering, in combination with getting more toys, can change the behavior.

Don't be sad because others don't feel the need to anthropormorphize their pets. Some people dont actually think that animals are people. I'm not pro-animal cruelty, but I grew up on a farm and I understand fully that animals are NOT people. Therefore - if you don't want your cats to damage your sofa there are two logical conclusions you can come to: give one of them away.

DWR doesn't make a slipcover for the theater, and even if you had one custom made, the cats will attack the fabric twice as much as they will attack leather.

Soft paws are a pain in the ass - I had them for 2 cats for many many years. They will minimize the damage, but you need to be vigilant about it.

Realize that if you have animals or children you cannot keep your things perfect. Period. You can have your wonderful couch OR your loving, playful cats but obviously not both. That's reality, guys. And kids are even worse than cats when it comes to destructiveness. I guess foster care is an option for you couch lovers...