Cat Scratching: Furniture That Won’t Get Destroyed

Cats scratch furniture for many different reasons. It’s a behaviour that has stayed with them over thousands of years of evolution. Scratching can help cats to keep their claws in good condition, be a territorial marker or just a sign of boredom. It can also be extremely frustrating to have your furniture slowly destroyed by claw marks and you’ll more than likely want to put a stop to it.

Purchasing a scratching post and a wider variety of toys can be a good start but unfortunately this won’t deter all cats. You can limit the amount of damage your cat inflicts on your possessions by purchasing items that lend themselves to being a natural deterrent, or good camouflage for any damage!

When considering soft furnishings or sofas, think about what material these are made out of. Silk, leather and tweed will appeal to your cat and show any damage clearly. However, if you already own a sofa made from these materials, there are protective products on the market that can help to add an extra layer of defence against a scratchy cat. Although it doesn’t seem like an obvious choice, velvet is actually quite a good option as many cats dislike the feel of the fabric. Faux suede is also a good choice as it’s quite a dense material and will be less appealing to your clawed friends.

Where possible, opt for metal furniture over wood. Wood is an extremely attractive option when it comes to scratching whereas cold, hard metal will not be appealing to your cat as they are unable to dig their claws into it.

Flooring can also be a victim of scratching, particularly if you have wooden floorboards or a nice, soft carpet. A rug can be a good choice to cover up any areas that have already suffered damage and the tight weave and durability of a jute, sisal or hemp rug could be the perfect solution.

But the best solution to a cat that can’t stop scratching is to get to the root cause of the issue and try to find a way to fix it. You could also read our blog post about how to stop your cat scratching your sofa.

Fri Feb 7 2020