# Do all cats destroy furniture?



## Riverwolf (Oct 22, 2013)

Silly question but I honestly want some answers/opinions before I get my first cat in 20 years.
I suppose if all owners had shredded furniture then there would be far less cat owners?
I have custom built a cat tree to be level with a window and it has 5 different sisal covered scratching posts. and I have bought and installed one of those door hanging scratchers from Petco.
I don't worry over the tables or countertops. I don't care where the new cat sleeps including on my bed. I have rearranged stuff all over the house to lessen the chances of cat accidents and damage. I have already bought the litter and box (Sterilight 18 gal container). I bought toys and lasers and nail clippers etc, etc, etc...
What is holding me back is the thought of finding my nice microfiber sofa and loveseat shredded. 
I am planning on an older cat and not a kitten if that helps.
All replies are welcome!


----------



## DeafDogs&Cat (Mar 27, 2013)

My cat has never scratched anything except his posts and trees... but I have a post or a tree beside the couch, bed and chair, so he has available options other than the furniture. I have one sisal rope tree, one with carpet, and several cardboard scratchers as well, so he can scratch whatever surface he wants.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## zuma (Nov 5, 2009)

Same here, my cat has never scratched any furniture. I have a cat tree with sisal rope and a door hanging scratcher thing. I also keep her claws trimmed, so there isn't much scratching going on in general. Having said that my microfibre couch does have marks but they're from when she jumps up after some toy and needs to stop. 
Microfibre is pretty tough though, you can't really see it unless you look for it. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

On *VERY* rare occasions the boys will dig into the couch or carpet but the moment I hear it I just have to give a "stop it!" and they quit. Book didn't know to use the scratching post wen I got him so I used MowMow to teach him. When I saw Mow using it (he came scratch trained) I would PRAISE him and give them both treats and make a big deal of the scratching post. The first time I saw Book do it I made SUCH a big deal with praise and treats and cooing. 

Now, things DO get broken and destroyed. Book broke every breakable thing I owned the first year I had him. I'm FINALLY starting to buy things again and putting them out. Now he's a bit older and is able to control his body and be more careful.


----------



## Heckle& jeckle (Feb 16, 2013)

My two aren't destructive at all except when they were younger and didn't know any better, people who come over all always amazed at how well behaved my Cats are. The only real naughty thing they do is going on my table and sleeping on there but that's it..

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Riverwolf (Oct 22, 2013)

MowMow said:


> On *VERY* rare occasions the boys will dig into the couch or carpet but the moment I hear it I just have to give a "stop it!" and they quit.


This is what my mind keeps wandering to. Like when I am not there to catch him/her. I am not trying to talk myself out of this at all, just looking for every possible way to prevent damage to the only two pieces of furniture that I care about. I want all options out and about before the big day.


----------



## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

My cats have not destroyed furniture either. They every once in a while use their claws on the side of the bed, but all it takes is a stern "ah, ah, no!" and they stop. I have leather furniture and a wool rug, and they have never been attacked. I do have multiple cat scratching posts.


----------



## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

Oh...all of you are lucky. ET does scratch intitially, hubby's massage chair is badly scratched, our sofa cushion, hubby's lounge chair, but that was cos he doesn't know which is allowed and which isn't. He has stopped scratching now, for more than a year. It took sometime for him to know which aren't allowed.


----------



## Riverwolf (Oct 22, 2013)

zuma said:


> I also keep her claws trimmed


I will have a different post on this but was it hard to learn?


----------



## DeafDogs&Cat (Mar 27, 2013)

Riverwolf said:


> I will have a different post on this but was it hard to learn?


Nail trimming is really easy with cats... you alwqys know where to cut. Dogs are alot more difficult... the problem comes with teaching cats to deal with it lol

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## CatMonkeys (Sep 27, 2012)

I have scratching posts near the bed and sofa and my two cats have never scratched at any furniture, they always use their posts to scratch. However, most of my table tops have cat claw scratches from the kitties running across them while playing chase or whatever. I have always trimmed their nails, but unintentional scratches do happen from cats running across smooth surfaces, so be prepared for that.

Trimming cat nails is as easy as the cat will let it be. It might take some time for the cat to get used to it, but the most difficult part is getting the cat to sit still.


----------



## 0ozma (Sep 22, 2012)

My cat is 3 years old and hasn't cut a single piece of furniture. The only thing he tears up is a chair with cloth fabric because I intentionally play with certain toys on it and he uses it for a grip & to hang upside down.


----------



## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

My munchkins never scratch my furniture. I think the key is to have lots of options for them as far as scratching posts, pads, lounges, and reward/praises when they scratch those. I've done this since I had Bella and Dexter and they've never had any desire to scratch furniture. Also I trim their nails once every couple weeks. With nail trimming and grooming make it an enjoyable experience with a treat at the end so they associate good things with it.


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

When we originally got our cats we had a horrible ugly couch that was scratch-post texture. It was like...4th hand hand-me-downs and the ugliest most uncomfortable couch I've ever met.

We allowed them to scratch it right up. Didn't care.

Then we moved and got a hand-me-down leather couch, and none of them are even remotely interested in scratching it. Don't get me wrong, it does have scratch marks on it, but all of those are from excited kitties launching themselves off it at rocket speed. I don't count those, and I don't care, TBH.

IMO, my kitties are WAY more important than a couch. Maybe, someday, I'll feel differently. Like when we can pick out our own furniture, but TBH I'm doubtful. Everything that we buy for our home is carefully considered with the 4 cats in mind. Why would I buy brand new fancy stuff, KNOWING I have 4 cats, and then get mad about launch-marks, or a little hairball, ect.

On top of all of that...pet-mess has never really bothered me at all. I don't mind a tumble-weed or two, fur all over my clothes ect. So maybe I'm not the one to ask, but IMO what I get from having pets is worth so much more than having a perfect(ly boring, lol) home, hair-free clothes, and pristine furniture.

IMO. lol

I do agree that having cat furniture is crucial, and it needs to be in your main living spaces. You wouldn't put your TV in your spare room that no one ever goes to, why put the cat post there. They'll never be in that room, so why would they go out of their way to use it? They won't. VERY important.

If you're super worried about those two couches specifically maybe buy smaller posts and set them next to the couches. Then if the mood DOES strike them the post is RIGHT THERE.


----------



## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Riverwolf said:


> I will have a different post on this but was it hard to learn?


When you go to your first vet visit (always good to schedule it for the way home from picking up kitty). Ask the vet to show you how to trim the nails. They'll show you what the quick looks like and where it is..s how you how to hold the cat and what sort of clippers to get.

I agree with Library, when I buy furniture I do it with the boys in mind. I'd never buy a soft wood ...anything... because I know that kitty claws are going to dig into it at SOME point and that will scratch it. 

I buy furniture with fabric that doesn't 'hold' onto the hair.

Also as Library said, scratching posts in living areas, they will live (and scratch) where you live so they need those close by.

If you are *THAT* worried about it you could looking into adopting an already declawed cat. It's horrible and cruel, but the deed has already been done (BY SOMEONE ELSE) and you'd be saving a cat from a shelter.


----------



## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

I'd definitely take scratch marks over not having a cat. Reality is most cats scratch. Some (like Jasper) know they shouldn't do it, and then do, just to get attention. Vicious cycle. Trouble maker with a capital T. The dog knows he shouldn't scratch things so she's gets in on the action too, crowding the cat and trying to get him away from the chair/bed spread/door etc. ... it's a circus around here.

A lot of our furniture is really old or even stuff we found outside. :lol: Nice stuff, mind you, but no real loss if it's gone. The good furniture is in the living room and not accessible to cats.

Some cats have less desire to scratch or really stick for the most part to one object, but you can't exactly plan around getting a cat like this. Blacky rarely scratches indoors, but she did have a favourite tree outside...recently it was cut down, so who know where she'll move her scratching needs to next.

A few suggestions: use bitter apple (Jasper _likes_ it!) or citrus spray to keep cats away from surfaces you don't want them near, cover the couch with blankets, use nail caps (soft paws), get a cat already declawed (declawed cats have higher rates of biting, and inappropriate peeing/pooping around the house as well as potential chronic pain), keep claws trimmed to minimize damage, double sided tape can discourage scratching surfaces, although is not all that attractive.


----------



## Kytkattin (Oct 18, 2013)

Midas used to scratch the old furniture I had. It was junk, but I didn't let him scratch it because I knew eventually I was going to get nicer stuff. Adding a cat tree to the main living space was really crucial in helping him stop scratching the couches. Now I have a personal rule: one cat tree per room. Obviously not the kitchen or bathrooms, but any room we spend a good amount of time in has a cat tree now, and a fairly sizeable one too so he always has "his space" in a room. And they need to be inviting trees. Most of my trees are store bought, and they are nice for a quick scratch or a place to curl up and sleep, which pretty much gets the job done in preventing unwanted couch scratching. 

I now have nicer (though still hand-me down) suede and vinyl or leather (not sure) couches that he has never touched, and that so far are holding up well to dogs and a cat running around on them. He does not attempt to scratch the new couches at all, and never has. When he walks into the living room and wants to scratch he goes to his tree instead.


----------



## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

My cats do scratch the furniture, unfortunately. They have scratching posts, and scratchers that do get a fair bit of use, but my cats frequently blunt their nails on sofa arms and the living room carpet. We trim our cat's claws, so most of the damage isn't too bad, but Galileo, in his younger years, did, at some point when we weren't around--obviously, shred the arm of one of our chairs; luckily, he pulled the fabric chair arm cover off first, so, as long as the cover's on, the damage is almost hidden.

It can be exasperating to have cats that scratch things they shouldn't, but it is a behaviour you can curb, if not eliminate. My cats were much worse about scratching the furniture before I got them their various posts and scratching toys. Furniture scratching is just one of the things that people need to consider when deciding whether or not to get a cat--and good for you for doing just that! Personally, I would rather have cats than nice things (although I have nice things too,) but not everyone feels the same way. 

If you can't live with the scratching, but still really want a cat, you could consider adopting a cat that has already been declawed. Declawing is an awful procedure (it's considered animal cruelty in some countries,) but it is, unfortunately, still legal in Canada and the US; although many vets now refuse to do it. Declawing is becoming less and less common, but shelters do sometimes have cats that were previously declawed. A lot of these cats do tend to be older, but that just means they're even more in need of a home!


----------



## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Kytkattin said:


> Now I have a personal rule: one cat tree per room. Obviously not the kitchen or bathrooms, but any room we spend a good amount of time in has a cat tree now, and a fairly sizeable one too so he always has "his space" in a room.


I do this as well. A big one in the living room for hanging out on(I live in a small apartment so this one also covers the dining room and kitchen), a smaller one in the bedroom for scratching (and helping MowMow to get his aging butt up to the windowsill), and in the sparebedroom an old sisal welcome mat that they LOVE digging into.


----------

