# Cats unintentionally scratching leather sofas



## cozzie (Nov 7, 2013)

Hello

New to this forum and new to cat ownership

Our kittens are 14 weeks old and generally very good.t he only issue is our leather sofas

When they were smaller, they would jump up and scratch the sofa or we got nail marks.

So we bought two large throws..... But now they go and play with the throw, and this leads in scratching while playing, and one of the kittens likes to go under it and back onto the sofa! They are bigger now so we could take the throws off :/ but they also fight each other when sitting with us and this causes scratching also..


Any tips?

Like I say, they have a scratching post and are very good. Only scratching the sofas accidentally

Coz
(Lois and Cleveland)


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## jaycee05 (Sep 24, 2012)

Well, they are kittens with claws, the only thing I can suggest is to try some catnip on the scratching post and encourage them to play on there more, 
Of course they will want to play and be on there when you are,coulkd you maybe find someway of attaching the throws so they can get underneath, otherwise its a hazard of cat ownership im afraid, 
Unless anyone elser has any ideas, 
I used to have cream ones which were terrible for even kittens climbing up onto, as the cream scratched off showed black scratch marks, the ones I have now are darker, like a dusky pink, mut don't show any marks, but are not purposely scratched anyway


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## korrok (Sep 4, 2013)

I would recommend asking your vet to clip your kittens' claws for you, which will blunt the worst of the sharp edges while still leaving them able to play, use their scratching post and do all their normal cat stuff. If they are housecats, which at their age I should certainly hope , it won't affect them in any way - but the sofa will take a bit less of their kitteny energy.

Also it's a good idea to actively distract them and encourage play away from the sofa when you see them playing around it. Get them down on the floor with their toys and you'll also avoid the damage. 

Unfortunately a few marks here and there are going to be unavoidable in the long run but this should certainly minimize it. Good luck!


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## Jansheff (Jan 31, 2011)

You can clip claws yourself, I do it about every 2 weeks as mine are house cats. Get the vet to show you how first, I was taught by the breeder. If you get them used to it while they are kittens and wait until they are sleepy it's a quick easy job.


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## LOOPYLORO (Oct 22, 2013)

I clip my kittens claws and have done so since I got them so they know no different and are happy for me to do it.

However, we still have marks on our cream leather sofa where they have scratched the leather off accidentally. I say accidentally because they don't sit there scratching it on purpose but they do tear around after each other and bounce off the sofas and walls (they are Bengals) and so in my case there is not a lot I can do about it!!! I would be more concerned if they were sat there using the sofas as a scratch post but they are good at using their scratch post

One of the "side effects" of having cats lol

Loopyloro
x


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## CoCoTrio (Jan 3, 2013)

This morning Mr T was scooting around the sofa on his back using his claws to pull himself along and leaving more scratch marks on the leather. I was delighted to realise that I've just stopped caring about it.  The sofa now has enough scratches that it doesn't matter anymore. I think an important part of keeping a cat is learning to just give in. 

Cats rule.


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

Our leather sofa cost us £2000 and its got loads of scratches and pin pricks from where kittens climb up it,yes its very annoying but there isnt anything you an do about it i have tried clipping claws and that makes it worse cause then instead of pin pricks you get long scratches where they didnt get a grip while jumping up.

The best thing thats worked for me is thick throw overs.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I agree - thick throws, and heavy books placed strategically to stop the kitties getting underneath the throws.


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## Satori (Apr 7, 2013)

I am in the, don't worry about it, camp. Given their age now, I promise it will get much worse. All three of mine like to run directly at the sofas, throw themselves at the backs, run along the vertical surfaces then twist and bounce off back the way they came. The two sofas are at right angles and one of the cats has figured out how to launch from one to their other while staying in contact with only the vertical surfaces, like a wall of death trick. 

The have their claws trimmed every two weeks but this land, twist, run, launch routine is bound to rip the leather. It can't be stopped really. I would be worried about kittens that don't destroy the house tbh. Had ours about a year now and I reckon about 10k of damage, bless 'em 

Now then, I do have a theory that top quality leather will not scratch. Might test that theory next time we change the sofas, if the bank balance will hold up to it.


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

Satori said:


> Now then, I do have a theory that top quality leather will not scratch. Might test that theory next time we change the sofas, if the bank balance will hold up to it.


Save your money! I recently bought a (still relatively expensive) second hand top quality leather sofa and it's already marked to b*ggery by kittens' claws. I'd have cried if I'd paid full price for it.


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## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

I am also in the "give up and get used to scratches " camp, unfortunately the husband isnt - I bought some very good leather scratch polish from amazon, and while not perfect it does disguise the worst damage and saves me from getting into too much trouble!!

Satori, love your comment about 10k worth of damage, just glad the husband was reading over my shoulder !!


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## MontyMaude (Feb 23, 2012)

I keep my cats claws trimmed and have always discouraged scratching of the sofa and chairs (they do have a lot of scratching posts dotted about the house though) and I have a thick throw over the back of the sofa and they are hardly marked one arm had a few marks but I believe if I could be bothered to get the leather cleaner out and give the arm a good buff most of them would come out, I don't let them have night time access to the sitting though and I think this has also helped, mainly because they have scratched the bedroom furniture to bits but my sofa still looks good


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## LOOPYLORO (Oct 22, 2013)

My leather sofa is cheap as chips (think it was about £300 for 2) so really naff. Hubby isn't impressed that the kittens have accidentally scratched it but to be honest, I'm not arsed! Long story short is - we were living in Spain for 6 years when hubby had to come back for work. I stayed their with our 2 sons for a further 2 1/2 years then we came back to be together once we could afford a house here (still got the one in Spain) so hubby had to buy the house and furnish it while me and the boys were still in Spain so we had somewhere to live together. Therefore, he chose the crap sofa!! I keep hinting we need a nice new one but now we have the kittens, I reckon that won't be happening. Ah well, at least he has something else to moan about (on top of the cost of cat litter, food, vets, etc).

Loopyloro
x


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## Catloverbearsden (Aug 20, 2013)

I thought that I was the only one with the sealant round the window issue lol.....what about them getting in the wardrobes however and covering all your clothes with hair?


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

Some people actually de claw their cats because of this, mostly in the US. I hope this practise never gets over here as its barbaric. 
But a few odd scratches here and there due to kittens running about is bound to happen. Get the heavy throws on and weigh them down with heavy items. 
I've got mum's old sofa and despite being cream leather it doesn't have many marks on it despite my cats jumping on it. Her new sofa doesn't seem to have suffered greatly from the onslaught of kittens running round either, but it could be due to where its positioned.


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## Meezey (Jan 29, 2013)

Have new leather sofa and high backed dining room chairs who's bright idea was that  chairs are wrecked already but purchased those wedding chair covers and they look great  and as dog also gets on sofa have throws that we tuck in so they can not be moved, with 4 Siamese indoor cats it has pin pricks all over it but that's the joys of cats as long as they don't use it as a scratch post I can live with it


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