10/16/2026
🐈 Let's Talk About the FAT CAT in the Room! 🛋️
Cats and furniture. Specifically, cats who use our furniture as a scratching post.
In the short amount of time I have spent at the furniture store, one question I hear over and over,
"What fabric holds up best with cats?"
🙀🙀🙀
I couldn't relate to this question! My cat Lola is PERFECT when it comes to ALMOST everything! If she could kill some mice that would be great but I guess I can't have it all.
Then our barn kitten came inside and now I understanding what everyone is going through. I have a whole new level of empathy for our customers dealing with this problem!
I have furniture at home I'd love to replace, but those plans are officially on hold until I get this little furniture destroyer under control! 😿
Something I've noticed is that my most textured chairs seem to be her favorite victims whole my smooth fabrics don't get her attention. This all got me wondering if certain upholstery fabrics are actually more appealing to cats.❓ And wouldn't you know it, there's actually scientific research on this....
🕵🏼♀️A study published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science compared cats' scratching preferences across several upholstery fabrics. Researchers found that cats showed a preference for chenille, while synthetic leather and water resistant fabric were considerably less favored.
This makes sense, she doesn't touch our leather furniture.
🕵🏼♀️Another study involving over 1,200 cats examined factors associated with unwanted scratching, including activity levels, environmental factors, and if they had enough scratching posts available.
Of course, every cat is different, and no fabric is guaranteed to be cat proof!
So what am I trying at home?❓
I've placed scratching toys with catnip near the furniture she's targeting.
I've noticed she particularly enjoys that BIG vertical stretch while scratching, so I've purchased taller scratching posts to place next to furniture and will slowly move them farther away in time. I got some catnip spray to hopefully redirect her attention.
I've applied some temporary clear giant stickers to the sides and front of my fabric couch and chair to discourage scratching before it becomes an established habit.
I clip her nails frequently for everyone's sake.
I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! 🐈
What fabrics have held up best in your homes? Microfiber? Leather? Velvet? Performance fabrics?
⁉️❓Has anyone successfully convinced their cat to leave the furniture alone? What actually worked?⁉️❓
I'd love to hear experiences! Not only because I'm currently living through this myself, but because I want to be able to help our customers make informed decisions when choosing furniture.
Surely we can have beautiful furniture AND cats. Right?!
And while we're at it, if anyone has advice on keeping a kitten out of a Christmas tree, I'm worried. She may be banished to the garage for the month of December.
Pictured below is our kitten wearing our porch goose clothes and what we hope to prevent!
📍Lucas Furniture & Flooring | Roseau, MN
