Cat proofing leather couch?

PCros

Hi guys I'm first time poster here because we have a new little 5 month old kitten, shes great fun and friendly but unfortunately at night she is scratching the couch, not too bad but it will add up and the place is rented.:eek:

I will use the watergun technique during the day when we are there but at night I want to throw over something to prevent further scratches, I was thinking a twill or tarpolen sheet?

Let me know if anyone had similar ideas.
Thanks

tk123

Have you tried putting a scratching post in the room? The number 1 deterrent in our house for keeping the cat away from something is the hoover

Chiaki

lol cats hate hoovers, they have spray stuff in petshops to keep cats off furniture, give her a door mat to rake her claws on. she will probably still try the couch, but not as much if she has something else to claw at. Cats love twill so thats probably not the best idea, not sure about tarpolen they hate tinfoil though but unless you want to dress your couch as a left over maybe try keeping her in another room at night?

PCros

Just got her a scratching post. Put it down and she used it straight away!
Hope she keeps using it!

About moving her into another room, I read that its not good to be moving the cat into another room a night as it likes to settle and sleep in one spot?

Jack B. Badd

We put a throw over our couch and it has pretty much stopped our cat from scratching at it. She also has a number of scratching posts about the apartment so she's not stuck for choice. She will occasionally crawl under the throw to scratch at the couch but a firm "No" tends to put her straight.

The Sweeper

Encourage her big style with the scratching post, and putting it beside the couch is an excellent spot. Cats scratch to mark territory, among other things, and the couch, as a central gathering point, is prime territory. Hence the claws go into the couch - a lot.

A post beside the couch is therefore far more effective than one off in another room - and a cat post that has a high resting spot is best because if kitty can curl up and look down on you all on your couch, that cat scratching tree will be a major hit.

I'm currently making a mammoth cat tree in my garage because my lot shredded their 4ft model, including breaking the top perch off it, so I'm concentrating on building a five foot model before the 4ft one gives up the ghost. My cats occasionally put their claws to other things in the house, almost experimentally, but they get a 'no' shout when they do it and the sisal-wrapped posts on the cat tree are the single most popular target as a result.

roweeeeena

Mine has completely ruined a chair, but after months of shouting no when he scratched it and running him off it he's stopped, a few months too late though! He has a vertical and horizontal scratching pad but refuses to ever use either one. He may stop if you're consistent, but if he's using the new post that's a good sign. Now that he's allowed outside he uses a tree in the front garden, still tests my reaction to the chair from time to time though!

About moving her, if you had to I think once the cat has a comfy place to sleep in they won't mind (and their idea of comfy might be different than you'd expect!), mine has his own bed in the kitchen but he has several other sleeping places that he likes to rotate in from time to time. He definitely doesn't have a settled place, once there's a quiet place somewhere they can always get to where they won't be annoyed!

Saruman

Surprisingly, my cats almost never scrath the leather couch but used to scratch the previous one all the time.

Do not leave the cat in the living room if you are worried about it. Unless of course its an open plan and you have no choice.