8 Tips to Cat Proof your Sofa

Feed me. Love me. Let me scratch your expensive fabric sofa. Sounds familiar? Well, you may just have a cat at home… and a fur-covered sofa that’s ripped to shreds by your beloved feline companion.

You may be resigned to being a slave to your cat, but your sofa doesn’t have to suffer the same fate. By choosing one with details and materials that are designed to survive and coexist with the most scratch-happy of felines, you can save your sofa from being taken over by your cat with these 8 tips from us:

1. Opt for smooth, tightly woven fabrics

Lesson one: Most cats gravitate towards unyielding fabrics with large or loose weaves because these materials snag easily (and hence, make perfect scratching posts). What you want is a sofa covered in a smooth and tightly woven fabric that your cat can’t sink its claws into, like the AquaClean Extreme collection, which features a physical barrier between the fabric loops and the top visible part of the fabric that prevents accidental snagging. The smooth surface also allows for the easy removal of fur and dander. 

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2. Cover your sofa base with a scratch resistant material

Cats love to hide underneath furniture. So sofas with undersides covered in the typical cambric, paper-like fabric is especially alluring to those little claws. As such, request for your sofa base to be covered in a more scratch resistant material. 

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3. Have short recessed legs or omit legs on your sofa altogether

Looking for another way to prevent your cat from carving a hole in the base of your sofa? We’ve got three words for you: short recessed legs. It’s simple – the narrower and lower the space, the harder it is for your cat to wriggle its way underneath. Alternatively, you can omit the legs altogether and go for a plush design that sits right on the floor. 

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4. Choose an upholstery your cat can camouflage in

Given that most cats are prone to shedding, it’s important to choose the right colour for your sofa. Not only will it help keep your sanity intact, it can hide the fact that your guests are lounging on a fur-covered seat. Consider choosing a shade that matches the fur of your cat. For instance, avoid buying a navy blue sofa if you own a white cat (duh). As for those living in multi-cat households, a grey tone is a good colour to work with as it hides fur and accidents very well.

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5. Choose a sofa with wide arms and backrest 

Once you’ve got the basics – fabric, frame and colour – sorted, it’s time to think about how you can make room for your cat without it taking over your seat on the sofa. Felines love hanging out at spots with good vantage points. For your sofa, you could go for wider arms or a backrest with a broader width so it can lord over you comfortably from an elevated height. Look out for flat surfaces rather than rounded ones on the armrests and back so that kitty can perch stably. If they don't feel stable, they will grab whatever surface those murderous mittens can get hold of.

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6. Protect your sofa with arm covers

Cats can’t resist testing the sharpness of their little claws on the corners of your sofa like the arms, which leads us to this tip: Protect the corners of your sofa with arm covers. These nifty addition will take the brunt of the claw attacks and they will be cheaper and easier to replace once your fur baby is satisfied that the corners are well and truly dead. You can have the arm covers custom made for a better fit.

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7. Avoid button tufted or piping features

These design features trigger the crazies and may inspire unwanted curiosity in your cat. To avoid triggering its predatory instincts which can compel it to start clawing at the upholstery, you need to consider putting these mid-century details to bed (but no, not on your headboard).

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8. Pick a sofa with removable seat and back cushion covers

A cat is for life and it's not always sunshine and rainbows. For the times when your kitty chooses to barf a hairball on your sofa instead of the floor or when they over-groom and leave blood stains on your upholstery, there's at least an option to remove the seat and back cushion covers so that you can launder the covers. Just remember to get the stains out as soon as you spot them, stains get stubborn the longer you leave them on your sofa upholstery.