has anyone successfully stopped cats from scratching a sofa?

[TheTurnOfTheScrew]

we have a couple of newish fabric sofas, which we bought on our previous cat's watch (RIP Previous Cat). Our last cat was one of those rare and amazing beasts who actually used a scratching post.

The latest incumbents have only been here 5 months, but have already gone to town on the sofas. They are looking pretty shabby, and I'd like to stop the scratching before the cats carve all the way through the fabric to the frame. Has anyone had any success with stick-on or spray n products? The scratching mostly occurs when we're out, so we have limited opportunity to redirect them.

So what your cats have learned is that they shouldn't scratch the sofas while you are watching

You can set up diversionary activities such as scratching posts, try to redirect with things like Feliway Scratch, deterrents such as tin foil stuck on but your issue is enforcing it.

Don't know if this will work for your sofa but we have had a lot of success on banning cats from worktops with Cat Ssscat spray, as it activates a puff of air when the cat goes in the banned area.

Our cute monsters had successfully learned not to go on the worktops but thought this only applied when we were around - trail of muddy footprints gave the game away. Cat ssscat solved problem v quickly.

My cats shredded my fabric ikea one. Replaced it with a leather sofa and they've not touched it!

we had a scratchy cat before, many moons ago, and subsequently bought a sofa in a super-thick, almost corduroy like material when we had her. Naively, we'd got used to Previous Cat not scratching when we chose these sofas a couple of years ago.

I'm not sure the ssscat spray will work, due to the position of the sofas near the doorway they need to use. But I'll definitely look at the Feliway Scratch.

Can you drape a throw over them ? Not ideal but it’s the only thing that has stopped mine.

We put some of the scratching boxes (milo and misty ones from Amazon) with catnip next to the sofas and amazingly cat likes them and doesn't scratch the sofa much now. She just ignored the scratching post.

Mine shreds my leather sofa and chair He loves it! Any exposed portion is fair game.

Diversionary tactics failed, the massive scratching tower was ignored save for being a watch tower. I shut him in the kitchen when I go out and overnight, it's the only way. He has all his home comforts in there and a cat flap to come and go as he pleases. He's only allowed in the living room when I'm in there to supervise!

Weirdly he's very well behaved throughout the rest of the house. Unfortunately it all leads off the living room (no hallway) so he can't explore when I'm not around.

I have a temporary fix of parcel tape over the most enticing portions of sofa. Obviously it's not a great look, but it is proving reasonably effective, so I think I might need to invest in a durable, clear alternative.

You can get double sided sticky strips that they don't like.

I'm precious about my settees and lock cat out of living room overnight or when I go out. She also tries to jump up and balance on telly which cost a fair amount of coin so that's that.

But yes there are things you can clag on that they don't like the feel of.

I didn’t succeed in stopping my cat scratching my leather sofa. Tried everything Sigh. I like to think, naively, it’s because she was a rescue and if I’d had the rearing of her things would have been different!

There is one leather chair of that suite left and essentially it’s the cat’s until she dies (which hopefully is is a long long long way off). She’s worth it.

I had an estate agent round once to value my flat as a furnished let and as the chap was leaving, I asked, “But what about the chair?” It turned out the agent had thought the leather was ‘fashionably distressed’