Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: Leather w/cat?

  1. #1
    bromeliad Guest

    Question Leather w/cat?

    Great resource! I'm so glad this forum exists.

    We have about $2K to spend on a sofa for our living room. After reading these forums, I think that leather would be ideal. I have a rambunctious little boy and a husband with allergies, so I think that a leather sofa would hold up and clean up well. However, we also have a cat who can scratch upholstery.

    What do those of you with experience recommend? Are there some types of leather that are better for cat-owners than others? Or shall I just give up the idea of buying a leather sofa?

    Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated--where to look (we live in the DC area), manufacturers, styles, lines, etc. We prefer more contemporary designs--clean lines, small proportions, neutral colors, nothing too "poufy."

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    15,890

    Default Re: Leather w/cat?

    Leather holds up very well to hard usage and is better for most with allergies than fabric, and your cat is the unknown in the equation. If your cat has its front claws and decides it wants to get after the leather sofa, it can destroy it overnight. I've seen it happen. Some cats never bother the leather pieces, but once in awhile you get one that decides to get after it - then its a disaster no matter what kind of leather is on it. You have to decide based on your cat's personality.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  3. #3
    bromeliad Guest

    Default Re: Leather w/cat?

    Alas, that was not the response I wanted. Our cat does have his front claws, and we do not want to declaw him.

    When you do have customers like me, with a cat who might destroy leather, what do you recommend?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    15,890

    Default Re: Leather w/cat?

    Exactly what I mentioned. You are the best person to determine if your cat would shred leather. I'm told by most my customers that their cats don't bother their leather upholstery, but if you have the cat that does....then you can wake up to a real problem one morning.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  5. #5
    bromeliad Guest

    Default Re: Leather w/cat?

    Thanks for your honesty, Duane.

    I think I will post for advice in the upholstery section. I prefer a leather sofa, but am fearful of the worst.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    274

    Default Re: Leather w/cat?

    Our cats leave leather alone, and it's nice that they don't sharpen their claws on it and that their hair isn't an issue; but they do inadvertently scratch some types of leather. They have their claws; I trim them weekly. I could see how they could destroy a piece of leather furniture if they decided it made for a good scratching post, but in my experience cats are much more likely to do that with fabric. There's a texture factor - cats like some types of fabric or material better than others, and I'm not sure how much consistency there is between cats.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •