Will trimmed cat nails still damage leather furmiture?

on Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:06:47 GMT, "cybercat" wrote:

I had not thought of this. I would just live with the little holes
or get another kind of furniture.

I guarantee they are not holes, or not many of them are. They are surface
scratches only, and it's a simple matter when buying new leather to scratch
gently with your finger nail to see if animal nails are going to leave
marks... Mine are covered with marks. Big whoop. I call them
"character."

It's only a couch, for God's sake. Ugh.

No kidding. Any person who puts a freakin couch ahead of an animal is a
heartless, materialistic a-hole.

--
Lynne

on Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:00:11 GMT, "Buddy's Mom" wrote:

My dining room table
received a long set of scratches the entire length on the day after
delivery. Even though the dear kitty wasn't allowed on tables.
Uggggggg............ You gotta love em......

I have very little furniture that I consider "nice." My leather couches
and walnut wood tables in the living room have a lot of, ahem, character
from the cats. But my gorgeous solid cherry dining room table (the only
other nice piece I have) has HUGE scratches on it from, are you ready? a
dog. I brought my Ziggy (RIP) home from the hospital years ago because I
couldn't stand him being there anymore. I administered his subQ fluids and
other injections at home. For the fluids, I hung the bag over a pendant
light in the dining room and put him up on said table. Everytime I notice
those marks I think of my long gone, very loved dog.

It's just more character. If I really cared I'd get the top refinished...
I'd give away every piece of furniture I own to have him back. Pets and
furniture simply don't compare!


--
Lynne

"Lynne" wrote in message
. 97.142...
on Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:00:11 GMT, "Buddy's Mom"
wrote:

My dining room table
received a long set of scratches the entire length on the day after
delivery. Even though the dear kitty wasn't allowed on tables.
Uggggggg............ You gotta love em......

I have very little furniture that I consider "nice." My leather
couches
and walnut wood tables in the living room have a lot of, ahem,
character
from the cats. But my gorgeous solid cherry dining room table (the
only
other nice piece I have) has HUGE scratches on it from, are you
ready? a
dog. I brought my Ziggy (RIP) home from the hospital years ago
because I
couldn't stand him being there anymore. I administered his subQ
fluids and
other injections at home. For the fluids, I hung the bag over a
pendant
light in the dining room and put him up on said table. Everytime I
notice
those marks I think of my long gone, very loved dog.

It's just more character. If I really cared I'd get the top
refinished...
I'd give away every piece of furniture I own to have him back. Pets
and
furniture simply don't compare!


--
Lynne

I had a spayed Lilac Siamese who, at age 5,
decided to start marking furniture and books,
probably in response to a neighborhood stray
who was marking the patio door outside. By the
time we noticed, we had effectively lost a number
of books (some collectible), furniture that
eventually had to be tossed (one piece that my
husband had brought back from his USAF remote
tour in Korea), and upholstery had to be replaced.

She never really stopped doing it, but the other
two cats never picked up the nasty habit. She died
at age 16 in my arms of CRF.

Currently I have a 6 year old spayed Tonkinese
who is replicating my Siamese's habit! (She looks
like a Lilac Siamese - coincidence?) Fortunately
the other five cats haven't picked up on it, as far
as I can tell. And I'm spending a lot of time and
money with Mr. Feliway and Ms. Nature's Miracle.

I agree with Lynne. Pets first, furniture a distant
second.

Gail F.
Minya, Lao Ma, Ephiny, Melosa, Marcus, Gabby

I tested the leather in the store as you say.

It was a poor predictor of how the leather fared.


Lynne wrote in
. 97.142:

and it's a simple matter when buying new leather to scratch
gently with your finger nail to see if animal nails are going to leave
marks...



--
Looking for a clue.

eDog wrote:

I'm opposed to declawing except as a last resort, but I am married to
someone with a different outlook.

This new sofa is going to cause grief.

I'm really sorry to hear that. You sound like a reasonable person -- at
least trying to find an answer. Living with someone who is so attached
to furniture would definitely be a stresser.

Say you give in and declaw the cats, and the cats pick up some of the
nasty habits that declawed cats do (many become biters because they've
lost one of their natural defenses.) What would become of the cats if
you solve the scratched sofa problem, but they now turn into little
demons? Would they have to go because of that reason?

Living on the edge like that would make me rethink the relationship.

I'm willing to clip their nails every other day if I have to (in the space
of three days the little feisty one is already flashing around a couple of
brand new razor blades).

I'm also willing to try Soft Paws, but if the stuff doesn't work I am going
to need to both replace the sofa and declaw the cats.

I hope one of those methods work. Sounds like from what others have said
here -- it's the back claws that are the problem anyway, so declawing
may not make any difference.

I have SoftPaws on order but my intuition is telling me that they may
actually be worse for the leather sofa than frequently trimmed nails.

I hope that is wrong.

At any rate, how about getting a different sofa so that everyone in your
household is happy? You can probably advertise it and get a good price,
try Craigslist and other websites. I'll bet you can get a decent, new
sofa from the proceeds of an "almost-new" leather sofa.

You don't want to lose or deform the cats because of the furniture and I
suspect you want to stay with your partner, so maybe both of you need to
compromise.

Good luck to all of you,

Rhonda

eDog wrote:
I have three cats and although I trimmed their nails in advance of
receiving a new leather sofa, I missed a few nails particlularly on the
young feisty one who struggles quite a bit when he is restrained.

After two days of owning the sofa a few scratches showed up and I think I
even saw one set of them being made. None of the scratching is intentional
but at the rate that the unintentional scratches are being made the sofa
and my marriage will be on the skids in record time.

I ordered Soft Paws, but have to tell you up front that I am skeptical
about the product. Most of the rave reviews seem to come from people who
just applied them.

I am even afraid that the SoftPaws will cause more damage than trimmed
nails.

So, has anybody out here had success with cats and leather furniture?

Another experience may be helpful: we lost our home and five kitties
in a forest fire several years ago that occurred while we were on
vacation. It was horrible! Believe me I haven't been going around
saying how much I miss my couch!

We now have three kitties, one leather couch, one leather chair. I
keep their nails trimmed, and we placed a board covered with carpet at
the end of the couch. They love to scratch on the board. I did put a
fleece throw over the arms of the couch, but we use them in the winter
anyway. Most of the inadvertant scratches are probably from *my*
nails, and my husband has yet to suggest I be declawed. ;0 Most of
the scratches rub out of the kind of leather we have anyway. They
completely ignore the chair.

Trimming well and providing other outlets should take care of the
issue. To clip a wiggler, I often wrap in a towel, like a burrito,
with only the limb in question sticking out.

As for declawing, it can cause behavioral problems others have
outlined. Some come through it okay, some take to biting, some hate
digging in litter so don't cover (probably it's painful), and some stop
using the box. There's no guarantees.

Softpaws have worked for some, but I've never bothered, as my kitties
are family, and worth far more than any possession that I have. I
believed that before the fire, but it was certainly reinforced with the
pain of the loss.

Do the best you can- KD

I would imagine you'll have as much success as having to, well lets say,
haul cinder blocks in the back of your Cadillac STS.

"eDog" wrote in message
. ..
I have three cats and although I trimmed their nails in advance of
receiving a new leather sofa, I missed a few nails particlularly on the
young feisty one who struggles quite a bit when he is restrained.

After two days of owning the sofa a few scratches showed up and I think I
even saw one set of them being made. None of the scratching is intentional
but at the rate that the unintentional scratches are being made the sofa
and my marriage will be on the skids in record time.

I ordered Soft Paws, but have to tell you up front that I am skeptical
about the product. Most of the rave reviews seem to come from people who
just applied them.

I am even afraid that the SoftPaws will cause more damage than trimmed
nails.

So, has anybody out here had success with cats and leather furniture?

On Thu 18 Jan 2007 12:54:32p, eDog wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav
:

So, has anybody out here had success with cats and leather
furniture?

I've had a leather sectional for about 4 years, and I've found some
puncture wounds in it, but it's from my cats jumping on it, not
trying to scratch it like a scratching post, just as you describe. On
the spot (in the corner; it's a sectional, so the corner must be a
fun spot to play hide-n-seek) I just put a throw over the back of it
in that corner, and they pull it down sometimes, but I just put it
back when it see it down. I'm not too worried about it. Over these
years, the marks aren't really noticable.

--
Cheryl

"Cheryl" wrote

Over these
years, the marks aren't really noticable.

--

Besides, truly fine, elegant pieces are just well-seasoned
by wear.

It's a nouveau riche, tacky attitude that dictates every fine thing
must remain untouched. Objects are there to make our lives better,
not harder.

[KD )]
[18 Jan 2007 16:08:03 -0800]

To clip a wiggler, I often wrap in a towel, like a burrito,

Where do you find edible towels?

--
Bryan, Stacy, Alyssandra & James...

....under the watchful eyes of Her Majesty, Trouble (grey American
Shorthair)