We bought a Bradington Young leather recliner, a really nice and expensive chair, a year and a half ago. Six months later our son moved back in with us, bringing his cat. Our recliner now has several scratch marks. I try to tell myself that the scratches just add "character" to the chair, and in the scheme of things don't amount to much. And they don't, but it still irks me some every time I see them.

My cats scratched our leather couch. I was able to get them to stop the scratching. However, they do sometimes leave scratch marks from jumping on/off.

We are getting a new leather sectional and they will not be allowed on it. They also destroyed a fabric couch, so it's not just leather they scratch. I plan on camping out on the leather sectional with a spray bottle and some type of noise maker until they learn to stay off it.

Yes, mine scratched the sides and around the arms of my leather sofa. Used it just like a scratching post - while the real scratching post sat just a few feet away. They have also left countless marks jumping off the sofa, and since I have several kitties, when they get to tearing around the house chasing after each other, I always dread it when I know they've involved the sofa, or any other piece of leather furniture (chair, bench) in their play routine.

My experience with the spray bottle and noise makers is that those things may keep the kitties off your furniture, counters, etc. while you are there - but they are smart critters and very quickly learn that when mama's not home, anything goes. Don't mean to dishearten anyone - just sayin' that's been my reality.

My cats have not liked leather furniture in general--they don't claw it, they don't like to sit on it. The top of the back of my leather chair has a few scratch marks on it from when they use the chair as a stepping stone from the side table to the window. On the other hand, my comfy TV watching chair is in shreds--the front curves in a way that is attractive to every single cat that encounters it. Someday, I'll get it reupholstered.

It really depends on the cat, as you can see from the responses here. The trouble is, you don't know if you have a leather-loving cat until you have both the cat and the furniture in the same room. At that point, it's probably too late to return either one of them.

Before you replace the chair, I'd try out different kinds of scratching posts and pads until you find one that your cats like. Then get the new chair and work to make it unattractive to the cats. Cats don't like citrus, so spray some orange scented cleaner nearby. Or hang strips of aluminum foil down the front and back of the chair. Or anything else you can think of that your particular cats don't like.

i'm just going to assume that my three little guys are going to want to scratch it, so i'm going to buy the thickest, best leather i can. any recomendations?
i want two recliners one of these days.

I bought a product called Feliway (at least I think that's the name) for my son when one of his cats was scratching his sofa. Its a spray as I remember and I can't remember if it worked or not, but it might be worth a try.

We have 3 tall scratching posts plus one of the flat scratch pads and my cats still scratches the leather recliner. I had to buy a ugly cover for it, but it doesn't fit well so the cat still can scratch it. He uses it to sharpen his claws... so there's lots of damage to the chair. One of my worst purchases ever (the recliner, not the cat :-).

When we decided to buy leather furniture for our LR about 5 yrs ago. I went to a specialty leather shop in town, purchased the nicest thick/heavy buttery smooth leather. (Reminded me of the Coach bags of back in the day) Loved it. Was able to purchase exactly the size sofa and club chairs I wanted. Custom.

I also purchased two leather chairs for my office as well. Let's just say, that the furniture for the most part is pretty torn up, and in other places like my office chairs, have been completely shredded down to the stuffing in places. UGH

We tried squirt water bottles, aluminum foil, just about every remedy we heard about, to no avail. They did work while we were home, but I am thinking that my gang must have invited all of the cats in the county over each day to run wild on our furniture.

Not wanting to lay out the money at the moment to replace all of the custom leather, I am trying to convince myself that the marks on my once beautiful leather LR furniture just gives it "character" lol. The reality is that it really needs to be replaced. When I do, it will not be with leather, as the cats are not going anywhere:0). Have to say it was very naive to expect that they wouldn't scratch the leather. I thought because they hadn't scratched my tapestry sofa, they wouldn't do anything to the leather. Wrong.

One office chair has recently gone to the end of my drive for pickup on heavy trash day as I found a poang (sp) Ikea chair and ottoman at a local yard sale. $10 and was brand-spanking new. No one ever sat in the chair. The cats don't bother with scratching the Ikea chair, rather they prefer the pull the leather gives their claws!

My DM, bless her heart, held her tongue when DH & I very excitedly announced our very expensive splurge for our LR. Now, I hear, "I knew that was never a good idea". How I wish she would have tried to dissuade me back when I was thinking about leather.

Oh, yes, we have 4 cats, 3 indoor/outdoor and 1 indoor only. They have every toy known to God and Man and also 4 scratching posts strategically placed to distract them from the leather? The indoor cat is a Maine Coon and his claws are like talons so you can imagine how nice that looks.

I don't think there is anymore leather in our future.

Now, the three dogs never made a mark that couldn't be buffed out? Go figure.

So, no I would not recommend leather furniture unless your cats no longer have their claws.

What might help: scratching posts or scratchable material fastened to the wall - so that they are solid and don't move or fall over, also tall enough for the cat to stretch out to full length. Also: a rigorous, regular claw-trimming routine. Cutting claws down to short & stubby really helps (but of course not too short, DONT cut into the vein!!!) Best to start as a young kitten, but older cats can learn - make handling their paws and claws part of petting and cuddling, get them used to it before attempting to clip.

Otherwise, I gave up years ago trying to keep cats off furniture. They win! My strategy is I just have everything upholstered or covered in a smooth untextured cotton that does not attract or stimulate the urge to claw. Have some rattan furniture with cushions that can be easily recovered.

**SIGH** I thought so. No leather chairs for me. I'm in some despair at the moment because I realize my two cats (gotta love 'em!) have just about shredded my two less-than-three-year-old upholstered chairs. Really, there is little in the house that they haven't left their mark on. I've tried to keep them off the chairs but like one of you mentioned they clearly make a bee-line for them the minute I leave the house. I love my cats but can't afford new furniture every few years! Here are the precious little buggers, looking innocent as usual:
{{!gwi}}

Your precious little buggers are very beautiful. I do sympathize - our precious one attacked the microsuede sofa & chair when we first got it. I used nail clippers to remove all the pulled threads, and now we cover it when we leave (spray bottle & all that other stuff only works when we're here). After reading up on declawing, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

I have one cat who loves to "stretch" and scratch as she does, on the corners of the sofa. So I put a tall scratching post by each corner and now she uses them to stretch and scratch on. They are about 3' tall, solid wood base and top with heavy duty sisal on the body which is about 6" square.

Does anyone trim their cats claws? My cat scratches the furniture and carpet if I don't keep his nails trimmed. When they are trimmed he'll leave the furniture and carpet alone and use his scratching pads. The nails don't need to be kept super short, just the tips taken off.

Not sure if most cats are like this or if mine's just an oddball, but it makes life much easier to just trim his nails slightly once a week or so.

I trim my kitties nails too. For me, moving the furniture helped my kitty to find a new place to rest. She liked to sit on this one particular chair to get a good view out the window. I moved the chair and now she has found a new and more acceptable place to be. Of course she has already snagged the dickens out of the chair. Yes nail clippers help.

I posted about this awhile back. I saw a leather club chair at TJMaxx for $75, but we have two cats. MIL's cats scratch her leather couch.

I passed on it, but, honestly, for $75 I should've just bought the darn chair.

I can trim their claws, but I have to get them as I can, and when the cats are kind of mellowed out. We have scratching posts, which they use, but we do find them scratching at the furniture.