With cats, its all about opportunity and attraction. A tight weave - eg smooth chintz upholstery fabric that would be hard to get a claw into - is best choice. Sheets - microfiber or high thread count. Another part of the equation is you have to provide them with a suitable place where they CAN scratch. You cant just say "dont do this," you have to provide them with an alternative. Rough textures attract them - so you need to have the only rough textured things in your house be things you WANT them to claw. I have two big ugly weathered gray sawhorses in my house and the cats have them torn to shreds. I was using them as sawhorses when doing some work and the cats took right to them, so rather then mess with success I just kept them in the house. They are tall enough so they (the cats) can stretch out full length and they dont wobble - which is important for a scratching surface. Also train kitties to accept nail trims, starting at a young age. They are not "sharpening" claws so much as they are wearing off the excess claw (they grow like fingernails) so if you keep the nails trimmed there wont be such a need to do as much clawing.... though they still like to do it for esthetic reasons (its like graffitti for other cats to see and admire LOL). They can be trained over a period of time by first starting out with touching the paws, then workng up to a foot massage ... at some point they will realize that they LIKE it.... from there you can sneak in the clippers and start trimming.

I've had so many cats over the years I've lost count. All have been indoor/outdoor but live "in" in the winter. We have found leather furniture to be best for upkeep with animals in general be they cats, dogs, birds or children... Never really had an issue with furniture clawing. Years ago I found my oldest cat had developed a 'love' for an old wooden box, 24X18X18(antique ammunition box I kept magazines in) This became the scratching post. If this wasn't handy sometimes she would use the decorative logs in the fireplace. So I've kept it handy. If the cats scratch they go there. Original kitties passed away, current two have not developed the scratch thing yet. Cats scratch to mark their territory. Scent in their paws. I've hissed at cats all my life, everyone in my family does. Keeps em honest...

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.

Hi I have thePB Comfort sectional in Sunbrella Chenille Fog stains you can wipe them right out absolutley no piling Ive had this sofa for 2 years so far. I am curious of how the sunbrella salt holds up with stains . I love this material so much now that I need a second sofa i want to stay in the sunbrella chenille family.