5 Tips for Choosing Cat-Friendly Furniture

Cats and nice furniture don’t mix, right? This isn’t exactly true. Many cat owners have pieces of furniture that they try to protect from their cat’s claws. They might choose slipcovers to safeguard their furniture, but those really hide the beauty of the furniture piece. Cat owners might otherwise try to keep the cat off the “good” sofa, using deterrents such as citrus or banana, but we all know how that goes…trying to get a cat to not do something usually backfires. Although no furniture is 100% cat-friendly, due to potential destruction from cat claws, if you’ve had cats for any length of time, you’ve likely figured out that some pieces of furniture are actually more cat-friendly than others. Here are some tips for choosing cat-friendly furniture that will look great in your home and can safely co-exist with your cat.

Choose a Leather Sofa That Has the “worn-in” Look

Leather is one of the easiest materials to keep clean and free of pet hair and stains. Choosing a leather sofa that already has the “worn-in” look is even smarter. The Austin Sofa from the Campio Group is the perfect example of such a piece of furniture. Not only is it made of leather that already has a “used” look, it is comfortable as well. With its loose seat and back, feather- and fiber-filled back cushions, and pocket coil seating with a feather blend cushion topper, the Austin Sofa will easily blend in with your home’s décor, whether it’s modern and stylish or comfortable and cozy. Plus, it will be difficult for your cat to damage the leather on this beauty.

Select a Sturdy Coffee Table

Cats, especially younger ones, are known to get pretty rambunctious during playtime. That’s why it’s important to choose a sturdy coffee table that will stand up to rough play. This Algoma Coffee Table by Handstone is made from solid wood and is quite sturdy, as well as stylish-looking. It even includes a handy drawer, something lacking from most coffee tables, for storage. It is available in a variety of styles to fit your home’s décor and your needs. Its solid wood stand up to your cat’s claws better than most other coffee tables on the market.

Opt for Fabrics That Won’t Attract Cat Hair

As discussed above, leather is the best option for furniture that is cat-friendly. If leather is not a possible choice, there are other fabrics that are less attractive to cat hair. These include polyester, polyurethane, denim and silk (I wouldn’t recommend using silk, however, as a cat’s claws would probably damage silk furniture in a day). As a second choice to leather, fake leather or “pleather” is a good selection. This Kaitlin Sofa is made of faux leather, making it easy to clean and maintain. It is also more resistant to cat hair than other fabrics, and tougher for cat claws to penetrate.

Pick Cat-Friendly Flooring

You might not think of flooring as furniture, but it is as much a part of your home as your cat and the rest of your furniture, and should be cat-friendly. If possible, avoid using wall-to-wall carpet, as this is more prone to snags from cat claws, as well as showing vomit and other pet stains. Carpet also traps fur, dirt, and odors more than hard flooring. Select hard flooring that is durable when possible, such as solid wood. Laminated wood flooring, while cheaper, is not as durable as solid wood flooring. When in doubt, consult the Janka Hardness Scale for Wood Flooring to determine which type of wood flooring is best for your home and your cat. For example, using this scale, you can see that Brazilian Walnut is much harder than Eastern White Pine, and therefore should better stand up to wear and tear from your cat.

Choose Cat-Friendly Accents

Once you have chosen your furniture pieces that are cat-friendly, don’t forget the all-important accents! Items such as throws, pillows and blankets should be as cat-friendly as possible, yet still comfy enough to enjoy in your home. Surprisingly enough, these Brenner velvet pillows from Crate & Barrel are easy to maintain when you have a cat. Simply wipe them down with a damp microfiber cloth to remove cat hair.

Rugs are also important accents, especially if you have hard flooring throughout your home. Choosing indoor/outdoor fabric is smart as, not only is it tougher for cat claws to penetrate, but it is also much easier to clean than traditional throw rugs. This Indoor/Outdoor Rug by Dash & Albert is UV-treated so that it resists fading, and is also washable and reversible – two important qualities for cat owners!

Bonus: Keep Cat Furniture in Your Home

If you really want to have a cat-friendly home, make sure that you have cat furniture, such as a cat tree on which she can scratch. Cats have a natural instinct to scratch, and in the absence of something attractive (like the sisal rope found on cat trees), will naturally choose your furniture to sharpen their claws.