Azle the cat.
Meet Azle.
Azle is our cat—and a darling little feline she is. She’s sleek, beautiful, and affectionate. She’s has the most endearing little squeak instead of a meow. She is also amazingly athletic and loves to jump from the floor to the back of our barstools (a full 52-inches vertical leap!) and perch there proudly as if to say, “Did you see that? I’m awesome, aren’t I?”
Yes, she’s awesome. And we love her. We must – otherwise we would have skinned her alive for what she did to our brand new sofa.
BAD Cat!
Perhaps as part of her flexibility training for that Olympic feline high jump event she hopes to enter one day, Azle enjoys nothing more than a long, deep backstretch. Unfortunately for us, this involved her digging her claws into our brand new American made sofa for an indulgent series of picks and scratches that left the sofa looking like road kill.
THIS is what our little darling, Azle, did to our new sofa
Scratching posts be-damned, nothing beat the loose woven fabric on this piece of furniture for getting the kinks out. So for months, we sat helplessly by while our darling cat destroyed the fabric on one end of the sofa.
Now what?
We weren’t going to buy a new sofa. That would be foolish and wasteful given that it is a quality piece of furniture in otherwise great condition. And we weren’t going to banish Azle from the house. Aside from her ability to jump really high, I’m pretty sure she lacks the proper survival instincts to become an outdoor cat. The poor thing can’t even muster decent meow. Besides, when she isn’t destroying furniture, she is a very beloved part of our family.
So the challenge was to find an upholstery material that Azle couldn’t (or at least wouldn’t) tear up.
Now, in a perfect Greenspiration Home world this would have been an American woven fabric, from organically harvested raw materials, by a company that is conscious about its carbon footprint. It would also be a soft to the touch, stain resistant and, most importantly, totally unappealing to cats. It also needed to be within our budget.
Did such a fabric exist? Uh…no.
Stain resistant and cat resistant, we LOVE this new fabric!
The Poly Purr-fect Solution
What does exist, though, is a 100% polyester microfiber fabric that looks and feels like suede, repels liquid, and best of all doesn’t appeal to cats in the least. A local eco-home décor shop recommended this product, and though I had to wait a ridiculously long time for my order to arrive, I couldn’t be more pleased with how the fabric performs.
Now, I know any product that begins with the four letters “p-o-l-y” are likely to draw frowns from the green purists. But, to me, a busy working mom with a messy family who loves their cats, this easy to clean microfiber fabric proved the ideal solution. After all, there’s nothing green or sustainable about replacing or reupholstering your sofa every six months.
I was also told (though I could not confirm on my own) that the product I ordered is made in Georgia. If I find out otherwise, trust me, I’ll let you know.
We like this material much better than the previous fabric. It’s softer, prettier, and liquids bead up on it like rain on a freshly waxed car. One quick wipe and whatever you spilled is gone.
The only one in the family that probably isn’t pleased is Azle. As predicted by the shop owner, she doesn’t “dig” the microfiber. She now limits her stretching and scratching routine to an old, primitive wooden bench where her scratch marks only add to the character.
Very well written, and great tips for cat owners who also love quality upholstery and like to be able to incorporate it into real life!
Very well written, and great tips for cat owners who also love quality upholstery and like to be able to incorporate it into real life!
+1
I found out by accident that this was true. I bought a microsuede recliner and loveseat set. She will jump on it, lay on it, lick it, and later is still looks brand new. I agree with you.
Also, you you can try slipping scratching posts under the corners of your couch. They may save you some money!
We’ve had a very expensive sectional sofa for 25 years. Six years ago we adopted 3 cats. Sadly one is declawed but the other two LOVE to scratch. This sofa was upholstered in a smooth cotton fabric -
probably some kind of polished cotton but it is NOT shiny. The cats love to lie on it because it has wonderful cushy pillows and is in front of the window. Miraculously after all these years it is still PURRFECT! The cats do not attempt to claw it or if they do they get nowhere – it is too SMOOTH. I think that is the key.
Other upholstered pieces here have been destroyed. Two had a nubby fabric and another a textured
leather-like fabric. They have been ripped to pieces.
I hope this helps. The sectional was and still is very elegant and the fabric is very pale in color – white,
grays and mauves in a flame-stitch type pattern. There is nothing “chintzy” about it, which is what comes to mind when I think of polished cotton, but I didn’t know how else to describe it. You can probably find a smooth cotton fabric in just about every style and color.
Good luck!
Yes–a very well written testimonial!
I’m an upholsterer. It’s always been a satisfying part of my work to restore (& improve) rather than throw it away. Reupholstering is Green!
I also have two cats with claws. They have that need to scratch so I’ve provided a couple scratching posts for them– which they love to use.
I cut the hooks off their nails with a nail clipper and that helps keep damage to other furniture to a minimum.
It makes sense that ultra suede with its smooth surface wouldn’t have much appeal for scratching. And another great quality of synthetic suede is it’s easily cleaned with soap & water.
Dear Debra,
I was encouraged upon reading your reply, because i need a response from a genuine upholsterer. I have two young cats, and am looking for a new sofa. The rep at the store told me that the polyester fabric samples I have are microfiber because all 100% poly is microfiber. I have my doubts.
Help please?
With thanks, ella
Hi Ella,
I know your question was directed at Debra, but I’m going to offer my two cents. There are all kinds of polyester fabrics — but when we speak of microfiber we are speaking of an imitation suede material that is unlike any type of woven. And that is key because it is the “loopy” part fabrics that most cats adore picking at. The imitation suede microfiber materials, however, don’t seem to give them the pleasure, perhaps because they aren’t able to hook their claws around the threads. FYI, my sofa still looks great. Wish I could say the same for my door jams!
)
Trish