With more and more people in recent years becoming pet owners, you might want to consider how to protect your furniture from pets. Pets destroying furniture can come as a large unexpected expense to replace or repair. The best way to stop this is by nipping unwanted behaviour in the bud before it develops into destruction.
I have both cats and dogs, they are all allowed on the sofas. This is something I have actively encouraged to help them bond with my family as well as each other. Also, if they feel that the furniture is theirs, they are less likely to cause damage to it.
I have often been asked how I stop my pets from ruining my furniture honestly, there is no magical answer. Some pets are easier to train than others but you need to start with the training and putting boundaries in place.
The early training stages like toilet training will always have accidents. You just have to manage it and call in the professional pet stain removal company where needed. Carpets and rugs can be cleaned as long as you are using anomia-free cleaning products. As time goes on, you may notice stains reoccurring as your pets aren’t always going to be the angels you want them to be, so it would be a good idea to speak to a Palm Beach Carpet Cleaner, for example, and see how they can help you keep on top of carpet maintenance so you aren’t looking for a replacement every few months.
So, if like me you allow your pets on the furniture hopefully, these ideas might help you in keeping your sofas and soft furnishings in better condition.
But if like me you allow your pets on the furniture hopefully, these ideas might help you in keeping your sofas and soft furnishings in better condition.
Protect Your Furniture From Pets
Make Rules For Your Pets
You need to lay down the ground rules.
Mischievous behaviour such as scratching and clawing can be deterred from day one.
I do find this easier with the dogs than the cats, but the principles are the same in both.
The tone of voice, like in all animal training is crucial in letting the pet know when they have done wrong.
If you catch them chewing the corner of the sofa, a stern ‘no’ or ‘leave it’ should make them stop in their tracks.
This is repetitive training and learned behaviour which can be stopped altogether when taught consistently.
Some cats like to push boundaries, and a harmless water spray bottle is sprayed at them, alongside that stern no I have found the best way with persistent offenders.
Keep Your Pets Stimulated
Keeping their minds and bodies occupied will stop them from being destructive and misbehaving.
Regular exercise and play should leave them tired and wanting their bed or crate.
Having their own space is crucial, and they should want to retreat there to have some quiet time rather than on your sofa.
An average size adult dog sleeps for 12 hours a day, and puppies and older dogs for longer.
A cat sleeps for anywhere between 16-20 hours a day, and kittens and senior cats for longer.
More exercise will mean they want to sleep more, as often it is this excess energy causing them to misbehave.
Having toys around the house will give them a focus if they do want to play, and your furniture will be the last thing on their minds.
Dogs like toys they can chew on, and cats like toys they can chase.
You can show your pet how to play with the toys you want them to play with, and praise them when they do it themselves.
A scratch post is a great investment if you have a cat. Indoor cats especially, as they scratch to keep their claws down and need a designated place to do this.
Take into account the size and weight of your cat when buying your scratch post. I have had to replace so many over the years where they bend due to the poor quality and the weight of my cats.
The bigger the cat, the bigger or heavier post it needs
The post needs to hold your cat’s weight and not tip over when they are using it. Buy a better post the first time and you won’t need to keep replacing them.
Protective Covers For Furniture
If you are welcoming a young pet into your family, it is wise to protect any furniture with covers.
This will give you some extra time to help with the training, when you are happy they have learnt the rules you can take the covers off.
Having throws or blankets on your sofas can be a nice cosy addition anyway.
They are also great for trapping pet fur and can be machine washed.
Washing your protective covers regularly will also eradicate pet odours in your home.
Hopefully, this will be helpful if you are getting a new pet, or if your current pet is still misbehaving.
You can pin this image to refer to this post again later 
Great ideas – throws are a great idea
We use throws and my two have their own sofa! it is their own FURniture
Great article, Claire! I have this crazy fascination on puppies and I always tend to bring one home whenever my friends’ dogs give birth to bundles of joy. The latest one I have is a Corgi and I named him Charlie Brown (I love Peanuts). This post is really helpful and I couldn’t agree more with what you said. Indeed, it’s always an excellent habit to puppy-proof our homes before bringing a cute fur baby home. Thank you for this amazing read!
Thanks so much for the tips – we have two bedlington terrier puppies – love jumping up on the sofa. Have bought a few throws to protect the fabric and stop them fom chewing. Really handy blog post – I will bookmark for future reference! xx
Thank you for your tips 🙂 I have 3 lovely but naughty cats, we have set boundaries from day one but they just ignore them.. Will need new settee and chairs very soon..LOL
I have 8 cats and a dog and although I have placed numerous scratching pads and given out lots of chew toys and antler sticks etc, they have ruined my house! My leather sofa is covered in claw marks, the wallpaper and carpet on the stairs is scratched and has holes in and I dread the day I eventually redecorate because I know it won’t be five minutes before they start scratching and clawing. However, I’d rather have a scruffy home and all of my pets because I love them to bits!
Thankfully our Westie doesn’t scratch too much and isn’t destructive, but he does like to get his dirty paws everywhere!! Leather couches wipe down easily, lucky for us!!
Great idea and a good article. Many of us love our pets but at the same time we want to protect our furniture.
we have 2 cats but thankfully they dont scratch the furniture and use their post or the garden
Thanks for sharing your tips!
Loved reading your article. We have two cats and got a puppy in December last year. Our sofa was bought last June and has been clawed by the cats despite using the spray bottle technique on them, and the dog has chewed the corner on the bottom of the sofa. The joys of having pets . . . wouldn’t be without them though!
I came to the conclusion a long time ago that with 9 cats, I am never going to have a show home. They’ve managed to claw carpet, the sofa and the wallpaper – even though there are plenty of scratching posts around.
Great tips here Claire.
Forming good habits from day one is a great idea.
Thank you for the information. I will be reviewing it soon and will let you know if we have any follow-up questions.
Awesome post. I also allow my dogs on the sofas, so having throws on the couch is a must.
When it comes to pets and furniture, consistency is key. If you welcome them anywhere, that’s great! It’s also fine if you prefer that your kitty stays off the credenza. However, once you’ve set the rules, it’s important not to confuse your pet by making exceptions from time to time. Being clear and consistent will set them (and you) up for success.
You’re not joking about cats, regardless of how many times I tell our Cosy to stop clicking she still marches in everyday and does the same thing, as she’s got older this has been accompanied by a bit of back chat, a little ‘meow’ that basically translates as ‘what you going to do about it?. I wish there was a magic way of stopping her but till that happens the clicking will go on.
Yeah ma also need to protect the furniture from pest
You write purly according to mu need
Thank you so much