We had a large leather sectional before we had cats. The first cat we adopted clawed his way along the bottom of it the first night he was with us and made a lot of little holes before we could stop him We bought several different scratchers which helped a lot. Over the years, we adopted more cats and had no trouble with them scratching the leather on purpose, but we found that as they jumped up onto the back of the sectional to look out the window, their back feet left small scratches and holes on the seat. We also noticed that if someone slid off the sofa or backtracked quickly because they jumped up onto another cat, they left large scratches on the seat.

We bought two new sofas to replace the sectional three years ago, and although most salespeople recommended microfiber or leather for homes with cats, we went with a very textured cloth. Ten cats and no damage so far, although once in awhile I have to say "Hey!" in a stern voice to stop our newest (a kitten) from scratching at the back of it. I then take her to a scratcher and show her what it's for We have various types of scratchers in every room and keep them scented/filled with catnip. I think the smartest thing we did was to buy extra matching fabric and have some throws made. They are long enough to drape over the back and tuck under the cushions in the front. When we have company, I take them off, but they go right back on again after they leave. I toss them in the dryer once a week to remove any cat hair. They have saved the sofa several times when one of the cats hacks up a hairball (or worse) because they stop most of the moisture from going through to the cushions and they're washable.

When we bought the furniture, we also bought an Oriental rug. When we first got it, I tried using sticky tape all the way around it, but we kept walking on it and pulling it off The tape was hair-covered within days anyway. Now I use Feliway spray on it about once a week, but if I forget, I occasionally find a little stack of pulled threads. I just trim them even with the rest of the carpet if they aren't pulled all the way out. Three years, and the carpet looks fine. Yeah, I know, it should last 30 years or more, right?