What Is the Best Couch Material For Cats?

Keeping a cat around the house is one of the healthiest decisions you can make, a great way to manage emotional, social, and even physical wellbeing.

But if you're a long-time owner, you likely know those benefits come with a cost, and we don't mean the price of cat food.

It's an inescapable fact for most of us: cats like to scratch furniture, and it won't take long for a new sofa to fall victim to a cat's claws.

Fortunately, there are feline-friendly fabrics that can withstand the abuse. With this look at the best couch material for cats, you'll know exactly where to find the perfect fit and fashion for you and your furry friends.

What to Look for in a Cat Proof Couch

Every animal demands pet-friendly furniture, but the main concern with owning a cat is the damaging power of its claws. All it takes is one unlucky swipe to leave a permanent scratch in fabric, wood, and nearly any other material around the living room.

Depending on the kind of cat you own, you may deal with more maintenance than just claw damage.

If your cat is always shedding fur, you need to deal with regular vacuuming. And no matter what kind of cat you have, there's always the potential danger of bodily fluids like vomit and urine that can leave unsightly stains and lingering foul odors.

The point is, you may need to look for more than just a cat scratch-proof sofa. Note your cat's habits, and search for the best couch based on the kind of damage it may face.

What Is the Best Couch Material for Cats?

To summarize, the three main threats from cats are claws, fur, and fluids.

If you want to cover all your bases, you need to find material with the perfect combination of durability, water resistance, and clean-ability.

Materials to Avoid

In general, cloth options are not the best fabrics for cats. Woven materials can pick easily. Even tight, denim-like weaves can rarely hold up to razor-sharp claws, and as soon as they snag a loop, it's almost impossible to repair.

You should avoid cotton, linen, chenille, and any material that allows cats to sink in their claw.

For those rare cats that don't scratch, you may be able to get away with cloth, but you should still look for non-absorbent material to deal with the occasional accident.

Synthetic materials provide the best water and stain resistance. High-quality synthetic fabric options include:

• Polyester
• Acrylic
• Nylon
• Olefin

Look for performance fabrics if you want a cat-proof couch fabric but aren't concerned about claws.

When your cat does deal out damage from claws, there's one option that gives you a fighting chance against both cat accidents and scratches — a microfiber couch.

Microfiber: The Best Option for a Cat-Proof Couch

A microfiber sofa can come in various textures, colors, and styles. You can find some with a velvety or suede-like feel, while others can take on the look of distressed leather.

A microfiber couch will rarely have the same feel as the microfiber cloth that you use to wipe down your computer screen, but they're made the same way. Strands of fabric, typically a synthetic material like polyester, is tightly woven, so much so that you can't see the crisscrossing strands.

Scratch Resistance

Microfiber is a smooth fabric surface, which helps you avoid most, if not all, of the issues of cat ownership. Without loose fibers to sink their claws into, you'll experience less damage to your couch.

Stain Resistance

With a tightly woven synthetic fabric, you also reduce your sofa's absorbency. Fluids will stay on the surface longer, making them easier to clean before they sink into the material and leave stains.

If some vomit, urine, or feces does set in, there are simple DIY stain removal methods to get it looking and smelling like new.

Cleaning Ease

As to how they handle shedding, not all microfiber materials are made equal.

If you have a cat that gets rid of fur, you'll want a microfiber that has a more leather-like smoothness. A high pile or suede-like texture can make fur cling, but a smooth feel will make it vacuum or even wipe right off.

Is a Leather Couch a Good Option for Cats?

Leather is the strongest couch material and by far the easiest to clean and most stain-resistant. The essential drawback that makes it a runner-up to microfiber as the best couch material for cats with claws is that it is prone to unsightly scratches.

Cat scratches on leather couches are only cosmetic. It takes significant force to poke a hole in high-quality leather.

If you love your leather, you can usually get it looking like new with a little elbow grease and a leather repair kit you can find online.

If you do opt for leather and anticipate the occasional scratch, it's crucial to know the difference between genuine leather and faux leather fabrics. While these materials have the same smoothness as leather and are easy to clean, your cats will have an easier time removing the fabric from a faux leather couch once they get their claws into it.

Try Pet-Friendly Microfiber for Your Next Sofa

Learning to love cats is easy, but learning to live with them is a never-ending process. At Auberge Designs, we combined our passion for pets and quality furniture to offer the durable solutions cat owners have always needed.

If you need the best couch material for cats, our specially engineered fabric takes all of the natural benefits of microfiber and enhances them for even better performance against cat damage. The texture withstands scratches, reduces static, and keeps fur from clinging, giving you the long couch life and simple maintenance that make life with cats as easy as possible.

For more information on how our pet-friendly sofa materials can transform your living room, contact our team today!