Would a kitten/cat destroy my wood floors & leather couch?

We are not ready for a dog...but on the fence about a cat.

I love them, but not enough if they will ruin my wood floors & furniture.

Any input?

Re: Would a kitten/cat destroy my wood floors & leather couch?

Odds are a dog would mark up hardwood floors, cats may too. But you can be pretty sure a cat might destroy your furniture. Despite scratching posts, etc, my cats ruined my parents couches numerous times over the years. Every single couch they had, they destroyed.

If you are worried about that, honestly, I would pass on having a pet. My house has never looked the same since having my dogs and it is frustrating, and my dogs are good/not destructive btw. Just messy but things do get ruined. All my moldings are ruined just one year after having them done, from my dog simply jumping up at the window. And some animals always have accidents despite the best training and that alone can destroy a floor. You didn't ask about it but cat hair alone can make a house very messy and take a lot of work to keep up with.

Pets do destroy things so if you are not ready for those things, pass on getting a pet since you never know what kind of pet you will have and what kinds of things they may destroy. Just being honest, had pets almost my whole life (but didn't for a few years and my house was always spotless and never a thing destroyed until my dogs came along). And I only have 2 small dogs that don't even shed and don't tear things up, but they definitely provide alot of wear and tear on my home.

Message edited 5/27/2012 10:15:39 PM.

Re: Would a kitten/cat destroy my wood floors & leather couch?

None of my pets (2 cats and 1 dog) have damaged the floors in any way. My entire house has wood floors.

Our couches are upholstery and have been damaged by the cats scratching. They are also coated in hair and it's very difficult to remove. I've never had leather furniture so i don't know what that would be like - but actually i don't think it would be nearly as bad as upholstery furniture though. Hair doesn't really stick to leather, and i don't think cats would be as inclined to scratch leather (but i'm no expert).

good luck!

Re: Would a kitten/cat destroy my wood floors & leather couch?

You need to be honest with yourself and the reasons for wanting a pet. If your new furniture and new floors are that important to you, then I would pass on a pet. Neither of my cats are destructive. They both use their scratching posts. That said, I have leather couches that have little hole marks in it. All these marks are unintentional. The cats jump on them and a toenail goes in. They go crazy running around, and it accidentally gets scratched. There is hair. I Dyson three times a day. I clean their litter two times a day (litter is messy even with a mat under the litterbox). I got my cats because I knew in my heart I wanted them. I was never on the fence. IMO if you go in with that mentality, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. My cats complete us and the joy they give our family outweighs the puncture wounds in our couch. In your heart, if you dont feel the same, I would wait a while. Kinda like buying a new car and babying it until after you get that first ding/dent. Then the newness wears off, you're less obsessive and then really start to enjoy it

Re: Would a kitten/cat destroy my wood floors & leather couch?

Thank you for the replies & I like the new car analogy! Our new home has been like that since we moved in 4 years ago

I really do want a pet, BUT maybe it's in my BEST sanity to wait until my youngest is out of diapers.

I definitely don't want to neglect the pet in any way. I want it to be my fur-baby!

Re: Would a kitten/cat destroy my wood floors & leather couch?

Posted by NewlyMrs

Thank you for the replies & I like the new car analogy! Our new home has been like that since we moved in 4 years ago

I really do want a pet, BUT maybe it's in my BEST sanity to wait until my youngest is out of diapers.

I definitely don't want to neglect the pet in any way.


I want it to be my fur-baby!

Re: Would a kitten/cat destroy my wood floors & leather couch?

Posted by Domino

You need to be honest with yourself and the reasons for wanting a pet. If your new furniture and new floors are that important to you, then I would pass on a pet. Neither of my cats are destructive. They both use their scratching posts. That said, I have leather couches that have little hole marks in it. All these marks are unintentional. The cats jump on them and a toenail goes in. They go crazy running around, and it accidentally gets scratched. There is hair. I Dyson three times a day. I clean their litter two times a day (litter is messy even with a mat under the litterbox). I got my cats because I knew in my heart I wanted them. I was never on the fence. IMO if you go in with that mentality, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. My cats complete us and the joy they give our family outweighs the puncture wounds in our couch. In your heart, if you dont feel the same, I would wait a while. Kinda like buying a new car and babying it until after you get that first ding/dent. Then the newness wears off, you're less obsessive and then really start to enjoy it

Re: Would a kitten/cat destroy my wood floors & leather couch?

When we first got my cat I did a lot of research to see how to prevent him from scratching up our stuff. We ended up getting a cat condo for him with rope and taught him to use that, then we got a whole bunch of cardboard cat scratchers, wave, ramp, flat, door. It was trial and error with these but so far he's two and he has not scratched up our couch (we're getting a new one so please cross your fingers for us) and he has started on the bed but thats because he's stretching but we are trying to nip that in the bud. He does like to stretch and scratch our door frames though.

Like the PPs said if your furniture and floor is important I would pass on a cat. He does like to stretch and scratch our door frames though.

Good luck!!!

Re: Would a kitten/cat destroy my wood floors & leather couch?

Our cats have never destroyed our wood floors. However, yes, they do scratch at the furniture from time to time. I have to say, they are pretty good, and nothing is totally ripped or shredded on the couch, but there are tiny claw prints. They do claw at our wood doorways though.

If you're worried about the couch, I probably wouldn't get a cat.

Re: Would a kitten/cat destroy my wood floors & leather couch?

My first cat scratched the heck out of the wall to wall carpeting, putting holes in three different places. He would not use a scratching post, no matter what I tried. Keeping his claws trimmed didn't help much. A couple of the doors have marks on the bottom where he would use his paws to "pull" them open. Thankfully he didn't claw the furniture.

My cat now is declawed, her front paws only (got her this way). She still has her hind claws, and when she jumps on my leather couches, she does leave little marks. We keep a blanket on the back of the loveseat as that is her favorite place to climb up and hang out on.