How to Pet-Proof Your Furniture and Keep It Looking Fabulous

*This is a collaborative post.

Pets are the best, aren’t they? They bring endless love, entertainment, and the occasional “What on earth have you done?” moment. In a way, they’re like kids, and they bring so much to a home. Sometimes, it is a little too much to the point where the home is smelly and dirty, and you might even need to put some carpet freshener down.

But as much as we adore them, they’re also experts at turning furniture into their personal playground; well, anything and everything becomes a playground for them. Cats think sofas are scratching posts; dogs believe cushions are fair game for chewing; birds see chair legs as their latest perch to destroy, and rodents… well, they’re basically professional nibblers.

Alright, so keeping your furniture looking fabulous while living with pets might seem impossible, but for the most part, it’s not. Sure, by all means, it can be tough, but yes, it is 100% tough. But again, it’s possible. But where do you even start? How can you do it? Well, here’s exactly what you need to know!

Pick Pet-Proof Fabrics

Okay, for starters, not all furniture is cut out for life with pets. If you’re still clutching onto that delicate velvet armchair or silk throw pillow, it’s time to rethink your strategy (it doesn’t matter how beautiful it is). Those might look gorgeous in the showroom, but in a house with pets, they’re just asking for trouble. Like it or not, you have to choose materials that laugh in the face of claws and teeth.

Most people choose microfibre since it can handle sharp claws fairly well. But if it’s already too late for that, then you might want to just go ahead and look into sofa repair and maybe see if you can either get the whole fabric changed or maybe try and get it all patched up. Sometimes, this little reset button is enough.

Give Them Their Own Territory

If your furniture is under constant attack, it’s probably because your pet thinks it’s their territory. No, really, that’s how it works; if they’ve marked their territory, in their mind, it’s theirs. So that’s why you need to give them territory. Here’s a great example: cats, for instance, love scratching,  basically, it’s their way of saying, “I own this.” A good scratching post or cat tree near the sofa can make all the difference.

Dogs, on the other hand, chew to relieve boredom or teething pain, so ideally, giving them toys and a bed can distract them from boredom. Basically, it’s all about making sure your pets have their own spaces to destroy so they leave yours alone.

Use Tricks to Keep Them Off

When all else fails, it’s time to get sneaky. In a way, you’re fighting fire with fire. So, cats and dogs are not fans of certain textures or smells, which makes double-sided tape or pet-safe sprays your best friend. This is actually what a lot of pet owners tend to resort to, that, and supervising their pets as well. But every pet is different, so just try and see what works best for your pet.