Kitty Damage Times Ten

What can I say. Cats love to use furniture as scratching posts. We've been good - we've purchased kitty scratch goodies for the doors, for the climbing structures, for the floor. They do use them but the favorite by far is the couch. Sooooooo tempting!  We finally gave up and purchased a neat new sofa. It is so comfy. And since the old set is retiring (instead of sitting under an all-concealing-cover) I decided to give the internet "cat destroyed couch" suggested fixes a shot. 

So, here is my start point. Yes look closely. It is pretty bad, right?

 

I have fabric reclaimed from the matching throw pillows to cut up use for my experiments.  Of course, now that I have purchased a great new couch - just two weeks from delivery - I realize I still have well loved kitties who like the idea of a fresh kill couch. Ah well.

So here is how it can be done.  I used a fabric glue that is both flexible and stretchable.  I cut the fabric attempting to match the designs (with varying degrees of success). I glue hemmed the fabric where it seemed appropriate like exposed corners and glued the piece in place with a ribbon of glue along the under edge.  Then I pinned the glued section in place to give it a little tension and support while drying. Then when dry, I went on to the next section.

This worked pretty well, but is not going to be an option on our next sofa since it is a light solid color and without forgiving - disguising patterns.Henry and cats, Otto and Vivika can't figure out why it is a big deal. After all, Henry gets to rip up his stuffed squeaky toys. He has done it tons of times and this is just one couch.  I'll try to explain again before the new sofa arrives.