Almost every cat owner has dealt with their feline friends scratching up their furniture. A fellow cat owner revealed which type of fabric to buy your furniture to prevent your feline from ruining it.
The video featured TikTok user @itsgottobekd, who has had cats her entire life. She wanted to share a piece of information she learned with her 61,000 followers. She unveiled her sky blue couch made out of microfiber with a “towel-like” texture. When she revealed the entire couch, there were claw marks torn into it.
However, the content creator purchased a pastel pink chair and her cats haven’t touched it. Why? “This is velvet. Cats do not like to scratch this at all, but they do like to sleep on it,” she said. After doing some research, @itsgottobekd discovered that cats don’t like velvet texture. “So, if you’re trying to buy furniture that you don’t want turned into a scratching post, velvet or like that smooth microfiber is really good because cats hate scratching it apparently,” she advised.
According to Catster, cats hate velvet because it “has a very small and tight weave, which means your cat won’t scratch it simply because they won’t enjoy it. But all cats are different; while most cats don’t enjoy clawing velvet, yours might.”
@itsgottobekd Cats dont like anything that their claws dont snag on. Save yourself some money & don’t make my same mistakes! #catsoftiktok #velvet #texture #microfibre #advice ♬ original sound – Itsgottobekd
The Daily Dot reached out to @itsgottobekd via TikTok comment and direct message. The video amassed 3.1 million views and some viewers confirmed this in the comments.
“Can confirm my cat doesn’t scratch my velvet couch,” one viewer stated.
“Finally got a velvet couch after having larger weave fabric couches! The cats tend to leave it alone other [than] stretching on it!” a second agreed.
However, other viewers begged to differ.
“my cat scratches my $1500 velvet couch CONSTANTLY,” one user wrote.
“Did a cat put you up to this? Ours LOVE shredding our velvet couch,” a second commented.
“Can someone tell my cats that they’re supposed to hate scratching velvet,” a third echoed.
So, how do you stop your cat from tearing up your furniture? According to University Animal Clinic, “Having scratching posts available: Get sturdy scratching posts and position them to protect your furniture. A post will keep your kitty occupied and let them satisfy their scratching urges. Using positive reinforcement: Encourage your cats to use designated scratch zones with treats and affirmation.”
Update 1:40pm CT, Dec. 5: @itsgotto told the Daily Dot after noticing her cat refusing to scratch her velvet office chair, she bought two more velvet chairs. However, her cats didn’t seem interested in scratching them.
“I just did a quick google search and from what I’ve read they don’t seem to enjoy low pile fabrics,” she shared via TikTok direct message. “If they have no other options they will still scratch it if they’re inclined to do so, but if you buy velvet or low pile fabrics along with things they enjoy scratching like posts then it should keep them away from your furniture. That’s not to say all cats are the same, but it’s a good general rule.”