February 2, 2006
I am having a difficult time figuring out what to do here.
We have this chair in our living room. It is a nice chair. It is comfy. It is blue. Our sweet little kitty has ruined it by scratching three of the four legs of it. We have never made it seem like it was ok for her to scratch the furniture. We still yell at her every time she does it, but for some reason she thinks it is ok to scratch away. Probably because for everytime we yell and make a loud noise to get her to stop, there are 20 other times we are not around to yell or make lots of noise and she has gotten away with it. Anyway, the chair looks like crap. The outer material is shredded in several spots and the stuffing and foam are showing and coming out with each additional scratch. Ethan has also tried on several occasions to assist the kitty in her efforts to ruin our chair by picking at the stuffing.
So, I don’t know what to do.
I typically do not like the look of slipcovers. Also, our chair appears to be a little wider than any of the slipcovers I have looked at. They are also pricey.
I really don’t want to make a slipcover, either. It could also be pricey and could turn out very ugly. It would also take a lot of time to put together and I think would be more frustrating that worth it with the finished product.
I don’t want to get it reupholstered, really. Again, pricey and most likely, it will be destroyed again. (NOTE: Kitty has a huge kitty condo to scratch at. We have tried to redirect her needs to scratch, but she still insists on the chair. The condo is just for sleeping in.)
Same with a new chair.
What to do??
Shane thinks I should buy some patches and patch the thing. I think this might look trashy. But, it already looks pretty trashy as it is.
Any ideas??
(Maybe we should just get rid of all the furniture and sit on the floor.)
Comments
shane:
anyone who suggests declawing gets a punch in the face.
February 2, 2006 10:51 PM
Jennie:
Our kitties were trained to not scratch as well. However, when the lights are out and all is quiet… They’ve ruined almost all of our furniture. There’s these things called “Softpaws” that you can buy on the internet, or you can get the off name brand at Petsmart over by Kohl’s. They’re basically acrylic nails for your cat. Can’t say how they work. My cats would eat my face if I tried to put them on, but it’s worth a shot.
February 3, 2006 2:10 PM
erika:
We have heard of these soft paws. I don’t think our kitty would go for them either. Someone would die.
February 3, 2006 3:03 PM
mom:
How about trashing the chair and omoving the rocker out of Ethan’s room?
February 3, 2006 11:32 PM
Tisra:
I sew, so I’d try to make a slipcover. Depending on the chair construction (I can’t seem to recall the chair’s details) would you be able to redo the upolstery yourself? Joann fabric has 40% coupons routinely and that would make the material less expensive. Just bring the cahir with you and we’ll tackle it together! ;-) Ha. Could you imagine?! I wish I lived around the corner; I like a good challenge. Seems a shame to trash a good chair. In fact, I wouldn’t…I’d save it until I had the money to redo it.
February 4, 2006 9:48 AM
erika:
I amnot going to trash it. I really like the chair. It is comfy and big and soft. I think I will have to make something for it. I am just not sure if it will be any time soon. I think that that is the only way I will be happy with it (rather than buying a slip cover). It is just so embarrassing to look at, with all the stuffing coming out. I am embarrassed about it and that is what it boils down to.
February 4, 2006 1:33 PM
Tisra:
If you’re embaressed by using it with the stuffing flowing out, what about draping a nice quilt or throw over the chair in a purposeful manner?
February 4, 2006 4:53 PM
erika:
I have kind of tried that, but the problem areas are all really low near the ground, so it doesn’t really work. Maybe with a different quilt. I should try it.
February 4, 2006 8:56 PM
David Klicka:
Well, I know you already threw the idea out, but Softpaws really work. My buddy chris uses them on his Russian Blue. I’m not sure of the cost, and i think they only need to be reapplied every month or so. a little glue, and you just slip them on.
February 6, 2006 5:28 PM
Andrew:
All you need is some blue markers, and it’ll be fixed in no time.
February 8, 2006 8:00 PM