Furniture: Upholstery vs. Leather for homes with pets

[Renn_aissance]

Had an interesting chat about the pros and cons of each and interested in additional opinions.

Which do you think is easier to maintain in a household with pets: leather or upholstered furniture?

For those of you with cats, is there any difference in scratching on one vs. the other?

Do you find it easier to vacuum the upholstery or wipe down the leather?

Both the dog and the cat love our (leather) sofa- the cat sleeps on the overstuffed back, and the dog sprawls out over two of the cushions. When we move into our new house, I think a sectional will be required to seat two people plus the dog and the cat and leave additional room for future dogs… It’s been pretty low-maintenance, although in the last week the cat has decided that his sisal scratching post and the back of the couch are pretty much the same thing. Because he’s a cat.

[DrBeckett]

I have a leather chair and an upholstered sofa, and as far as collecting hair, I find there is no difference except the leather is easier to clean. My cats rub up against the leather and leave marks/dirt on it and I have to clean it fairly frequently. My cats are declawed :eek: so they don’t scratch anything.

[Garythesquirrel]

I have leather because of my allergies and keep slipcovers/sheets over the furniture to protect it from kitty claws. Very easy to clean since all I have to do is toss the cover in the wash.

[Jarpur]

We have all leather-covered furniture in our living areas, no fabric surfaces. Have never had problems with kitty claws.

So easy to maintain the leather, just occasional vacuuming under the seat cushions, and wiping down the surfaces with a leather wipe; the leather doesn’t collect hair, IME. Wouldn’t have anything else.

[Gainer]

[QUOTE=Jarpur;8750176]
We have all leather-covered furniture in our living areas, no fabric surfaces. Have never had problems with kitty claws.

So easy to maintain the leather, just occasional vacuuming under the seat cushions, and wiping down the surfaces with a leather wipe; the leather doesn’t collect hair, IME. Wouldn’t have anything else.[/QUOTE]

Ditto!

[saddleup]

Leather!

[csaper58]

[QUOTE=Garythesquirrel;8749997]
I have leather because of my allergies and keep slipcovers/sheets over the furniture to protect it from kitty claws. Very easy to clean since all I have to do is toss the cover in the wash.[/QUOTE]

This! There are some pretty good vinyl/faux leathers for upholstery that don’t stain the way real leather does if you want a light color.

I wish they still used vinyl upholstery in cars.

[Magicboy]

Leather for big pieces and am trying a microfiber recliner that is turning but very well. I have to admit that. There are cat scratches on the leather but I guess I like the worn, distressed look anyway.

[xQHDQ]

We ended up having to replace all of our fabric covered furniture with leather because of the animals. The cat scratched up the arms. The dog destroyed the seats when she nested. Of course, now we put tin foil and chairs on all of the leather furniture just in case anyway.

[DogIsMyCopilot]

We used to have a leather chair, and my roommate’s cat did quite the number on it. He left the fabric couch alone.

[Simkie]

Man, I’d love to know the secret to keeping leather furniture unmolested around cats. Mine destroyed a little loveseat just by routinely running across it full tilt. Tossing a sheet or blanket over it just made it worse…the cover would slip slightly, the cats would dig in more with their claws.

[ciscolark]

First choice is microfiber. My cats who destroyed fabric do not touch it. It is easy to clean as it has scotchguard on it. I vacuum it very rarely. Second would be leather…it gets scratched but it can be wiped down. Cloth would be something I would avoid with pets that scratch.

[cnvh]

After having a car with leather seats, the backseat of which regularly contained two 70+lb dogs and looked no worse for the wear after 5 years, I thought leather house furniture would be the way to go. Oh, how wrong I was…

I have a leather loveseat in my house, not high-end leather but not a cheap couch either. In less than a year, the dogs (and to a lesser extent, the cats) have it ALL scratched up. And I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time until one of the dogs punctures/rips it somehow. I have a rubber-backed bathmat over the seatcushions, which helps, but when the dogs get really excited, the bathmat gets skewed and becomes a moot point.

In my old house, we had a microfiber sofa for 10+ years; it withstood both dogs and a very careless (now-ex)DH, and it held up great with minimal care.

When my leather loveseat gives up the ghost, I will definitely be returning to microfiber.

[Lexie55]

[QUOTE=DogIsMyCopilot;8750722]
We used to have a leather chair, and my roommate’s cat did quite the number on it. He left the fabric couch alone.[/QUOTE]

I have the exact opposite problem. Kitty loves upholstery, won’t touch leather.

[DesignerLabel]

There’s a huge difference in leather qualities. I had a leather couch for at least 15-20 years before I finally replaced it. It was getting worn, but not from the critters. I replaced it with another leather couch, not the high-end but not cheap either. I have a throw on it for added protection. After less than a year, it has scratch marks all over it from the cats. They don’t sharpen claws on it, but just from jumping and running across it. Check the quality of leather.

[glfprncs]

We just went through a new leather sofa purchase this past winter as the sofa portion of the sofa/chair/ottoman set I purchased in 1998 finally kicked the bucket.

Note: I don’t have cats, but I do have 2 50+ pound dogs (had 3 until January) that regularly reside on said sofa and a husband that tends to fall asleep on it and get night sweats (he’s the main reason the last sofa deteriorated).

The key, IMO, is the leather quality that you purchase. It was also recommended to me that I purchase a leather that was more ‘distressed’ so that any scuff marks made by the dogs wouldn’t be as obvious. We purchased a sofa made by Carolina Custom Leather and I couldn’t be happier with the purchase. It’s been 8 months and there’s not a single scratch, scuff, or stain on it.

I liked that super soft, buttery feeling leather, but knew it wouldn’t hold up as long as something more substantial. We also didn’t choose a sofa that was really “pouffy.” Our previous sofa had more pouf than the current, and it was suggested we get a sofa with cleaner lines with “tighter” leather across its body. Here’s a photo of what we got (in that same leather): http://www.ccleather.com/index.php/products/sofas/499-cambridge

I had some fabric pieces over the past 10 years, but they’re such hair magnets that I couldn’t stand sitting on them (and I generally don’t mind dog hair as it’s part of my life).

[chalice18]

We only have one dog, but leather is definitely preferable for us. We have one cloth upholstery chair, but it’s so much harder to clean, as it holds his hair and dirt, whereas you can wipe down the leather.

[Altermyne]

[QUOTE=glfprncs;8772208]
We just went through a new leather sofa purchase this past winter as the sofa portion of the sofa/chair/ottoman set I purchased in 1998 finally kicked the bucket.

Note: I don’t have cats, but I do have 2 50+ pound dogs (had 3 until January) that regularly reside on said sofa and a husband that tends to fall asleep on it and get night sweats (he’s the main reason the last sofa deteriorated).

The key, IMO, is the leather quality that you purchase. It was also recommended to me that I purchase a leather that was more ‘distressed’ so that any scuff marks made by the dogs wouldn’t be as obvious. We purchased a sofa made by Carolina Custom Leather and I couldn’t be happier with the purchase. It’s been 8 months and there’s not a single scratch, scuff, or stain on it.

I liked that super soft, buttery feeling leather, but knew it wouldn’t hold up as long as something more substantial. We also didn’t choose a sofa that was really “pouffy.” Our previous sofa had more pouf than the current. Here’s a photo of what we got (in that same leather): http://www.ccleather.com/index.php/products/sofas/499-cambridge

I had some fabric pieces over the past 10 years, but they’re such hair magnets that I couldn’t stand sitting on them (and I generally don’t mind dog hair as it’s part of my life).[/QUOTE]

I am debating about what to get as I type. I’m not crazy about the look of some leather pieces as they seem too…shabby? Perhaps not formal enough. Anyway, I LOVE yours!

[glfprncs]

[QUOTE=Altermyne;8772275]
I am debating about what to get as I type. I’m not crazy about the look of some leather pieces as they seem too…shabby? Perhaps not formal enough. Anyway, I LOVE yours![/QUOTE]

Thank you. I wasn’t in love with the grey at first, but it seemed that the color scared off everyone else in the area as well. It had been in the showroom for 6 months, so it was dramatically marked down (50% off!). I absolutely love it now (of course, the new sofa then made me want to repaint the living room and pull up the carpet and lay new floors!).