The 19 Best Cat Scratch-Proof Couches
How can I put this? If I ever had a kid, I would totally send it to boarding school if it pooped in my shoe. But you can’t do that with a cat. You can’t really say, “Go to the time-out corner,” or “It’s going to be a three-month sleepaway camp for you, Jeffrey” if you need a break from watching your vases get knocked over or your furniture getting vomited upon.
To all this, you might say, “Dude, control your cat.” I hear you. I loved my cat. But even the most-well trained of felines will test the limits of our sanity. I don’t blame him (he’s still alive, BTW; just living in the south of France), I blame the temptation of the house plant. I blame the allure of the scratchable couch.
“Do they like, make cat-proof couches?” I asked my friend recently while she was, in turn, watching her roommate’s tuxedo cat eyeball her sparkly vinyl dining chairs. “I mean, who is making the furniture that cats can’t scratch?” We love tuxedoed Papito. But we also deserve sexy dining chairs, and concluded it was time to do some online sleuthing. Luckily, we not only live in a time where cats get their own stylish, mini mid-century modern furniture, but where the couches, statement chairs, and loveseats designed for us humans are made out of highly durable, scratch-proof fabrics.
Here’s the thing: You can either find furniture that will be able to take a bit of scratching and hair (avoid tender leather), or you can cut the bullshit and go straight for companies that are literally designing couches to survive rabid (OK, not rabid) pets. Both are valid paths, and both will make life a hell of a lot easier for you and Fluffy. Here are the absolute best pieces of cat-proof furniture, including sofas, loveseats, and sectionals for those of us with a fluffy buddy (aka a live-in gremlin that shreds upholstery like it’s Wolverine).
Amazon
Amazon is home to so much more than novelty chicken bags and puppeter gear. The behemoth is filled with some very affordable couches and statement chairs, and they don’t all look like Clip Art drawings that has come to life. Some, such as these bouclé/teddy material couches and chairs, are very on-trend with Japandi aesthetics. Most importantly, the pre-textured fabric will be very forgiving to Mr. Worcester’s midnight claw marks.
Homefun
Bouclé Accent Chair
$185.99 at Amazon
Vanomi
Lambswool Bouclé Sofa
$939.99 at Amazon
One of Amazon’s most popular couches is the Rivet sofa, which has earned a 4.4-star average rating from over 2,000 (mostly glowing) reviews; fans of the couch praise everything from how easy it is to assemble to the durability of its polyester weave. (And at under $900, it’s a steal.)
Amazon
Rivet Revolve Modern Upholstered Sofa
$865.79 at Amazon
Burrow
Furniture should be customizable, and modular. Stylish. Functional. That is the hill that Burrow dies on, and it works out really well. “Our first task was to reverse-engineer a luxury sofa to separate into modules,” the brand’s website explains about the über durable, mid-century-inspired pieces, “and that ended up unlocking a whole menu of additional benefits.” Burrow’s fabrics are made from a durable, stain-resistant material that you can spritz with bleach, and are so tightly woven that they won’t snag. (Which, honestly, sounds great—cat or no cat.) Also, this 1970s-style, avocado green pseudo-conversation pit is the blueprint around which I would build my adult life:
Burrow
Range 8-Piece Open U Sectional Double Lounger
$3485 at Burrow
Not that it would fit in my apartment. (One day!) But until then, Burrow’s individual chairs and loveseats are just as stylish for smaller spaces, and the cushions are made of the same medium-density foam so you get that sink-in feeling when you flop down. “[They’re] all CertiPUR-US certified to be free of ozone depleters,” adds Burrow, “formaldehyde, heavy metals, flame retardants, and other nasty, dangerous things found in non-certified cushions.” Yum.
$425 at Burrow
Burrow
Range 3-Piece Sectional Lounger
$1370 at Burrow
Levity
OK, so the thing to understand about Levity is it’s about the chairs; the best accent chairs, the best dining chairs, and the best chairs for you to curl up inside like a tender human egg with your feline. Release any and all combos of claw marks, hair balls, and spaghetti tears upon these thrones, because they’re all made out of durable, machine-washable covers that were designed to take a beating—including this very Japandi-style lounge chair:
Levity
The Scandinavian Lounge Chair
$499 at Levity
I love buying vintage furniture, but it’s always a risk to throw down for a mid-century modern piece with a tender, aging wool weave on its seat cushion. So it’s damn nice that Levity not only focused on reimagining some of the most classic MCM designs, and in classic MCM color schemes, but that they made sure everything from the living room to dining room chairs has swappable, washable fabrics:
Levity
The Scandinavian Dining Chair
$199 at Levity
Authentic MCM furniture tends to really lean into teak materials, which is all groovy and gorgeous, but it’s nice to see them make a few cushier pieces like this cozy reading chair:
Levity
The Classic Lounge Chair
$659 at Levity
Interior Define
Interior Define makes some real double-take furniture, no question about that. The price range is a little higher, but the beauty’s in the details of its piping-lined sofas, nostalgic color range, and 13 pet- and kid-friendly fabrics (including a special leather and velvet). The Lennox sofa is a plushy, rear-end luxuriating investment piece with a high-pitched back, contrasting cushion options, and the brand’s special “Performance Velvet” that refuses to quit.
Interior Define
Lennox Velvet Color Block 3-Seat Sofa
$2245 at Interior Define
Again, if you’re looking for something for a smaller space, Interior Define’s Marlow Loveseat also comes in a rich sage Performance Velvet:
Interior Define
Marlow Sage Loveseat
$1470 at Interior Define
Don’t underestimate the power of the perfect ottoman, mate. The Rowan stool is a multi-hyphenate bo$$, because it can serve as a side table, foot stool, or the perfect coffee table for a small apartment. It, too, comes in dozens of sturdy fabrics that your Persian cat won’t stand a chance against. Plus, think of how good your stack of art books would look on it with a lucite tray and bougie candle.
Interior Define
Rowan Fully Upholstered Stool Ottoman
$345 at Interior Define
Wayfair
You’re going to have to do a bit more sifting at Wayfair, which is packed to the gills with all the kitsch Design Toscano sculptures we absolutely don’t need (but would die without). But the benefit of trawling an e-tailer like this one is that there’s going to be a better price range for furniture than most dedicated pet-proof furniture makers. Go for a couch or chair that’s made out of a highly durable indoor-outdoor fabric by brands like Sunbrella, for example:
Sunbrella X Wayfair
Sarah Sharkfin Sofa Bed
$1764$1129.99 at Wayfair
Corrigan Studio
Teak Loveseat with Sunbrella Cushions
$3179$1939.99 at Wayfair
AllModern
Chair with Sunbrella Cushions
$559.71$530 at Wayfair
All Modern
While we’re talkin’ Wayfair, check out one of the company’s branch-out brands, All Modern, for scratch-proof home furniture. Like Daddy Wayfair, it’s brimming with pieces that can take a pounding, such as their Legend velvet armchair that is so tough, it’s been given a commercial-grade fabric rating. Meaning: If it can handle the whoop ass of Mall Teenagers, it can handle your cat.
AllModern
Legend Velvet Armchair
$530 at AllModern
They make quite a few cat-proof furniture pieces in the velvet fabric, including the Dr. Evil-worthy Stargazer egg chair, and the Don Draper-esque dark teal Barrow chair.
$710$500 at AllModern
AllModern
Barrow Velvet Armchair
$1100 at AllModern
Lovesac
As the almighty maker of “the world’s most adaptable couch,” Lovesac’s modular, durable sectionals—sorry, Sactionals—are also some of the most customizable you can cop; you’ll have a say in everything from your sofa’s arm style to the fabric selection, which includes über durable options such as polylinen. Smash that order button during the brand’s 20{7e5ff73c23cd1cd7ac587f9048f78b3ced175b09520fe5fee10055eb3132dce7} off sale.
$3550$2840 at Lovesac
Here’s to sitting pretty and unbothered.
The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.