Tips to stop your pets from turning your furniture into a costly mess

“My cat (who I love with my whole heart) is constantly peeing on my sofa. It’s happens so often that the sofa cushion is just started to permanently smell like urine now.”

This Redditor has learned that loving your cat does not mean loving what it does to your sofa.

You buy a sofa because you want somewhere comfortable to sit. Then your cat decides the corner cushion makes a better bathroom. Your dog sees the upholstery and thinks, “Finally, somewhere to wipe these muddy paws.” 

At this point, seeing your new sofa turned into a pet cleanup project can be frustrating and leave you wishing you had added SureBright Anywhere accidental damage protection when you bought it.

And it doesn’t stop with one bad day. Pets have their own ideas about what furniture is for, and before long, your sofa is dealing with muddy paws, shedding, scratches, and stains you never planned for.

The good news is that you don’t have to accept damaged furniture as part and parcel of owning a mischievous pet. A few smart changes around the house can make your furniture a lot easier to protect.

The psychology behind your pet damaging the furniture

“Even with multiple scratching pads… my cat still scratches the sofa or chairs… especially when getting up, he stretches and scratches whatever he was sitting on. How to stop this?”

Like this cat owner, you may ask why your cat keeps scratching the furniture. There’s a reason it keeps going back to the same spot.

A sofa is sturdy enough to handle a cat's full stretch without wobbling or tipping. It is also usually right where your cat likes to rest, so scratching it after a nap is convenient. And because the sofa sits in the middle of where the family spends time, scratching there helps cats leave visual and scent marks in a socially important spot.

In other words, your cat is not sitting there plotting how to ruin your favorite piece of furniture. It has simply found a spot that checks a lot of its boxes.

That changes how you approach the problem. Instead of trying to convince your cat that the sofa is suddenly off-limits, give it an option that makes more sense from its point of view. A stable scratching post placed near the sofa can be a better alternative, especially when it has the height, texture, and position your cat prefers.

Once you understand why your pet keeps choosing a particular piece of furniture, the next step is spotting when and where the damage happens.

First, figure out what you’re dealing with

A cat scratching the sofa or a dog chewing its legs can look like a random mishap when you only see the aftermath. But there is usually a pattern in when and where your pet does it.

Sometimes, the timing gives you a clue. A dog that only chews when you leave the house may be dealing with something very different from a young dog that chews everything in sight.

Here are a few common patterns to look out for:

The point is not to become your pet’s behavior detective. It is simply to notice the pattern before deciding how to protect your furniture. Doing so can also keep you from doing something you’ll regret later.

Why punishment can make things worse

“He is very sweet but has absolutely destroyed our couch… so we figured we’d spray him/correct him until he understood not to scratch the furniture. Now he thinks it’s a game. He stares at us while he does it…”

It’s easy to understand why this owner tried to correct their cat like that. When your furniture is getting destroyed, punishing your pet feels like the most obvious thing to do. But it does not always teach your pet what you want it to learn.

You can make furniture less inviting for cats with a temporary cover or double-sided tape. When your cat uses its scratching post, reinforce the behavior by rewarding it with something it enjoys. You can use the same approach with dogs. Give them an appropriate chew toy and reward them when they choose it.

But even with the right approach, some furniture will still take a beating. So, besides redirecting your pet’s behavior, you might want to be a little more careful about the furniture you bring home.

Choosing furniture that can take the damage

Even when your pet leaves the furniture alone, everyday life can still leave its mark. One pet owner describes how frustrating that can be:

“We currently have a couch that is a ‘chenille’ fabric and it holds dog odor like crazy. It’s also not very forgiving when they have the occasional accident, whether it be urine, vomit, or just muddy feet.”

The fabric your pet lives around can make these everyday messes easier or harder to deal with. Cats and dogs can also put different demands on furniture, so the best material depends on the kind of pet you have.

Cats’ claws can catch on loose or looped fabric like chenille or bouclé and pull at the surface. Tightly woven materials such as microfiber or microsuede give claws less to grab. Microfiber can also help because its synthetic fibers tend to absorb less odor than many natural fabrics.

Dogs tend to make furniture harder to keep clean, so easy-to-wipe materials such as faux leather and vinyl can be useful. Performance fabrics such as Crypton, Outdura, and Sunbrella are also designed to handle everyday use. Leather is another easy-to-clean option that does not trap pet hair the way woven fabrics do, although softer leather can still show scratches.

But even the best materials are not completely pet-proof. Accidents can still happen, so the key is knowing how to clean them without creating a bigger problem.

Clean the mess without inviting another one

Cleaning up quickly sounds like the obvious move when your pet decides to relieve itself on your furniture. But grabbing whatever cleaner is under the sink may not be the best idea.

The ASPCA warns against ammonia-based cleaners because urine already contains ammonia. The smell can attract your cat back to the same spot and encourage it to urinate there again.

An enzymatic cleaner is a better option here. Instead of simply covering the smell, it breaks down the residue left behind by the accident. That makes it less likely that your pet will still pick up the scent after you have cleaned the area.

But even after cleaning, odors can linger when urine has soaked into upholstery, as one Reddit user found out:

“This couch got peed on, and it dried before anyone knew. I used an enzymatic cleaner, but the cushion still smells a bit. The couch is wool, and the cover doesn’t come off so easily.”

That might make you reach for the steam cleaner. Heat, however, can set urine stains and make them harder to remove. One round of cleaning may not get rid of the odor completely, so treat the area again with an enzymatic cleaner and give it enough time to work.

When the mess is too deep to clean at home, professional cleaning may be your only way out, and that can get expensive. But there’s a better, costless way as well.

What happens when accidents still occur

Even a well-trained pet can have an accident. A puppy still learning the rules or an older cat can leave a mess on the sofa you bought just last week.

That is where accidental damage protection can come in handy. SureBright Anywhere covers a one-time pet bodily fluid or waste stain on fabric, upholstery, and rugs, including stains from urine, vomit, or feces. SureBright also gives you the flexibility to add accidental damage protection within 30 days of buying new furniture.

Pets have a habit of ignoring the plans you make for your furniture So, if you want coverage for pet stains, take a look at SureBright Anywhere.

FAQs

Does SureBright Anywhere accidental damage protection cover pet damage?

Yes. It covers a one-time pet bodily fluid or waste stain, so when your pet has an unexpected accident, you have coverage to help with the cost.

What kinds of pet stains does the accidental damage protection plan cover?

It covers one-time stains from urine, vomit, or feces on fabric, upholstery, and rugs. You can find the full coverage details in SureBright Anywhere’s plan terms.

When can I add SureBright Anywhere accidental damage protection to new furniture?

You have up to 30 days after buying new furniture to add SureBright Anywhere accidental damage protection, giving you some breathing room to decide after bringing it home.