The Best & Worst Fabrics For Cat Households

Shopping for new furniture or decor and want to make sure it’s not going to get shredded by your cats? Here’s the very best and absolute worst fabric options to keep your upholstered pieces scratch-free.

I have had cats ever since I was 13. And in that very long timeframe, I’ve seen a lot of furniture come and go due to being ruined my my kitties. No matter how nice the scratching posts are or how many you have scattered around your house like Easter eggs, cats are eventually going to scratch the furniture. And those curtains, blankets, and rugs are undoubtedly going to get targeted during afternoon zoomies.

Instead of constantly buying tape and sprays and replacements, I have finally embraced the scratch and learned to choose things that can withstand a little claw action. Here’s the top tried and true fabrics my kitties have never been able to destroy, as well as the fabrics you should steer clear of.

The Best Fabrics For Cat Households

Chenille

Chenille is a nice tight weave that still maintains softness. It works well for cats because it’s woven so tightly that even when they dig their claws into it, the fabric can’t be pulled out. I have had two chenille chairs from Interior Define for nine months and the worst damage my kitties have done is pulling out one single thread, which I think may have been loose to start with.

Boucle

Boucle is kind of like a curly teddy bear texture. It’s soft and fleece-like, and the fabric doesn’t loop through the weave at all. Surprisingly, boucle has been the most cat-friendly fabric I’ve ever owned. We have these two ottomans and one of my cats plays on them like Spiderman every single afternoon. In the last three years, you’d never even know there’s been a Spider Cat hanging upside down on them.

Polypropylene

Polypropylene is a synthetic fabric made from thermoplastic polymer. Most of the time when you find this fabric on furniture, it’s typically made from recycled plastic like water bottles. I know that doesn’t sound comfortable at all, but through some sort of magical process you could probably watch a documentary on, they manage to turn it into a soft and cozy yarn. Cat claws and accidental stains are no match for this hardworking fabric, and it’s the material I plan on buying for our next sofa.

Velvet

It’s important to note that real, expensive velvet and cheap mass-market velvet are very different. For the most part, both can hold up to cat claws very well thanks to their tight and short weave. But the mass-market velvet you find on most furniture is going to be your cat’s worst enemy. They can’t scratch it, and they can’t even get their claws in it at all. I love velvet for curtains because cats can’t climb them at all; they just slide back down.

Microfiber & microsuede

Microfiber and microsuede are super similar to velvet. They feel like it, look like it, and are much more affordable. Plus they’re easier to clean. Just spritz on some vodka or alcohol (they dry faster than water) and scrub the stain with a baby brush. This fabric is great for sofas, chairs, and upholstered headboards and bedframes.

Canvas

Canvas is another tightly woven fabric that claws usually can’t penetrate. It’s not the comfiest for a sofa and is a little too heavy for curtains, but canvas is a perfect choice for patio furniture, headboards, and dining chair cushions. It’s a heavyweight fabric and resists stains well.

The Worst Fabrics For Cat Households

Wool

Wool is basically the fabric version of catnip. Kitties just can’t resist it. No matter how expensive the wool rug is or how well-made it is, it’s going to last a maximum of one year with a cat in the house. I have tried and rehomed many wool rugs before I finally just gave up, and in the meantime I used a sweater shaver to remove some of the shredded fibers that puff up all over the rug.

Linen

Linen has no chance when it comes to cats. It’s thin and loosely woven, so as soon as claws dig in the fibers instantly get snagged and pull through. Linen fibers also tear really easily, so you’re left with that stereotypical look of scratched furniture. My bedframe didn’t last six months before I had to get rid of it in lieu of a wooden frame. I’ll never let a linen fabric through my door again.

Gauze

If you thought linen was bad, let me introduce you to gauze. It’s so incredibly thin and delicate, and the fibers bunch up from the lightest little snag. Curtains and blankets made of gauze start looking like a pair of shorts with the drawstring pulled all the way through in no more than a day, and it’s the fabric I recommend the least for a home shared with cats.

Tweed

Tweed is a thick and heavy fabric with a large loose weave. Think of those women’s blazers from the ’80s with the shoulder pads that weighed more than the bag she was carrying. Tweed is one of those fabrics that’s scratchy when you sit on it, and honestly I don’t know why anyone would want furniture made of it anyway. But that scratchy feeling of the fabric is one of cat’s favorite textures. Steer clear of it for any upholstered piece of furniture.

Silk

Silk is just too delicate to be around cats or any pets at all in my opinion. It’s thin, dainty, stains easily, tears and wrinkles, and is more of a fabric to look at versus use. If you’ve got a vintage chair upholstered in silk, it may hold up better than the ones manufactured today. But modern silk fabrics just aren’t made for daily use.

What About Leather?

I didn’t include leather in either one of those lists because honestly, I’m not really sure where I’d put it. There are pros and cons for leather with cats and those differences are so close that I’d say they’re even. So instead of saying yes or no on leather, I’ll share my own personal experience and let you decide for yourself.

Leather Pros:

• Fur doesn’t stick to it
• Less likely to stain
• Scuffs actually make it look better
• Smooth so cats don’t even want to scratch it

Leather Cons:

• Requires regular conditioning
• You have to be really careful cleaning it
• Deep scratches won’t come out
• Claw holes can happen when kitty jumps down quickly
• Slippery so pillows and blankets slide off constantly

The only other thing I’ll say about leather is that my cats hate it so much that they won’t even sit on it. We got our dream leather sofa last fall, I designed it exactly how I wanted it, and thought it was going to be a great long-term option for our family. We love piling up on the couch together with all the pets and watching competition shows, and since we got the leather couch, our cats don’t sit with us anymore.

Sure, we can put blankets and covers on the cushions, but why have a leather couch if you’re going to hide it? And when our cats get the early AM zoomies, they launch from one chair to the couch to the fireplace, and the cushions have had some pretty damaging deep scratches. After owning a high-quality leather sofa and deciding to replace it in less than one year, I can’t say that I would ever have one again. But I may take it down to the basement since our cats don’t go there.

What Fabrics Work Best For Your Kitties?

If you already have cats or have in the past, I’d love to hear what fabrics you recommend? Is there a material I missed on my list? One that doesn’t work for you? Let me know in the comments below which cat-friendly fabrics you swear by and help out future readers with your first-hand reviews.

Head over to this post next to see my favorite cat-friendly products I can’t live without. There’s even a sticky panel you can put on upholstered fabrics to deter cats from scratching them. It’s a great solution to prolong the furniture you already have.