A question for the cat owners out there

First: We have a beautiful and comfy new sofa! Yay, finally somewhere to sit!

However: We have two (non-declawed, obviously) cats, who made a real wreck of our last one. That wasn't a big deal, since we got it from some neighbors who were moving and sold it to us cheap, but this one we paid full price for and fully intend to keep for the next decade if we can. Plus, the frame is upholstered in leather, which looks pretty awful when scratched.

So...what kind of deterrents have you used in the past? I know that we need to have alternatives available; we have a couple of scratchers around and are considering getting them a cat tree. One cat doesn't mind having his nails trimmed, but the other won't sit still for it. As for the couch itself, my various Googlings have found double-sticky strips (which seem the most promising) and a couple of sprays (whose efficacy seems to vary from feline to feline). A motion-detecting noisemaking device is less desirable, since [a] this is likely to be a heavily-trafficked area and [b] we don't mind if they want to sit on the couch with us, we just don't want them scratching it.

Has anybody tried any of these? Is there anything else that's worked particularly well for you in the past?

A question for the cat owners out there

First: We have a beautiful and comfy new sofa! Yay, finally somewhere to sit!

However: We have two (non-declawed, obviously) cats, who made a real wreck of our last one. That wasn't a big deal, since we got it from some neighbors who were moving and sold it to us cheap, but this one we paid full price for and fully intend to keep for the next decade if we can. Plus, the frame is upholstered in leather, which looks pretty awful when scratched.

So...what kind of deterrents have you used in the past? I know that we need to have alternatives available; we have a couple of scratchers around and are considering getting them a cat tree. One cat doesn't mind having his nails trimmed, but the other won't sit still for it. As for the couch itself, my various Googlings have found double-sticky strips (which seem the most promising) and a couple of sprays (whose efficacy seems to vary from feline to feline). A motion-detecting noisemaking device is less desirable, since [a] this is likely to be a heavily-trafficked area and [b] we don't mind if they want to sit on the couch with us, we just don't want them scratching it.

Has anybody tried any of these? Is there anything else that's worked particularly well for you in the past?

Grrr...

What kind of people declaw (but don't neuter!) their cat and then let it wander around the neighborhood without a collar or any kind of identification?

In other news, there's a new guy hanging around the house. No idea yet if he'll be a permanent fixture...depends on whether his original owners come claim him, and whether he gets along with the current residents. He's awful cute and sweet, though, and at least I don't have to worry about him scratching up the new couch.

Meet Little Friend:

Grrr...

What kind of people declaw (but don't neuter!) their cat and then let it wander around the neighborhood without a collar or any kind of identification?

In other news, there's a new guy hanging around the house. No idea yet if he'll be a permanent fixture...depends on whether his original owners come claim him, and whether he gets along with the current residents. He's awful cute and sweet, though, and at least I don't have to worry about him scratching up the new couch.

Meet Little Friend: