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DEL.ICIO.USNice couch, is this dog hair?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As a little girl, I never understood my mother’s incessant shooing of our two kitties off her upholstery. “So what if it sheds?” my adolescent mind thought. “It’s just a couch!”
Nor was I bothered when Squeak, my childhood feline friend, dug her nails into my mother’s Oriental rugs, or slept in my bed or even stretched upside my mother’s chairs. (OK, OK, I understand why she shouldn’t sharpen her claws there.)
But now as an adult buying my own furniture, things have changed. I shudder when my roommate’s cat digs his little paws into my new Persian, I detest finding cat hair atop my dining table (why was he there?), and I absolutely do not let the cat sleep on or in my bed. (The hair, the dander, the bugs!)
Some people would call me shallow for keeping little fluffy on the floor, but I’m simply trying to strike a balance between two of my loves: furniture and felines.
I was reminded of why I keep animals off my upholstery when visiting a friend the other week. He lets his two giant dogs romp around his sectional, a fact I quickly realized when I sat down and was instantly covered in hair.
Anyone have good tips for keeping pets off your favorite furniture? And if not, what cleaning advice can you share?
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By Garden Hills Native
September 3, 2008 12:04 PM | Link to this
My cat rarely gets on anything. He will occasionally get on the couch, but only at night when we’re sleeping. When it gets cold, he will sleep with us. But he seems to be content with curling up on the floor, sometimes out of the way, sometimes in the middle of everything. Lint rollers and regular vacuuming seem to keep things to a minimum. I must add that he is an outdoor cat, so he is only inside about half the time.
By jct
September 3, 2008 12:08 PM | Link to this
I cover my couch with two ahgans (sp) when I am at work, I uncover when I have company. I also bought this blankets for cats at PetSmart(I forget the name) that hold the cats heat and attrack their hair. If I put those on the couch, the dog and the cat prefer to sit on that and not directly on the couch. That blanket has been a win win.
By mark
September 3, 2008 12:36 PM | Link to this
We have 4 cats that shoo my wife and I off the furniture. Not really, they just give you that sweet little look like “your sitting in my spot”. But we did brake down and buy a “DYSON PET” vacume cleaner($550) that works well.Pets are to be LOVED just like the rest of the family.
By Pet Lover
September 3, 2008 12:54 PM | Link to this
I beat my dog in her sleep. That seems to work.
By Melissa
September 3, 2008 12:54 PM | Link to this
As an owner of 3 dogs and 1 cat, I have come to accept that you just can’t keep pets off the furniture 100% of the time. We have our couch cushions covered with washable throws but also provide dog beds in the family room to encourage them to sleep there instead.
As far as our bedroom, each dog has their own bed, so does the cat, but the cat invariably ends up snuggled up next to me. One of our dogs will sneak up on the bed during the night as soon as she knows we’re asleep. We keep a washable blanket on the bed - especially at the foot of the bed for just this thing.
I might not feel so generous when we’re done with the work we’re having done. The painters are here today! Woohoo!
By JJ
September 3, 2008 2:21 PM | Link to this
Simple - throw a sheet over the furniture, remove it when company comes over, wash it weekly. Problem solved.
I have two long haired cats, a yellow lab who sheds when you look at her, and a short haired mutt, who also sheds. We take the sheets off the funiture (two sofas) and shake them (outside) in the evenings when we get home. And the sheets get washed every week with the other laundry. No biggie……
By Deborah
September 3, 2008 2:35 PM | Link to this
Use a scat mat (can purchase online from Drs Foster/Smith). Taught my border collie mix in no time which furniture was okay and which was not, and that paws on countertops was NEVER okay! (It doesn’t hurt them.)
By missnadine
September 3, 2008 3:41 PM | Link to this
Cats hate aluminum foil; maybe dogs do too. I have some very nice chairs that I don’t want the pets on. I put foil on them and they never jump up now. This is not a solution for everyday furniture that you use, but is good for that special piece that rarely gets used.
By Mattie
September 3, 2008 3:59 PM | Link to this
We have two dogs, a Golden Retriever and a Black Lab. They both shed tons of hair. From the very beginning they were shooed off the furniture. Now that our Golden is older, and we wouldn’t mind too much if she wanted to curl up on the couch with us, she cannot be enticed up. They have their own beds, but usually they will sleep outside the four bedrooms upstairs. No dogs on the bed in this house.
By Sarah
September 3, 2008 4:17 PM | Link to this
Never let them on the sofa with you as pups or kittens, old habits are hard to break. I have one dog that hears my car as I drive up and I know he jumps off the sofa the minute I turn the key. I can still see his impression on the cushion and he just looks at me all happy like….you’re home. The other dog was never allowed to do this as a pup so it’s not an issue with her. Good luck!
By Another point of view
September 3, 2008 6:00 PM | Link to this
A foolproof solution. Never let them get on the furniture. I have 2 large dogs and they’re not allowed on any furniture except the rugs. If the pack leader saw a lower ranking dog sitting high on his perch there’d be ramifications and repercussions. LOL
By Carla
September 3, 2008 6:03 PM | Link to this
A FURminator is fabulous. You can get them at most pet stores. They gently remove excess hair, so there’s less to shed. My kitty thinks he’s getting a spa treatment when I use it.
By holly
September 3, 2008 10:30 PM | Link to this
carla — i recently used the furminator on my long-haired cat and was also amazed at what a good job it did — until i saw the bald spots on my poor girl! she enjoyed it, like all the other times i’ve brushed her, but wow! i’m just glad she doesn’t know how she looks.
By Katie Leslie
September 4, 2008 2:41 PM | Link to this
Furminator Fans This product fascinates me, but I’ve never used it. The website shows animals basking in swaths of their shed hair that I’m fairly sure we could weave into another Persian for yours truly.
So is the consensus that it works? And dear ol’ Fluffy isn’t left fur-less?
By holly
September 4, 2008 4:29 PM | Link to this
katie, i think the furminator would be good for pets with thick undercoats, unlike my long-haired cat. i don’t recommend vigorously brushing any pet with one until you can fully understand its power.
By Softy
September 11, 2008 3:36 PM | Link to this
I brought a plastic rug runner. The bottom side of the runners have a million very hard pointed grippers to keep the runner from sliding over a rug. When I leave the house, I put the runner upside down (prongs pointing upward) on the sofa. Works perfect; who would want to lie on a bed of needles? Not my dog! He uses his own feather bed when he wants soft.
By Kevin
October 21, 2008 4:21 PM | Link to this
Actually a good product out there that actually works is Petzoff. Check out the website www.petzoff.com
I couldn’t believe how simple a product actually works and looks good using it.
By Sonya
October 21, 2008 4:28 PM | Link to this
I actually bought this the other day at my local store. Couldn’t believe it either. They cat and dog hated it and wanted nothing to do with it. I really only bought it for the cat, but actually works great on both.