snipp
It is always risky to buy expensive furniture in a home where cats live. If
the sofa is made of real leather, the smell will be irresistible to the
cats. But, of course you can train them. If you, from day one, tell them not
to scratch the sofa, they will learn after a while. A simple and strong
"NO!" combined, maybe, by a squirt of water from a bottle, will do the
trick. BTW, declawing is NOT a solution!

Agreed!

My cats scratch up one "authorized" chair, if they go for any of the
other furniture, I startle them with a loud yell or spritz them with
the water bottle if one is near me at the time. I also slipcover my
furniture just in case. I figure if the slipcover gets ruined I just
get a new one. But ultimately I made the decision that my cats are
more important than furniture. I can always get new furniture. I
also regularly trim their claws, that cuts down on the scratching of
furniture quite a bit.