Oh.....how disappointing. With 2 cats and dogs of my own, and plastic slipcovers on the upholstered sofas (not the one we live on) and strategicaly placed throws on the wicker, I certainly understand. That's a really beautiful chair, but, from your pictures, looks like you could just snip the threads. The price we pay to have furbabies...

Good luck,
Dee

I had a sofa that my cat did that to a few times. I just snipped the strings and didn't have any problems.

Your little destroyer looks awfully proud. Cats are so funny, even when they do something horrible. Wish we still had our kitty...she was such a good snuggler.

That's not NEARLY as bad as I was expecting. There's no stuffing/batting showing! I think you should be able to snip the threads with a pair of embroidery scissors. You'll probably be the only person who notices.

I wonder if you could pull the threads through to the back side (can you get inside the cushion)? And maybe cut some of the threads a bit shorter and pull/push them through carefully with a small blunt tipped tool.

That's very minor. Clip the threads then the kitty nails. If you do it frequently enough, they get used to it. Soft Paws will also help.

Rather than just snipping the threads, I think I'd try to weave the ends back in by threading them through a needle. It doesn't look as if you have that many. This is, of course, coming from a person who actually rewove many a strand of Berber carpeting after the dog discovered that a good tug on it would yield a very longggg strand of string to play with!

Helene

I think doing what palimpsest suggested should work fine.
I also have a kitty who likes my upholstered chair and I keep either a cardboard cat scratcher or a sisal scratching post next to the chair. I suggest you place one or two of those next to your chair, place some catnip on it and help train your cat to enjoy the scratcher.

It could be the holidays are stressing everyone to a breaking point so step back, take a breath and appreciate your family of humans and pets.

Don't make the holiday's with your DS an issue over a cat and chair. Believe me, one day you'll look back and wish you'd handled the experience differently.

I have calmed down, and I knew I could count on the kind people here. Thank you to all who responded to my mini crisis here.

The damage really is more than I could show in the pics. I would say about 20+ threads pulled, some as far out as 10". And two areas of cording that are really shredded and I don't see any way those areas can be repaired.

I am quite afraid of just snipping the threads, as the material is woven, and I just don't want to risk it unraveling. I think there is a possibility of pulling them through to the other side, but it won't be easy as the weave is tight.

I may try to reweave it tonight (thanks Helene) and see if that is successful first and then go to Plan B of trying to push the threads thru to the other side.Most of them are pulled on the seat where the seat cover is removeable.

I am getting my perspective back. I have so many things to be grateful for, and one of them is this forum where I come to get inspiration and advice, and receive, as a bonus, the kindness of strangers.

After you repair with a combination of reweaving and pushing the threads thru, I suggest you try a product called Fray Check (I hope it's still made) on the ends of each repair. It's sold in fabric stores and does just as its name suggests. If you don't want to use it on the areas you can reach only on the right side, maybe it will help on the wrong side of the fabric on the seat cushion. Good luck!

On the seat cushions, if the cover is removable, try using a crochet hook from the wrong side. Poke the hook through the fabric, snare the loose thread and wrap it once or twice around the hook and then gently pull it back through. I do this on snagged sweaters and things all the time.

The crochet hook can probably also poke some of the loose threads back in from the right side, where the snags are on the arms. Get a very small hook and be prepared to go slowly and use a lot of patience. I have sometimes seen a gizmo sold as a sweater snag repairer that would probably also work.

If you can't pull or push the snags to the back side of the fabric, you can cut them. Then use the Fray Check that bac717 mentioned. A woven fabric won't unravel, the way a knitted fabric would. The Fray Check is just added insurance.

My cats have totally destroyed one of my chairs. But since they have always confined the scratching to this one chair and will leave all the others alone, I just put the chair in my study where no one but me sees it. Why they have to attack the most comfortable chair in the house eludes me. But there is no more cording on the front legs, the stuffing is coming through on the side and even though I trim the snags regularly, those darned cats just keep creating more. (This is how I know that snipping the threads won't cause the whole thing to unravel. I'd have lost this chair 10 years ago if that were the case.)

Some cats are just going to scratch furniture, no matter how one tries to prevent it. My female cat is one of these. On the chairs she likes I use Boundary spray and sticky tape, and have three scratching posts right next to her favorite furniture, plus those small bound sisal scratching pads (which she loves), and we keep her nails trimmed, and she STILL scratches the chairs. This has been a six-year battle, but I definitely love her more than the furniture. Our male kitty could not be less interested in the chairs - he sticks to the scratching posts and attacks them with glee. But the female - she would unravel plutonium if she set her mind to it.

I hope that one of the good suggestions here will work for you. The chairs our cat likes are chenille velvet, so no reweaving possible, just spray and tape and keeping an eye on her.

Most important right now is to cherish the time with your DS and have a very happy holiday.

Fray Check is on the shopping list. I didn't know about it, so thanks for filling me in.

I couldn't stay angry with DS for very long if my life depended on it. We went out shopping this afternoon and despite the crowds and the craziness, managed to have a good time. And got all our shopping done too.

Thank you again. I hope everyone has a merry holiday!

barb5,

Look for FRAY BLOCK by June Tailor, not Fray Check. Fray Block dries softer, without the hard finish that Fray Check tends to have.

Helene

Thanks Helene!

While I wish I had an answer for you, I do not. However, I can empathize. I made the mistake of buying custom leather furniture for our LR. Let's just say that mistake doesn't begin to cover it. It is so bad, that I would not post a picture!

I hope you get find a solution to repairing the damage!

There's something smaller than a crochet hook you should use, it's called a knit picker. I think I've seen them at Walmart and Joann's.

http://thesewingplace.com/browseproducts/Knit-Picker.html

Maybe try some Sticky Paws to discourage the kitty.
Their website seems to be down for maintenance, but I know you can find the product at PetsMart and Petco, too.

I can understand you being upset. I do not post often, but having 2 cats (down from 4) I searched for a solution. I still use slip covers (cat's only release hair balls on non-slick surfaces). I found a scratching post..please don't say I have tried them..they won't use it. Topcats.com or topcat.com ( I have no affiliation with them, no interest other than using their product). This is a woven sisal post and base. The post is replacable when it wears out. Everyone I have recommended this to says their cat(s) use it and have stopped scratching the furniture. When it first comes into the house, rub some cat nip on the post. Don't force the cat to use it. Just put it there and ignore it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Patty, not all kitties like sisal. I have a heavy duty scratching post that's a combo of carpet and sisal. Artie will not touch the sisal part.