HELP!  I need some advice on the best way to ferret-proof my furniture -
the couches in particular.
 
The little monsters have discovered (after 2 months of not caring) if
they jump high enough, they can get up on the couch, sneak to the back
of the cushions and crawl down underneath the fabric and INTO the couch.
 I'm not talking under the cushions.  I'm talking IN THE COUCH.  I hear
and see little claws scratching the side of my couch.  They can't seem
to come back UP through the couch and the only way to get them out is
from the underside of the couch.  We tore a hole in the bottom fabric
(that's stapled to the underneath of the couch) and they can come out
that way, but now they have 2 ways to get inside.  What do I do?  If I
turn my back for 2 seconds, that's exactly where they run.  I've thought
of tearing the entire piece of fabric from the underside, but that only
invites them to jump inside.  I've put towels down in the corners of the
couch (the part that leads to the "black hole" inside).  No-go.  They
toss those right out and look at me as if to say "Give me a break."
 
This weekend we had a scare down my my mothers.  I learned the hard
way...I toke the kids outside for the first time.  Well after 5 minutes
of intense training on their leash (them training me of course), they
were exhausted.  I brought them in and put them in their sealed off
living room.  Within seconds they dissappeared under the couch.  It took
a few minutes to realize that they now know about that lining under the
couch and would probably not be content to just do their "usual" napping
under the couch.  They'd probably crawl up inside.  Bingo.  When I
looked under the couch - nothing.  So we tilted the couch up and saw her
little body curled up.  We must have disturbed her sleep because she
darted to the back part and up into a hole that lead into the BACK
cushion.  It took an hour to find her.  I was panicky.  All I kept
thinking was that she was chewing on some cushion foam and would be dead
within 48 hours!  We got out the flashlight and found her little
silhouette curled up in the corner in an imposible place to reach.  We
finally got her out and she's been fine.  I'm just terrified of this
happening again - either at home or anywhere.
 
Do you think that the best thing would be to take the stapled fabric off
the bottom?  Leave it on?  How do we get her out if we leave it on and
she sneaks in the couch?
 
Suggestions?
 
Thanks,
 
Michelle, Kenny, Salt & Pepper
 
[Posted in FML issue 0963]