>I have a couch that is covered with a slip cover and no legs, so my
>furkids can't get into it.  Now, Suzie is just furiously digging at the
>slip cover - she's starting to wear through it in one spot.
 
Gee, funny you should mention this.  My husband and I are in the process
of hand-sewing a new lining into the interior of our couch.  For years our
ferrets have loved to dig holes inside the couch so that they can crawl in
from underneath and magically appear on top from behind the seat cushions.
We never minded much because there was no visible damage from the outside
and because they weren't digging anywhere where someone could accidentally
sit on them.  But they finally started threatening to damage the exterior
of the cushions, so we decided to put a stop to it.  We bought a
claw-resistant fabric and have been sewing it over the old, easily
scratched, inner lining.  The ferrets thought the whole thing was great
yesterday... we had the couch tipped on its side with fabric draped over
the edge, and they had a ball!  But today, now that the true intent of the
fabric is becoming clear, they are none too pleased with me.  We'll have
to put a cushy scratch mat underneath the couch when this is all done so
that they will still have something to play with.
 
Incidentally, there's a cute story from when I first bought the couch.  I
chose a very inexpensive couch, knowning from previous experience that it
would soon be destroyed.  The furniture saleswoman tried to sell me a
stain-guard for the fabric.  I told her no, thank you, it wasn't necessary
because I had pets.  She replied that that was exactly what the protective
finishing was good for!  Apparently not all pet-owners have their furniture
destroyed from the inside-out.
 
By the way, if we hadn't decided to just fix the inside of our couch, our
other idea was to give the couch away and replace it with a futon couch.
Futon couches don't have any little nooks and crannies that are nice to
dig at, but if they do get damaged for some reason, the fabric cover can
be easily replaced.
 
Good luck!
 Julie
[Posted in FML issue 3340]