>[...] has anyone had any luck ferret-proofing a recliner?
 
I've been pretty successful with my solution - what I did was go to a local
fabric store and bought a couple yards of a tough cotton material which I
stapled onto the bottom of the recliner (after first unbolting the recliner
from the swivel base).  You'll have to sew around the mechanism that extends
the foot rest (leaving enough spare material so that it will extend, but
stay closed up).  My loveable tenacious Sabrina discovered that she could
pull staples out where they weren't in very tight, so I had to go back and
sew a large portion of the cover to the upholstery fabric to keep her out.
I bolted the base back on after putting the cover on the bottom.
 
I used a black material that looks OK (but what do I know) and haven't had
any break-ins although my ferts don't get to run around as much in my
current (temporary) digs as they did before.  You still have to be cautious
about the parts of the recliner that come close to the ground when you lean
way back - so it's not perfect, but I don't have to worry about the
guillotine-like mechanism up and under the chair.
 
Your mileage may vary.  My ferts saw the buttoned up area as a new challenge
for a while, but never managed to get through it and eventually went on to
other mischief.
 
Alan
 
 --
Alan Moen                           [log in to unmask]
LAN Manager, Wayne State University Counseling & Placement Services
    The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our
    adversaries are insane.
        Mark Twain (1835-1910)
[Posted in FML issue 1648]