Cats and leather jackets

[torfjord]

So me and my wife succumbed to our kids long and arduous campaign for getting a cat. On Sunday we will go and see this cutie:

Now I am really looking forward to it but I’m also a little bit worried that the cat will want to scratch my leather jackets. I currently have them on a big hanger in my bedroom since we don’t have a place for them in our closets. It’s not an option to move them.

I’ve been thinking of buying garment bags (https://voltfashion.com/sv/p/these-glory-days-volt-kostymfodral-svart-accessoarer-ovriga-accessoarer-herr/7216623_F990) to hang them in but wanted to check if anyone have a better solution?

Any loungers with cats that can chime in?

 

[TartuWolf]

Camouflage cat : CHECK

Leather Jackets (3 currently): CHECK

I'd say cats are usually more interested in other kinds of textures, leather is usually too smooth for them. Hanging zippers on the other hand...

 

[JMax]

The garment bag may attract them more? No idea. But can we expect to start seeing pics like this…

 

[3.14nche]

this cat is looking for trouble

 

[zebedee]

Cats don't like the feel of leather. Mine has never scratched a jacket. Probably fine.

 

[Bfd70]

Get a dog

 

[Jiantle]

My cat has never scratched any leather products I own. She has left a bite mark in one of my bags though, but just the one, so she must not have liked the texture. I still wouldn't leave leather pulls on jacket zippers hanging around her though, they go crazy for them, especially kittens.

 

[Harris HTM]

No issue with my leather jackets since I got my cat last November. I can't say the same for my couch, chairs and floor speakers though.

 

[Harris HTM]

 

[Edward]

So me and my wife succumbed to our kids long and arduous campaign for getting a cat. On Sunday we will go and see this cutie:

View attachment 623464

Now I am really looking forward to it but I’m also a little bit worried that the cat will want to scratch my leather jackets. I currently have them on a big hanger in my bedroom since we don’t have a place for them in our closets. It’s not an option to move them.

View attachment 623466

I’ve been thinking of buying garment bags (https://voltfashion.com/sv/p/these-glory-days-volt-kostymfodral-svart-accessoarer-ovriga-accessoarer-herr/7216623_F990) to hang them in but wanted to check if anyone have a better solution?

Any loungers with cats that can chime in?

Oh, they are a cutie! I don't think you've anything to worry about. My girls - both long in Kitty Heaven now, sadly - loed tp sleep on my leathers, but they never scratched them. As has been posted above, the smooth feel of leather isn't the sort of thing they tend to want to claw. (But well done you for considering wht you might do to remove temptation rather than doing them the cruelty of declawing!)

 

[Edward]

Get a dog
View attachment 623528

Another cutie! Though TBH I'm more wary of our Jack Russell / chihuahua cross chewing what he shouldn't than I ever was with two cats. Then, unlike Greta, Bertie will never destroy TWO sofas, so....

 

[torfjord]

You’ve eased my concerns! Thank you so much gents, greatly appreciated.

 

[Canuck Panda]

I had a family cat when I was younger. Clean the box regularly or she'll let you know by dropping them on your pillow. And I think you will have to worry about your fabric furniture, mine liked to play spiderman on the back side of the sofa and on the drapes. I swear my old family cat reincarnated as my current old dog and continues to mess with me...
Your leather jacket should be safe, I would not put the suede ones with the grain leather ones and I would not use garment bags either, my cat liked surface she could grab onto, smooth leather should be safe.

 

[Mandarin]

Sorry, but here's something you need to know: a cat gets crazy every day for a few minutes and mine liked to jump around wherever he could. He liked the texture of leather because he could claw himself up. After I noticed a few scratches on some of my jackets (not so bad, fortunately) I covered the cabinet where the jackets were hanged in with some kind of canvas, and the problem was solved. So you better keep your jackets out of reach, otherwise, as long as they aren't in a dominant position (i.e, if they're spread on the couch), the cat won't feel compelled to climb on them.

 

[Harris HTM]

Sorry, but here's something you need to know: a cat gets crazy every day for a few minutes and mine liked to jump around wherever he could. He liked the texture of leather because he could claw himself up. After I noticed a few scratches on some of my jackets (not so bad, fortunately) I covered the cabinet where the jackets were hanged in with some kind of canvas, and the problem was solved. So you better keep your jackets out of reach, otherwise, as long as they aren't in a dominant position (i.e, if they're spread on the couch), the cat won't feel compelled to climb on them.

That's indeed good advice. All my jackets and shoes are stored in a different room where he only accidentally enters. And yes, especially when young they daily have zoomies (where they ran like crazy across the room an furniture).

 

[Denton]

There have been some unfortunate incidents in my household. Now I store vintage items and delicate things in parts of the house where the cat does not enter (at least in theory). The thing is, my cat is like a freaking panzer division. Keeping her out of rooms, closets, and storage spaces is a challenge. She can jump over my head, she can squeeze her body into narrow openings, and she can open drawers, cabinets, and unlocked doors. She's curious, playful, acrobatic, destructive, wants to be part of whatever is going on, and she has no respect for private property.

My advice to the OP: it depends on the personality of the cat. If I were you, I would keep an eye on the situation. Maybe look for a more secure place to store the suede.

 

[Yango]

Not a jacket, but, I had a brand new pair of boots shredded by a cat (no idea how old the cat was). When I say shredded, I’m not kidding— the boots were destroyed!

So yeah, this one had a thing for leather.

I wouldn’t take any chances… I’d buy my kid a hamster.

 

[Denton]

Some of my cat's depredations.

I was wearing this A-1 jacket when the cat pounced on my shoulder and dug in her claws to anchor herself. The gouges aren't bad enough to stop me from wearing the jacket.

This bowler (Knapp-Felt, 1930s) was damaged when I received it. Someone had stuck a fork through the crown or something. In spite of the damage, I thought it looked cool, and I used to wear it as a beater. The cat got interested in the hole, clawed and chewed at it, and made it bigger. It's fine, I suffer from a compulsion that has caused me collect 9 other bowler hats, so there are others that I can wear. I just find it depressing when it seems like I'm overseeing the destruction of these beautiful old things.

The cat likes to push books off the shelves. The dog, who ordinarily respects my stuff, has a different rule for the cat's stuff: when she sees the cat playing with any object, she will try to take it away from the cat and eat it. This combination of traits resulted in my copy of The Mabinogion getting totally mutilated. Wonderful book, by the way.

This is the cat. Of course she is more important to me than any article of clothing.

 

[CatsCan]

I have been a life long can opener for several cats I had the honor to serve. In the beginning of my career Her or His Majesty almost always had a great joy in humilating me whenever I dared to love my clothes or funitures more then Her or His Royal Highness. Furnitures, blankets and wildly spread clothes were only valued as rewarding objects to be peed on, which left me pissed.
I had a chaiseloungue upholstered with fine english linen only to follow it slowely being transformed into something that resembled something that had been shot at with an old 12 pounder naval gun.

Over time I learnt alot about these beautiful beasts. CatsCan do alot of things. Since I gave them what they needed and since I got to know why they did what they did, I never had any problem.

They need to place their signatures at places marking the margins of three territorial spheres they like to create around them. Depending on if it is a male or female cat, those spheres can be large or rather small. First: the innermost sphere, which is the area, they use to sleep, hide and raise and educate their kitten (this is: you!). Second: The area they use to find prey. Third: The area they roam to look for trouble with other cats. In other words, they have an area of isolation, an area of activity and an area of agression.

If your cat is constricted to your house only and if it may not leave your home into your garden at it's own will or even better leave your property, all those areas have to be inside your house and living area.
It is a good idea to have more than one cat's toilet, offer more than one place to hide, sleep and chill, more than one elevated place from which the areas can be overlooked. Alternate between the places where you feed it, never place food and water (if dried food is given) next to another since cats in the wild rarely find food at the same place everytime they hunt or have a source of water ready at a kill site. Two or more rope wrapped wooden scratch boards and scratching posts and an early kastration will almost always solve the problems you otherwise could run into. It is important though to really care for it's mental health. Be attentive, play (hunting) games with it, best if you decide to give it a feline companion so it has someone to communicate with in it's own language. Never shout at your cat if it does something that makes you angry. Cats are easily scared and traumatized. Trust and companionship is the way to go. Cats are still wild animals that have only half domesticated themselves. They are social like lions. They tolerate your presence. They are not hierarchical like dogs.

If your (kastrated) cat can leave your home at it's own will, you will almost certainly never have any issues with peed on carpets, scratched furnitures and so on. Your cat will do all it's territorial tasks outside your house. You will have to live with the idea of having a teenager not coming home when you think it should, not coming home in the state in which it had left it. Ripped off pieces of ears, bitten off pieces of tail, scratched out eye... this is how a happy male feline likes to look. Male cat's ife is Rock 'n Roll. Nothing for the faint hearted. If it's a female however: less issues.

Best advice I can give you is simple: stop loving your things more than your cat and accept losses.

Life without a cat is easy. Life with a cat is fun and joy. But never easy.

Cats

 

[Jasonindenver]

X2 on multiple cat scratching posts. Use catnip around them at first and the cat will understand that is its place.