We faced similar questions a couple of months ago when I decided to buy a leather couch to replace the totally beat, shredded sofa I bought almost 20 years ago. My decision was based on the belief that a leather couch should succumb to claws less rapidly and completely than a fabric one -- plus, you know, it's leather. The operative principle is a mixture of accepting the inevitable and damage control. CLipping the claws regularly is a must to avoid the full-thickness punctures and slashes (I mean to the couch, not to one's flesh), but the superficial marks are just gonna come. Leather conditioner will help rub out some of these marks, but the rest should be accepted philosophically. I had to pledge not to scream before the purchasing committee would sign off.

We've done okay with this approach. But then, our kitties roll over in our arms with their feet in the air.

- Eddie