Solid wood coffee table and cats - bad idea?

[Anonymous]

I need tables (coffee and end) for my living room. I like this one: https://www.roomandboard.com/m/catalog/living/coffee-tables/classic-coffee-tables-in-natural-steel It has a solid wood top.

My plan is a matching end table in the corner and then an accent type end table on one of the exposed sides of the seating arrangement (sofa + love seat in L shape). The end table that matches the one above is a great size.

We have two cats. Will this get all scratched up?

I suffer from analysis paralysis when it comes to furniture shopping, so I want to just get this done. I found something much cheaper at West Elm, but the end table is dinky.

Should I just buy the Room and Board one or keep looking?

[Anonymous]

My cat only scratches upholstered furniture. Has your cat scratched wood floors or furniture in the past?

[Anonymous]

My cats (lots over 40 years) have only scratched vertical wood—like the corners of dressers, etc. I don’t see how they’d scratch the table you linked.

[Anonymous]

My cats would prefer to scratch the sofa. Just make sure you have a scratching post available so you can redirect your cat if necessary.

[Anonymous]

Ok, thank you. I wasn’t sure if the cat could leave a mark just running across it. Not that our cats are allowed on tables, but one of them is a little stinker. He has been on our dining room table, which is slightly distressed, so it’s hard to tell.

I found a different coffee table that is glass top, wood bottom. It coordinates well enough with the two end tables, so I think I’ll go that route. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

If you like the wood coffee table you should get it. Cats don’t scratch things just by walking on them because they walk with their claws retracted. The pads of their feet are soft.

[Anonymous]

I know someone who had to figure out when moving out of an apt how to mask the scratches her cats made running up the door frames--pretty much almost to the ceiling. How they did this I can't imagine but they did it repeatedly on several door frames. But a table top would be fine. Unless you have a cat like I had once, who thought it was fun to tip over glasses of beverages.

[Anonymous]

I've had cats all my life and never seen one scratch wood. I do have an ugly scratching post next to my sofa . That redirects her to the post and not my sofa!

[Anonymous]

The glass makes me more nervous than the wood, if you're thinking about cats. I'd worry then can knock the top over if they hit it the wrong angle.

My cats like to scratch upholstery - they've never tried to tear up our wood furniture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, thank you. I wasn’t sure if the cat could leave a mark just running across it. Not that our cats are allowed on tables, but one of them is a little stinker. He has been on our dining room table, which is slightly distressed, so it’s hard to tell.

It's very possible! I have had active young cats who raced across my coffee table and scratched it. It's probably only a risk for a few years, until stinker kitty is older.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you like the wood coffee table you should get it. Cats don’t scratch things just by walking on them because they walk with their claws retracted. The pads of their feet are soft.

Walking no. Running and propelling themselves off the table? Scratches. Ask me how I know ...