Red McPatches

In our household we have three cats, one dog, 2.5 children - under 3 - and a second-hand couch I have no intention of replacing until the potential for extreme damage grows significantly less.

Before we had children, the beastly cats kept their scratching to the carpet we needed to replace anyway, and they've always stayed well away from my precious wingback chairs, so I paid their habits little attention. However, post-Monster-#1 the cats found another source for their clawed fury: the couch. The couch itself held up surprisingly well, and it took the cats several years to inflict real damage. Meanwhile, I learned the value of my hand-me-down couch, as I realized that, despite the light color, it hides toddler and pet dirt and grime shockingly well.

(See here the least of the damaged corners, and the second-worst of the damage.)

When Monster #2 started scooting in his walker the real problem (besides my occasional but fleeting embarrassment) surfaced: he found the (now giant) holes the cats made, and started eating the stuffing out of the couch. Oy. Obviously something now needed to be done, if only to keep the couch from killing my son. And that something wouldn't be a new couch to be destroyed.

So, I decided to patch things up. I've had some minor success with re-upholstery in the past, but I wasn't feeling up to covering the whole couch, so I resolved to hit the worst of the damage and leave it at that. The results, while not great, are at least satisfactory, and will keep the Little One from choking on fluff.

The job was relatively simple; I used red corduroy I had stashed with my sewing supplies, a curved upholstery needle, red thread, and a few light duty staples. Each corner took me 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete, and I recovered our (already read) throw pillows to match the same shade and tie it all together.


Of course, I'm certain the patches will quickly go the way of the couch, but it's a band aid that I'm capable of maintaining for awhile. It would be even better if I was capable of clipping cat #2's nails, but he hates anything that tries to touch him, so I have yet to catch the beast. Oh well. I do what I can, and for now I have a newly-patched couch and two cats with short nails.


And here are the culprits:


Mozart (An 18-pound cat in a small shoe box. Nice.)


Clutch, the one who won't let anyone hold him


Joplin, aka "The Miss"