forgot to mention, we do have a cat tree, separate scratching post, and a scratching mat on the floor.

Off the top of my head, some things you can try:

Different cat foods have different ingredients. I suspect that the staining from your cats' throwing up is the result of some of the dyes used in the cats' food. Changing the food might help.

Clipping their claws *might* help a bit with the claw marks.

I have found a good quality micro-fiber upholstery to hold up well with cats. It does collect cat fur, but it can be vacuumed off.

Try different litters--some produce much less dust than others.

Vacuum before you mop. Or use a dust mop before the wet mop.

You can't totally prevent "inappropriate elimination" (my favorite term for cats peeing everywhere), but once it's happened, I'd keep the cat confined to a small, easily cleaned area until the cat has seen a vet. Don't give the cat the chance to repeatedly go outside the box.

Just don't get new furniture that matches your cats' fur! You won't realize just how covered in fur it is, until a guest stands up and their rear end, clad in black pants, is now a tan and buff colored rear end.

I agree about the food ingredients. I soon learned, for example, not to give my cats any treat with red dye in it or they barfed up red on the carpet. I've recently also found that other treats have some yellow dye that produces the same result. So read labels carefully. I also swear by Spot Shot cleaner--it really does take out stains! Of course it helps to get to them as quickly as possible. Like a lot of cat owners, I tend to do cat patrol in every room every day--just a quick look around to spot barf.

I also agree about litters. I use Everclean. It is more expensive but well worth it in cutting down on both dust and smell.

Hair is inevitable. Brushing does help, but I certainly vacuum more often than if I didn't have cats. I sewed up some cloth that matches my good couch and chair and I cover them with it when I don't have company as the cats like to snooze on them. It looks fine for everyday and has preserved the furniture for many years so far. On the other hand, my cats have also destroyed another chair in my study but I just live with it. It is useless to get a new one as they will just do the same thing.

Great thread - thanks! I hope to learn a few things I can apply.

Buy a "furminator" or the one that is just like it but costs less. Many yrs I saw that in the stores and thought what sucker would pay $30 for that little thing. I only bought it bc our neighborhood pet store lets you return things that you try and dont like. I'm absolutely sold on it! You won't believe the tons of fur you'll get off your cat - which means that there's less on YOU.

I dont mess with a wimpy vacuum for home use - I use my big ole shop vac with upholstery attachment (like you see at a car wash).

The worst problem I have is my 22 yr old cat doesn't bother to groom anymore or get the kitty litter out from her toes - so she tracks kitty litter into BED so I am constantly having to sweep it out sometimes in the middle of the night. UGGGHHHHHH! All I can do is try to remember that I should enjoy her purring next to my head at night, while I still can.

we have 3 cats in our home. Not that I like all 3 of them in the house. But I will tell you leather is not something you want around cats. When you clean your wood floors use a dry mop to get most of the hair ect off the floors 1st. and little trick spray bottle of water. When your cats Jump on something You dont want them on Say NO and spray them with the water. It does work and work well. For the litter problem put a Rug or mat down under the litter box(s). It does help some. I am not saying that my house is 100 clean all the time. I have way to many pets to try to keep up all the time. But My cats stay in my office most of the time. that is where there cat tower is and where i keep their food and water and litter boxes. Most of the time I have to kick a cat off my office chair but it is better then kicking them off the sofa.

Thanks
I am looking for a dog fence or similar and add clear plastic to fence off the walkway into the formal living room. any suggestions?
I have also seen training system that gives warning beeps and colors that gives a mild static shock. Anyone have this?

You don't spray cats with water to teach them. Not a good idea at all.Fill up a can with pennies and shake it when you remove them from places they shouldn't be and say NO.. Shock collars for cats NO NEVER!

If the urinary problem was a one time issue I don't understand why it prevents you from getting another sofa.

It sounds like you're wanting a quick solution to a problem that can be fixed by performing basic housekeeping.
Vacuum regularly and use hepa or a high quality filter bags. Clean the cats litter boxes 1-2 times a day and dust at least once a week.
But first, get rid of the clutter.....this will make cleaning much easier.
I feel the cats are getting blamed when the problem lies elsewhere. Plenty of people own more than one cat and they manage to live in their homes without foil on the sofa and drop cloths on the table.

As mentioned above, forget about using electronic collars on a cat. As for static mats, I once used them to keep a kitten out of the LR. They worked for awhile, then my cat learned to just jump over them.

We have some cat gates we use to close off a couple bedrooms. They are high enough and the bars are close enough so the cats can't get through. Check a good pet store for the gates.

I can totally sympathize. I love my two kitties, but I like having a clean home too. People who come to my house never know we have cats unless the kitties make an appearance. Here's what I've found to help:

* * Hairball prevention - we give our kitties organic, cat nip flavored hairball treatment every week. It helps cut down on the hairballs TREMENDOUSLY. Also, I have noticed in many years of owning cats that they tend to barf up hairballs at night time. So, in the past I would confine my kitties to "their room" whether it was the basement, extra room, whatever (where their litter was) during the night.

* * The Furminator - THE. BEST. CAT HAIR BRUSH! Has reduced shedding by as much as 80% with a once a week combing. It was expensive, but worth every red cent. Be carefull not to overdo it; it's easy to do.

* * Get a good vaccum and do a thorough vaccum once a week. Not fun, but necessary.

* * Clean the litter regularly!!!! I can't emphasize this enough. Cats are very clean creatures and do not like to use a dirty box. For two cats, you should ideally be scooping twice a day and completely changing out the litter (if it's clumping) at least once a month.

* * One cat litter box for each cat. We have two, and each kitty has their favorite "spot" in each box.

* * Trim the nails regularly and keep on them with the nail caps. They will eventually get used to them. FYI, leather is the worst to have with cats...trust me I know. This past year, we bought a new, microfiber sectional that is grey...the same color of my cats! I clean regularly, but the "cammoflage" helps. ;-)

* * Use one of those sticky, tape lint rollers or some of the newer, reuseable hair remover gadgets out there. Have one tucked away in the living room and bedrooms for spot cleaning.

* *Astroturf (that green patio carpeting) is great for catching stray litter outside the litter box and preventing it from being tracked through the house. We have a huge piece that we bought at Home Depot on the floor under the litter boxes. It really helps.

* * Scratches on furniture...well, that comes with having cats. You can touch up scratches on natural wood with one of those polish pens. People say you can "train" cats not to jump on certain things, and you can....at least while you're in the room/house, but they will and do jump when you're not at home. Try to train them to not jump on certain things...at least that will help lessen the damage.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Furminator

I think gardengrl gave you great advise. Honestly, you can't have cats (or dogs) and not expect to have cat hair in your house. I have one cat and vacuum at least every other day. Get a good vacuum (I have a Dyson) because pet fur can really stick to the carpet.

My cat pukes hairballs at least once a week. I have learned the best way to remove without staining is to actually let it dry up on the carpet -- then use an old butter knife to scrape it up, vacuum, then use stain remover if necessary. Dumping any stain remover on a fresh hairball with definitely make it worse!

Lastly, move the litter box as far away from your living area as possible. There will always be litter scattered near the box -- vacuum it!

Cats are low maintenance, I think, but definately, not NO maintenance.

Yeah some good advice - will definitely try the astroturf under the litterboxes.

WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS - how to detect cat puke BEFORE I step into it?

Ewwwwww - hate that!!!!