Save Your Furniture With Clawguard Furniture Shields - Review, Giveaway, and Interview With Founder Kevin Dixon

I’ve been fairly lucky with destructive scratching with Lexy and Lola. I say “fairly” because, at the end of the day, they are cats. I remember the fits my mother threw when our cats would scratch the furniture as well as I remember shredded couch arms. Compared to that, I am fairly lucky today. Lexy and Lola will scratch the furniture from time to time, even with scratchers nearby. I'm frequently redirecting them.

When my new furniture was delivered, I was very nervous thinking about how long it was going to be before signs of shredding showed up. I had tried some scratching solutions on my old furniture but was not happy with them. Although the claim was that it would not damage the furniture, it did just that. For years I had a big, sticky residue mark on my recliner that I could just not get off. I needed a new solution for my new furniture, and thanks to a friend I found CLAWGUARD. 

Making Connections

As Treasurer for the Cat Writers’ Association, I have hot off the press knowledge about the sponsors for our 25th Anniversary Conference, and I was very happy that CLAWGUARD was on the list. Of course I like making connections with brands, but even more so I love connecting with the people behind the brand. So when I attended Global Pet Expo in March and saw CLAWGUARD on the list of exhibitors, I just had to stop by their booth. I introduced myself to founder Kevin Dixon, thanked him for supporting CWA, and told him CLAWGUARD saved my furniture! Our conversation just took off from there. 

CLAWGUARD Furniture Shields 

According to MSPCA Angell, unwanted behaviors, such as destructive scratching, is a common reason cats are relinquished to shelters each year. The folks at CLAWGUARD say “Cats gotta scratch!”, and CLAWGUARD Furniture Shields were invented to let cats “Do what they gotta do!” The shields are protective sheets made of marine grade vinyl that are attached to your furniture with nickel plated upholstery twist pins. Everything is clear, so there’s no need to worry about them clashing with your décor. They’re perfect for use on couches, chairs, ottomans, or any other upholstered furniture in your home. Installation is a breeze, and repositioning is just as easy.  





Trust me, if I had no trouble installing them, neither will you! I had to reposition mine a couple of times, and I was worried that I would ruin the pin, but they held up well and didn't bed at all. (And you get a few extras, too, just in case!) 

Each package contains two protection sheets and a package of upholstery pins. The sheets come in four sizes; S, M, L, and XL. I have small on my loveseat. 

For a while I had a large installed, but switched to a small after I had the chance to assess the "scratching situation". LOL This works well for all of us now. (I moved the scratching post for the photo -it's usually closer to the loveseat to encourage the girls to scratch that instead.)
I thought I had everything under control and was very happy, and then... one day I found a spot on the side of the loveseat with some strings hanging. Apparently, the girls found a new place to scratch. That's when I got the CLAWGUARD Protective Tape out.

I admit, after my last experience with sticky stuff on my furniture I was a little nervous trying this. It adheres well, doesn't bubble, and the corners don't lift up. And after I repositioned it, there was absolutely no residue! Yay! 

The CLAWGUARD Story

The first CLAWGUARD product was the Door Shield. Kevin got the idea after he and his wife adopted their dog, Foster. "As Foster grew, signs of his anxiety began appearing around the apartment. He would chew on the cabinets, furniture, and carpet by the door. We tried everything to discourage Foster's scratching and to protect our doors. We lost so much money from pet deposits at each apartment. Lost deposits and damage repair were getting expensive", says Kevin. 

Six months after buying their first home, Foster had clawed the front door. Kevin bought several door protectors online but was dissatisfied with all of them. "Without a good solution available, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I engineered an attractive, durable and easy to use door shield design then cold-called a local plastic manufacturing plant to create the first Original Clawguard Door Shield." 

After getting a lot of positive feedback from friends, Kevin placed a large order with a local manufacturer, and the rest is history. "Since we started selling online, the popularity of the product has grown exponentially."  CLAWGUARD is now the top-selling door shield on Amazon, Chewy, and Wayfair.com.  In the past year, CLAWGUARD has launched into retail, partnering with over two dozen independent retailers and several large retail chains.  

Kevin Answers our Questions

I had a couple of questions for Kevin, and he was more than willing to answer them. 

LTRC: How and when did the idea for the furniture shield come about?

KD: Because I didn’t have a cat of my own, I was curious when we started receiving letters from cat parents who’d heard about the door shield and wondered if we had products to protect from cat scratching damage.

I created a flyer asking to interview cat parents about their experience with scratching and delivered them throughout my neighborhood. Within a week, a dozen cat parents responded. Surprisingly, each interview was similar. I learned cat scratching is instinctual, not bad behavior. Cats scratch and claw for many reasons, including removing the dead outer layer of their nails, marking territory by leaving visual and scent marks, and to stretch their bodies. The problem wasn’t the scratching, the problem was where the scratching was happening. After talking with cat behaviorists and research, I learned that by blocking the marked territory, cats can be encouraged to redirect clawing behavior to scratching posts, leaving your furniture clean and scratch free.

We tested several strengths and clarity of vinyl and found that Marine Grade works the best.  We officially launched Marine Grade CLAWGUARD Furniture Shields in the Fall of 2018. (Note: CLAWGUARD Protection Tape was also inspired by cats!) 

What response have you received from cat owners about the furniture shield?

We’ve received many emails and comments from customers sharing their stories. It’s been great to hear from cat parents about the success they are having with their newly adopted kittens and cats.

One story, in particular, comes to mind. Patti adopted a 5-year-old cat from a local shelter. The cat’s name was Simba. Soon after coming to her new home, Simba started clawing at the back corner and the front arm section of the sofa. Patti purchased CLAWGUARD Furniture Shields size Large and covered the 2 areas. She then purchased a scratch tree and placed it near the covered areas on the couch. When Simba would come near the Furniture Shields, she would gently move Simba’s paws to the scratch tree.  Over time, Simba started using the scratch tree as her primary scratching spot.  Over several days, Patti slowly moved the scratch post away from the couch and to the other side of the room.  Now her couch is no longer the claw target and both Patti and Simba are living in peace!   

Can you tell me a little about Foster's rescue story? 

My wife, Margo. and I took a casual trip to the Atlanta Humane Society intending to browse available dogs and cats and perhaps adopt at a later date. If you're a pet lover, you'll understand that few people leave a "casual" shelter visit without a new furry friend in tow, and we were no exception. When a bin full of Boxer-Sharpei puppies was laid in the center of the adoption area, all the shelter visitors flocked to see them. Next thing I know, Margo is holding a 12-week-old puppy who was wiggling around in her arms. It was love at first sight. An hour later, Foster was headed to his new home – our home.

Foster has since passed and we now have a new furry family member, Charlie Bear, who has his own Instagram account. (@charlie_bear_dog).

Pin Us!

What has been your greatest joy since launching CLAWGUARD products?

We love partnering with shelters, rescues, and organizations that are in the business of helping animals find and stay in their forever homes. We are committed and work tirelessly to make the world a better place for our dogs and cats. We donate to pet charities – it’s in our DNA! Every year we add new organizations to our quarterly donation partnership list. The stories and letters we receive in return bring us the most joy. We are thankful to be in a position to help and support animal welfare groups.

Most recently we partnered with the Humane Society of Charlotte (HSC) and gave away a CLAWGUARD Heavy Duty Door Shield to every new pet parent who adopted a dog or cat during March and April. We also provide a new pet checklist. Similar to preparing the home for a new baby, we believe the home should be prepared for a newly adopted dog or cat. With a well-prepared home, both the pet and pet parent will enjoy the rewards of a happy home. With over 200 adoptions, we were thrilled to partner with HSC.

It's a Giveaway!

Thanks to Kevin's generosity, one of our readers will win two packs of CLAWGUARD furniture shields - one S and one XL. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents, 18+ years of age, except where prohibited by law. The winners will be selected randomly by Rafflecopter and contacted via email and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize, and a new winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter. Please note that to qualify for the prize a comment must be left on this post. Giveaway closes on Thursday, June 8, 2019 at 12:00 am Eastern Time. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to everyone who enters! If you have issues with your cats or dogs scratching doors, furniture, windows, or anything else, you can purchase the CLAWGUARD product that works best for you here. 

To stay up to date with CLAWGUARD, make sure to follow them on social media. 

Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  | Youtube | Pinterest

And don't forget to follow Kevin's dog, Charlie Bear, on Instagram! 

Thank you, Kevin, for sponsoring this giveaway and for helping shelter pets! Lola and Lexy give the CLAWGUARD family four paws up! 

Thanks to CLAWGUARD my new furniture will keep looking new for a long time. If you've got scratching problems, this is your answer. 

Have you ever had scratching problems? 

Dawn 

    

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