One of my four cats has an odd habit - he rubs his cheek on the surface and then bites into fabric, papers, carpet, etc and rips upwards. We put in industrial carpeting so he would quit leaving bald spots in the carpet. All our blankets have holes so I don't put a quilt down without covering it fully with something else. The other three just shed upon, but don't shred, fabric.
Needless to say I don't leave fabric out on tables in between sewing sessions. The few times he has gotten ahold of my fabrics is my fault for leaving it accessible.
All four climb the furniture and scratch in various spots other than their posts (just upholstery, not wood). Just comes with the territory. Furniture isn't worth fretting over for us (but woe unto them if the books are damaged - Ha!). I guess everyone has different levels of what they can live with and what they can't stand.