I have ??? five cat beds in my sewing room, two of which are on my sewing table, in front of the window. My furry ones will pick a bed and stay there until they figure it's time to be fed their canned food (dry down all the time, canned at night). If I'm doing actual quilting (e.g., FMQ), all that fabric & batting scrunched up is too tempting and I'll have to roust someone! I also find that a cat-size scrap of fleece will distract them enough that they'll go lay on it instead of my current project.
Best yet, with the television on and the sewing machine running, I don't always hear the doorbell on the second floor. No problem with cats around -- they hear everything, their heads turning in unison to the door!