Cat attacking kids?

We have a 4mth old cat. He is a lovely cat but unfortunately he has a very bad habit of attacking the kids, especially when they are asleep in their beds. He has also clawed holes in my literally 1 day old leather lounge.

He has scratching posts. He knows he isnt allowed on the couch. He knows not to bite or claw anyone but he does it anyway. Ive tried just about everything to get him to stop.

Its at the point where the kids are not fond of him anymore. It pains me to think I might have to take him back to the RSPCA :(

Any idea's?

The kids sleep with their doors open so closing their doors to keep him out wont work, but locking him in the laundry as soon as its bedtime isnt cool either *sigh*

Is it an indoor cat?
It might be wanting to play in the evenings so maybe if you get it some toys you can distract it from your children. A water pisrol filled with water can be a good deterrent but only if the cat doesn't see you shooting it - you want to make it think that it is an act of God that occurs every time it does whatevr you don't want it doing.
Do you keep it's claws trimmed?

I have no ideas sorry :( I hope you can work something out x

He has plenty of toys and gets plenty of play.
I wasnt aware you could trim their claws but a friend is a groomer and she said she will do it for me tomorrow. Hopefully that atleast protects the couch.

Has anyone used the cat deterent spray on their furniture???

ETA - Yep he is indoor. Never an outdoor cat.

I've never used the spray but I used to put tin foil on my bench tops. They hate walking on it. Maybe you could tin foil your furniture for a while. At least you would be safe from aliens if not your cat.
They hate citronella and citrus smells so maybe you could put citronella in your kid's rooms.

Use cat language to discipline. ie Hiss when they're naughty/stare at them directly with big eyes, remove them from the scene of the crime. If you pull gently on the back of their neck when you pick them up to put them in time out, they tend to stay still because it's similar to the way the mother cat lifts them. Similarly purring to him and squinting when you look at him when he's behaving nicely provides reward for the correct behaviour.

I suspect the major part of your distress involves the very brand new leather lounge. I don't have leather furniture for that very reason - too tempting and too easily damaged. Even quick little jumps can leave holes. You should cover it with a thick quilt or blanket until you get a handle on kitty's behaviour.

Would you feel happier shutting him into a room overnight if he had a nice cosy little nest up on a ledge or in hidey hole? Not ideal but when he's a little older and calmer he can earn bedroom access rights.

Thanks for your replies!

I spoke to the vet about it yesterday when I took him for his vaccinations and well-kitty check. She said that it would be fine to trim his claws right down as he is a strictly indoor cat and does not need super long claws. She is only anti claw clipping if the cat is allowed to roam outside. She said that I should trim them regularly as he would have little natural trimming done being an inside pet. Apparently if they arent naturally shortened they just grow and grow and grow. She also told me about these claw cover things, if I get desperate.

So a friend who is a groomer showed me how to trim his front claws and voila, no scratching skin and no holes in couch. Happy family and happy cat.