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Cats and leather furniture aren't always a good mix. Cat scratches can cause a lot of damage to delicate leather, and the marks that are left behind are often unsightly and need to be repaired in order to make the leather furniture look great again.
But don't worry, repairing cat scratches on leather furniture is easy enough, so long as you have the right products and know-how. And here at The Leather Colour Doctor, we can provide you with both.
To repair cat scratches on your leather sofa, you'll need to first identify the type of cat scratch you're dealing with, because believe it or not, your feline friend can do all sorts of damage to your leather sofas.
There are two main types: surface level scratches, and deep scratches. We don't have to tell you which one will take longer to repair...
Cat scratches on leather that only scratch the surface of the leather can be touched up quite easily. Here, the coating is the main thing that's damaged, not the leather itself. Damaged leather is easy to identify because there will be clear rips or tears in the leather, and you'll require an extensive leather repair kit to fix it.
To repair cat scratches on leather furniture that only damages the leather coating is a much easier process. It's usually a more straight line scratch indicating that the cat's claw marks have been left accidentally, causing only minor damage to the leather's surface without damaging the leather itself.
We'll talk you through how to repair the affected area when the damage is surface level below.
Deeper scratches will require a full leather repair kit to fix the issue. This sort of damage is caused when your cat is scratching leather furniture as a scratching post. Think about it. When a cat uses scratching posts, it does so to sharpen its claws, and it causes damage to the posts themselves. It's deliberate, so the damage caused to your leather sofa here will be more extensive.
The leather surface will be visibly damaged, with surrounding leather damage and fibres that have been plucked during the scratching. The damaged area here will be more extreme, and you'll know when you need to repair the leather with a full repair kit, rather than touching it up with simple fixes.
Again, we'll explain what you need for the fix below.
The beauty about working with us at The Leather Colour Doctor is that we've seen cat scratches in almost every walk of life. So our products can be used to fix a range of cat scratch damage on all kinds of leather goods:
If you notice a scratch, furniture or clothes, you'll be able to use our products to help treat the scratched area. Just make sure you read the instructions first and always use a patch test.
Fixing light scratches is an easy enough job. You'll simply need a leather re-colouring balm, designed to touch up leather where light damage has occurred.
A re-colouring balm essentially helps the scratches blend in with the colour of the surrounding leather. So long as your leather couch is a darker colour than the surface level scratches your cat has made, then this fix will work brilliantly. Be sure to pick out the right re-colouring balm for your sofa, remembering that if you buy a re-colouring balm that's lighter than your damaged leather, then it won't work.
Always do a small patch test first, somewhere inconspicuous, before you attempt to use it on an obvious area. That way, you can be certain our products are compatible with your leather. Our products are designed to work with all sorts of leather: aniline leather, faux leather, bi-cast leather, finished, and pigmented leather - but it's always best to check first.
Once the patch test has been successful, simply use the re-colouring balm to hide the minor scratch by re-colouring the scratched sofa's damaged area:
Believe it or not, for very, VERY minor scratches, you might be able to use just olive oil. Olive oil is one of the healthiest natural oils around, made up of oleic acid, fatty acids, and saturated fat - and a natural oil is great for leather. Using it to remove surface level claw lines from your cats is quite simple.
When repairing scratches that are a little heavier, you'll need a few different products to fix the cat damage.
Below we'll talk you through each step to ensure obvious deep cat damage leaves your scratched sofa and leaves you with a sofa that's as good as new.
The very first thing you'll need to do is some leather cleaning with our leather cleaner - included in our re-colouring kit above. This will remove any dirt from the surface and prep the area for new products.
The next part of your preparation is to use sharp scissors to trim the loose fibres from the damaged areas caused by your cats. This stage requires a steady hand, making sure you don't accidentally damage the couch or product further.
Next, you'll need to use a leather binder or leather glue. Apply a small amount to a sponge or q tip (cotton swab), depending on how big the damage is, and then apply the binder to the area. Allow to air dry, before repeating the process a total of 8-10 times for a strong hold. A few applications are required in thin layers to build up a stronger finish.
Now you can sand down the area, once the treated area is dry, of course, to create a smooth finish for the next stage of the fix. Use our sanding pad or fine sandpaper to lightly sand the area.
Take a heavy filler and a palette knife, and apply a thin layer to the area. The palette knife doesn't need a lot of product, so use sparingly. Leave to air dry between applications and repeat the process until the scratches are filled.
Once dry, sand the area again using our sanding pad. Follow this up with a quick clean using our alcohol cleaner.
Apply the first coat of leather colourant to the area. Apply the colour using a sponge with only a small amount of product.
Keep monitoring how the leather looks. If new scratches are revealed, simply repeat the processes above. Once everything is filled and sanded, apply coats of colourant in thin layers, being careful to follow the care instructions and safety manuals on the products. When you're happy with the colour, stop applying the colourant.
Finally, use the leather sealant to apply a nice finish to the leather, using a paper towel to wipe away any drips before it drys. The finish will give a nice sheen to the leather, making it look like new!
The best way to prevent cats from damaging your furniture, and other animals for that matter, is to keep them busy with things they ought to use.
If you've never bought a scratching post for your cat - invest. Leave it near their litter box or food so they know it's theirs to use, and eventually they'll learn that this is where they ought to scratch, not your furniture.
Keep up with regular leather care and cleaning, and hopefully you won't notice any surface level scratches in the future either.
With our expertise and products, we're sure we can help you. So, if you have any further questions about our products and how they can be used to repair cat claw damage, reach out today. We look forward to helping you with all your leather needs!
