Cats love to scratch, particularly when filing their nails. Well, I wouldn’t be bothered about this habit if Milla hadn’t groomed her nails on my leather couch. I invested my money months ago on luxuriant leather couch which is ruined thanks to my cat and its perfectly groomed nails. Since I can’t throw the couch away, even if it looks pretty bad (well, I can try sending Milla to her mother) I decided to fix those ugly scratches somehow.
So, if we are on the same page, you can scroll down a bit and see how I managed to fix these nasty cat scratches on my leather couch.
Of course, it won’t look like new, but the scratches aren’t so visible anymore. By the way, you should know there are two types of scratches:
- on the sides of the sofa where the cat has plucked out the fibres from the sofa
- on the seating cushion where the cat creates a straight line scratch
How to fix/repair cat scratches on leather sofa?
Things You’ll Need:
- Olive oil or baby oil
- Lanolin cream
- Shoe polish
- Rubbing alcohol
- Leather heavy filler
- Leather colorant leather finish
- Cotton ball/Q-tip
- 3 Clean cloths
- Hair dryer
- Scissors
- Sandpaper
Repairing minor cat scratches:
- Apply olive oil using a Q-tip directly onto the scratch by rubbing using circular motions the surrounding leather. Leave the oil dry then wipe it off with a clean cloth. Repeat the process if needed.
- The next step is to apply lanolin cream with a clean cloth to the scratched area, following the scratch line. Lanolin cream will smooth and repair the scratch but you will need several applications before the scratch becomes visible.
- Now, damp a cloth and apply it over the scratches and use the hair dryer to heat the leather by holding it close to the cloth. Look under the damp cloth and if the scratches are still there, repeat the heating process.
- The last step is to apply shoe polish over the scratches area. Be careful to find a shoe polish that matches your sofa. Use a Q-tip to apply the shoe polish by rubbing the scratch and then buffing it quickly.
Fixing deep cat scratches
- Clean the area deeply with rubbing alcohol. Soak a clean cloth in rubbing alcohol and rub the area. Let it act for 10 minutes until it dries (rubbing alcohol dries quickly).
- If the scratches are deep, the leather may be uneven and scuffed so, use a scissors to cut the hanging threads until is smooth.
- Apply leather heavy filler to fill any gasp of scratch in the leather sofa. Use your finger to cover the scratches with heavy filler. Let it dry for 30 minutes and then use the sandpaper to smooth the area.
- The next move is to apply the correct shade of the leather colorant using a sponge to dab gently the scratches. Apply as many coats as necessary.
- The last step is to apply the leather finish. This will seal and protect the dyed heavy filler. You need to apply 3 or 4 coats for a consistent finish.
