Treating cat scratches on leather furniture

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Cat scratches on a sofa are common and usually more treatable than you might think. The right approach depends on the type of damage. These instructions describe the five most common cases.

Before we start: do these instructions apply to my leather?

These instructions apply to pigmented, plain-coloured, satin-matt smooth leather, the most common type of furniture leather. Different procedures apply to aniline, suede or artificial leather.

Pigmented smooth leather:

Pigmented smooth leather has a colour layer on the surface. A drop of water rubbed in does not penetrate the leather, but beads up. Pigmented smooth leather is generally satin-matt and has a grained surface.

Aniline leather:

Aniline leather is open-pore smooth leather. A drop of water rubbed in is absorbed and darkens the dampened area.

Suede leather:

Suede leather has a velour-like surface. Nubuck leather has a very fine nap. Velour leather has a heavier nap, like the reverse of leather.

PU leather:

PU leather, also called Bycast leather, is split velour with a polyurethane coating applied so that it looks like smooth leather. PU leather is easily recognised by its gloss and plastic-like feel.

If your leather is NOT pigmented smooth leather, please contact us with a few photos so that we can understand the situation. We will then be happy to advise you on further options.

Typical case 1 Cat scratches that mainly stand out because of the colour difference

On leather with a strong, dense fibre structure at the surface and colour layers that are not too thick, scratches and signs of use are mainly noticeable because of the colour difference.

On leather with a strong, dense fibre structure and a thin colour layer, cat scratches show mainly as a colour change: the scratches are lighter (or darker on light leather) and the surface is slightly roughened. In addition, the scratches stand out due to the injury to the surface. The leather is then too roughened in this area.

Procedure:

Procedure

Step 1: Cleaning

Clean the leather completely with Colourlock Leather Cleaner mild. Use the Leather Cleaning Brush to help.

Step 2: Smoothing

Smooth roughened areas in circular movements with Colourlock Sanding Pad

Step 3: Degreasing

Degrease the damaged area with Leather Cleaning Spirit.

Step 4: Matching the colour

Match the colour damage with our Colourlock Leather Fresh smooth-leather tints in a matching colour. Dab in circular movements from seam to seam; for local damage, work with Colourlock Mini Brush. Dry the areas with a hair dryer in between.

Fill remaining depressions with Colourlock Fluid Leather (liquid leather), then lightly conceal them again with Leather Fresh.

Step 5: Care

Finally, care for the areas with Colourlock Leather Care. This also protects the colour repair.

Damage from cat scratches with visible colour differences cannot be repaired invisibly, especially where there are many of them. However, a significant improvement can be achieved.

Product recommendations

Note: (Clicking on products adds them to the shopping basket, after which they can be ordered)

Note on colour selection: after selecting the products you want, click “Add to basket”. You will then be taken to the colour selection.

  • Leather Fresh Colour and Protect Set

Contents:

  • 1 x Leather Cleaner mild 250 ml
  • 1 x Leather Care 100 ml
  • 1 x Degreaser 250 ml
  • 1 x Leather Fresh 100 ml
  • 1 x Sanding Pad
  • 1 x Leather Cleaning Brush brown
  • 1 x Foamer Bottle/foam applicator bottle
  • 2 x Viscose cloth
  • 1 x Cleaning & Application Sponge medium (90x55x35mm)
  • 2 x Nitril Gloves
  • Mini Brush Set of 10

Please select a colour:

“I also need Fluid Leather” – please select a colour:

Typical case 2 Raised triangular tears

Leather with a thicker colour layer shows raised edges from cat scratches, known as triangular tears. The colour difference is less noticeable than the raised edges.

ProcedureThere is no missing material in the area of the raised edges. The task is to return the raised edges to their previous position. To do this, apply a minimal amount of Colourlock Leather Glue with the Mini Brush to the inside of the raised edges. Wipe off the excess beforehand. Allow the glue to dry slightly with a hair dryer and press the edges flat again with the back of the Mini Brush. Remove excess glue in the direction of the grain with a cloth dampened with Leather Cleaning Spirit.

If some visibility remains, the colour can be matched again as described in “Typical case 1”.

IMPORTANT: such damage cannot be repaired invisibly, and repair work involves a great deal of time. Take the necessary time and work forwards in sections. You will soon notice whether the improvements achieved are worth the effort.

Product recommendations

Note: (Clicking on products adds them to the shopping basket, after which they can be ordered)

Note on colour selection: after selecting the products you want, click “Add to basket”. You will then be taken to the colour selection.

Treating triangular tears

  • Leather Glue
  • Mini Brush Set of 10

If some visibility remains

  • Leather Fresh Colour and Protect Set

Contents:

  • 1 x Leather Cleaner mild 250 ml
  • 1 x Leather Care 100 ml
  • 1 x Degreaser 250 ml
  • 1 x Leather Fresh 100 ml
  • 1 x Sanding Pad
  • 1 x Leather Cleaning Brush brown
  • 1 x Foamer Bottle/foam applicator bottle
  • 2 x Viscose cloth
  • 1 x Cleaning & Application Sponge medium (90x55x35mm)
  • 2 x Nitril Gloves

Please select a colour:

“I also need Fluid Leather” – please select a colour:

Typical case 3 Pulled leather fibres

For some types of leather, especially embossed split leather often used on the carcass (sides and back), there is a loose fibre structure beneath the colour layer. Cat scratches pull these fibres forwards so that they protrude from the scratch.

Procedure

The pulled fibres cannot be pushed back. They must be removed as close as possible to the surface with nail scissors. For large areas, a razor blade can also be used, but please work very carefully to avoid making the damage unnecessarily worse.

Remaining raised edges are glued down as described in “Typical case 2”, and any remaining visibility is matched again as well as possible as in “Typical case 1”.

Product recommendations

Note: (Clicking on products adds them to the shopping basket, after which they can be ordered)

Note on colour selection: after selecting the products you want, click “Add to basket”. You will then be taken to the colour selection.

Treating triangular tears

  • Leather Glue
  • Mini Brush Set of 10

If some visibility remains

  • Leather Fresh Colour and Protect Set

Contents:

  • 1 x Leather Cleaner mild 250 ml
  • 1 x Leather Care 100 ml
  • 1 x Degreaser 250 ml
  • 1 x Leather Fresh 100 ml
  • 1 x Sanding Pad
  • 1 x Leather Cleaning Brush brown
  • 1 x Foamer Bottle/foam applicator bottle
  • 2 x Viscose cloth
  • 1 x Cleaning & Application Sponge medium (90x55x35mm)
  • 2 x Nitril Gloves

Please select a colour:

“I also need Fluid Leather” – please select a colour:

Typical case 4 Total loss because furniture has been used too much as a scratching post

If the cat or cats have permanently used the sofa as a scratching post and large areas are affected, a do-it-yourself repair is no longer sensible. The damage is too numerous and widespread for a visually satisfactory self-treatment.

In such cases, professional reupholstering or buying a new item is the cleanest solution. We will be happy to advise you regarding reupholstering.

Typical case 5 Artificial leather furniture with triangular tears

Cat scratches are also typical on artificial leather furniture. Due to the plastic coating on the underlying textile, the damage often resembles the description in “Typical case 2”.

As in “Typical case 2”, individual areas can be glued back down and remaining visibility matched, but it will always only be an improvement, and treatment requires time and craftsmanship to achieve a worthwhile repair. For widespread damage, repair is therefore not recommended because no satisfactory result can be expected.

Colour after-treatment with Leather Fresh is possible, but only while the area to be treated is not too large.

Product recommendations

Note: (Clicking on products adds them to the shopping basket, after which they can be ordered)

Note on colour selection: after selecting the products you want, click “Add to basket”. You will then be taken to the colour selection.

Treating triangular tears

  • Leather Glue
  • Mini Brush Set of 10

If some visibility remains

  • Leather Fresh Colour and Protect Set

Contents:

  • 1 x Leather Cleaner mild 250 ml
  • 1 x Leather Care 100 ml
  • 1 x Degreaser 250 ml
  • 1 x Leather Fresh 100 ml
  • 1 x Sanding Pad
  • 1 x Leather Cleaning Brush brown
  • 1 x Foamer Bottle/foam applicator bottle
  • 2 x Viscose cloth
  • 1 x Cleaning & Application Sponge medium (90x55x35mm)
  • 2 x Nitril Gloves

Please select a colour:

“I also need Fluid Leather” – please select a colour: