Fixing a cat scratch on leather furnitrue is a two step process. First, the wound has to be filled with a repair compound that is chemically engineered for leather repair. Second, the repaired scratch has to be colored over with a leather color that matches your leather.
The repair process itself is a bit tricky. There are a number of different versions of cat scratches on leather. There is a gouge scratch with a flap, a gouge scratch without a flap, and a simple tiny puncture. Each is treated differently in applying the repair compouind. For example, the gouge with a flap involves applying a tiny dot of repair compound, and gently pressing the flap back into the wound and holding it place until the repair compound sets up. If you put to much repair compound into the wound, it will swell the leather fibers of the flap and you end up with a small lump. A "T" pin is an excellent tool for this procedure. Use the business end of the pin to put the repair compound into the wound, then follow that by turning the pin around and with the top of the "T" press the flap back into place.
Now the hard part; color matching. This requires experience or help. Typically a professional should be involved to assist you in getting the color right. One strategy is to send a swatch of leather to a leather repair company that can create the color for you.
In the end however, it might be more effective to hire a leather repair technician to solve the problem for you. An effective web site for this and other leather furniture repair and restoration issues is: www.advleather.com
Kevin Gillan, March 2007
