Learn How to Repair Cat Scratches on Leather With Olive Oil by referring to the tips and tricks in this article!
Leather is a durable and flexible material made from tanning raw skins of animals. If you have cats, it’s hard to save the leather articles from their claws. By keeping the items in the wardrobe, you can stop felines from scratching. However, the same can’t be done with leather furniture. Therefore, prepare counter hacks by reading this article on How to Repair Cat Scratches on Leather with Olive Oil.
How to Repair Cat Scratches on Leather With Olive Oil?
1. Identifying the Leather
To repair the scratch from a leather article, you should first identify the type of leather in particular. If the scratches are on a piece of furniture, the most common type of leather can be aniline leather, pigmented or finished leather, or bi-cast leather.
However, it is advisable to check for tags, bills, safety manuals, or care instructions that came with the leather article for better details. You can also call up the furniture store/manufacturer in this regard. It is vital to know the leather type as different types of leather needs different types of repair.
For this DIY, ensure that the leather is neither artificial nor vinyl. You can also perform a small patch test on the underside or a less conspicuous side of the leather article to know if this DIY would damage the material.
2. Type of Scratch
If only the coating of the leather has been scratched, it is a minor scratch and more comfortable to repair. However, if the leather has been partially or entirely cut through and you can see the underside, it is best to consult a professional.
3. Repair Cat Scratches on Leather With Olive Oil
Here’s how to fix scratched leather easily and inexpensively at home:
- Pour a small amount of olive oil directly over the scratch.
- Using a Q-tip or a cotton swab, rub the oil on the surrounding leather in a gentle circular motion.
- Let it rest for about an hour.
- Now, wipe off the oil with a clean cloth and observe the changes.
- If the scratches do not improve, repeat the process with more oil this time.
- Let the leather air dry for 12-24 hours before wiping it with a cloth.
- However, if you still do not observe any changes or repairs on the scratches, you should consult a professional.
How to Stop a Cat From Scratching Leather?
Below are some surefire ways to stop your cat from scratching leather articles.
- Kitty training is one of the easy and straightforward ways to protect your leather items from feline claws.
- Cover your leather articles with a cloth.
- Gift your furbaby a scratching board to play with.
- Spend more time with your pet.
Word Of Caution
Even though olive oil works a great deal to repair the scratches, it can pose more harm in the long run. Since leather once was an ‘animal skin,’ it works the same way as our skin. When you put oil onto it, the oil will seep into the back of the leather. And as you use olive oil, again and again, the oil keeps spreading into the leather and surfaces it as well.
Once this happens, your leather will start becoming worn out and will have oily spots. Therefore, it’s better not to use olive oil on leather more often because of leather’s saturating properties.