Dear All,
Please forgive me in advance for my general lack of knowledge in your very specialist field, but I have a query and I'm certain that you're the people to ask!
Approximately two months ago, Miggins the cat (she had belonged to an elderly relative with whom I live) sadly passed away. Understandably, my elderly relative was devastated. However, little did she know that, following the unofficial funeral ceremony I did in fact exhume Miggins and stow her safely and discreetly in our deep freeze, beneath a pile of frozen sweetcorn.
My plan is to resurrect Miggins with the art of taxidermy, and present her to my eldery relative as an 85th birthday present. I am keen to do the job well, and seek any advice from you. The body is in a good state - it was barely 24 hours between death and freezer - so it's really just a matter of thawing it out and getting stuck in.
Finally, I am considering mounting Miggins in a "standing-up" position - that is to say, on her two hind legs, as a person stands. This is mainly because I fear that if my elderly relative were to see her beloved cat EXACTLY how she remembered her, it might bring back too many sad memories. If Miggins were to be standing, this might be avoided - she would be recognizable, but in an entirely new form... (also, I admit that I'm rather looking forward to the challenge!)
So, any advice will be gratefully received - which tools to use, which chemicals to buy, tips on standing Miggins up, that sort of thing.
Many thanks, everyone, and best wishes
Noel Basingstoke.
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...I don't think I'd want to be surprised with. (It sounds as though you wish to surprise her, correct?)
Unless she has mentioned it before, she may be appalled by the thing. Or worse, she may have a heart attack right on the spot! Having a pet taxi'd should be the owners decision. And even then, I understand that most folks aren't happy with it because it rarely does Fido justice.
Just my opinion, but I think you should ask her first.
And, remind me NOT to have any sweet corn at your house - lol!
When you present this present to the poor lady I hope she doesnt have a heart attack but I would recomend freeze drying it for her if she is not your mother in law and your not trying to upset her. Freezedrying is the only way to do that pet becouse she knows the pet every expression it makes every way it curls its tale you will never get it right and she will not apreciate all of your hard work in fact may sue you for desicrating poor miggins corps Id send it to the freeze dryer thats the only way youll get it right and even that could be questionable either way good luck
Dear Marty,
Many thanks for your concern regarding my elderly relative. The intention is most definitely to surprise her, but it is a surprise I am certain she will welcome. In order to ensure, however, that your worst-case scenario does not occur (ie, that she is not delighted, but in fact appalled at seeing Miggins stuffed and mounted on her 85th birthday) I plan to drop a few subtle hints running up to the big day. Among these will be something along the lines of "Did you ever consider getting Miggins stuffed and mounted?" I will make the decision to present it to her based on her response. If I decide she'd prefer to keep Miggins as nothing more than a happy memory, then I will still press ahead with the planned taxidermy. I can always keep the finished piece in my own bedroom, which my elderly relative never enters.
I am, however, 100 per cent confident that she will love this gift. Thanks for voicing your worries, but they are unfounded.
(And yes... avoid that sweetcorn!)
There's no discreet way to break this news to you, but YOU'RE the one who's in for the biggest surprise. I'd guess that 99% of taxidermists wouldn't touch that cat with a shovel. We cannot capture the "personality" of a personal pet. We are strictly limited to available eyes and forms (or we could skin the cat, boil the bones out, restructure the skeleton and make a mannikin) and is still would likely not look like the cat. Freeze drying is about the only viable option and even there, there's a risk. (Also that $500 for the first 10 pounds of cat and probably $100 for each additional pound). I'd suggest you buy her an airline ticket to Disneyworld and you go put the cat back under the dirt.
i would like to aplogise for noels unwarrented and rather disturbing question, I am the elderly relative that he speaks of and he has confessed all to me, after I went to boil some sweetcorn. You can imagine my horror and my need for my angina pills. He really is a lovely boy but sometimes he doesnt think things through properly. He would apologise himself but he is grounded for a week and that includes the interweb and the tv and the local childrens playground. However i did allow him to help me post this apology.
Meanwhile I have a query of my own. Is it allowed to have oneself 'stuffed' post mortum. I feel the cold hand of the reaper approaching and my continued presence would be a positive influence on Noel. If you have any advice it would be most appreciated.
Once again, our apologies;
Ethel
Someone sucked you all in, hook, line and STINKER. After all these years of the forums, you guys cant smell these out...yet?
The human is no exception to taxidermy.The epidermis is quite thin but with proper salting and pickling,a successful mount can be obtained.I prefer the dorsal cut so there isnt much sewing.Hopefully you have a few facial wrinkles because as the skin dries there will be more than just crows feet around your eyes.Thev only other problem will be your mammary glands.Lets hope they dont droop below your innie or outtie bellie button.I would need alot of excelsior.
I thought it may have been a stretch. But honestly, there are SO many bizarre people out there with strange ideas that nothing surprises me any more...
ive heard it many times and priced it out to freezedryer how ever It would be a cruel joke to play on a wicked mother in law unfortunatly mine is to mean to have pets they would run away as soon as they could im sure but I think WASCO has differant colors of human eyes and an outfit in Louisianna carrys a manikin for a female may have to make slight adjustments for the correct pose but on the bright side asuming she will be wearing cloths you should be able to cover seems well
I think the best suprise would be to serve the cat with the sweet corn, but dont tell her till midway through the meal.
If the cat died of old age, maybe i'd mount it, but if it died of a cancer,,,, Id put it back in the dirt.
Oh and Ethel,,, would you like a lifesize, or shoulder mount?
I think the best suprise would be to serve the cat with the sweet corn, but dont tell her till midway through the meal.
If the cat died of old age, maybe i'd mount it, but if it died of a cancer,,,, Id put it back in the dirt.
Oh and Ethel,,, would you like a lifesize, or shoulder mount?
How do we tell the weird ones from the dumb ones? LMAO Maybe Bill's got it down to a science. I wish he'd share.
John C, do you get who it is? SICK SOB! Yack, and then some... BB (Locked & Loaded)
Yeh Bill for seeing through it... glad I'm not the only one who sees how transparent these types of posts are... Bob, Jay, Lisa, Kelly, Noel, Ethyl, etc. Pathetic! Hope Ken deletes this thread in a day or two...
..."mount it standing up" was probably a flag to the experts out there. Maybe if it would've been in the "high five" position, I would have caught it - lol!
Dear All,
Suffice to say I can firmly vouch that I have never met "Ethel" before. The elderly relative with whom I live is not called "Ethel" and she is certainly not capable of posting a message on the internet. I fear we have been the subject of a forum invasion.
Back to the job in hand. I have read your comments and suggestions with great interest. I am particularly interested in the whole idea of "freeze-drying" Miggins. She is, as I have specified, already frozen - so how do I go about drying her? Is the process any similar to the preparation of instant coffee, for instance? (about which, I must add, I have no knowledge). It sounds worryingly like a specialist job, but one that - if necessary - I am more than willing to undertake.
But it sounds like I'm going to have to go down the traditional taxidermy route. So far, therefore, I have removed Miggins from the freezer and am waiting for her to thaw. I considered placing her in the microwave to speed the process up, but I don't want to cook her by mistake - and besides, I suspect it wouldn't be the most hygenic option.
Also, I see what George mean about the eyes... they will have to replaced, as they are looking rather demonic in their shrivelled state. Any suggestions for where I can purchase glass eyes?
Thanks everyone,
Best wishes,
Noel Basingstoke.
Marty, if we are wrong, so be it, but something aint right here, for sure. I feel like Im talking to the butler on Magnum PI, or that Giecko lizard. Just a shot in the dark here, but Noel, where are you from?
... Shoreham, in England. It's a small village outside London, actually in the county of Kent. Don't get it confused with Shoreham-on-Sea, however. That's also in Kent, and it's definitely not the same place at all! (The people of Shoreham have a bit of a "thing" about people getting the two mixed up...)
Due to the glorious Summer weather we're currently enjoying, Miggins is thawing out nicely. Pretty soon, I'll be able to start scooping out the insides. I hope this is the correct course of action... it certainly seems the most obvious!
Yours
Noel Basingstoke.
...SO CONFUSED!
Bill I think you're right that there isn't something right here, right?