I am now working on my bobcat and have the paws and pads all fleshed out and lips and ears turned but was wondering if an artificial nose would be a good idea and if not, do I remove all the cartilage in the real nose or just leave enough to keep its shape.
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The artifical nose is the way to go ,but you can also thin down the nose as well ,but you still can get shrinkage
Shave the nose down thin and then fill with magic sculpt before mounting. Use a sculpting tool to model the nose to shape and pin the edges with quilting pins. The Magic Sculpt will not give an inch and when the nose pad is dry it will be right where you put it. And I DO hope that was the right place....LOL
If your nose pad does shrink or does not meet your satisfaction you can build it up with epoxy sculpt and then touch it lightly with sand paper to re-texture it. It will look as good as the original if done right. Good luck.
I have never used an artificial nose on Bobcats. I have mounted many using natural nose. Just thin down as with any other animal, put a little clay in behind, shape and watch until it dries. It will turn out fine.
If this is your first cat. I would use the real nose and thin it all the way. Take your time you can get all the cartilage out. I use apoxie sculp behind the real noses. An artificial nose is the way to go but they are hard to get set correctly the first time. If its your cat then go for it and use an artificial one if its for some one else use the real one. Good luck cats are fun to mount. Keep those nails in unless you have it grabbing something lol. Jack F