I am preparing to mount a cat and I am led to believe that the fur on the back of the head is hard to set right. The fur comes off the scalp and straight out; obviously skinning the cat will make the fur lie down. What is the best method for getting the fur to stick out head at the correct angle and remain?
Just on a personnal note: I found it on the road and it had no name colour or owners microchip so I can't find the owner. At least I can give it an indefinite good home.
Kindest regards
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If you're not in the USA, it's of no consequence how or where you acquired the cat, so don't worry about it. Just mount it and have fun.
As for getting the hairs on the backskull to be poofy, just brush them backwards like you would in a living cat. Keep brushing them backwards until the skin is firmly glued in to the mannikin. You can use a washable styling gel product to do this too.
The hairs on the inside of the ears will give you WAY more trouble, and make sure to get those whiskers and eye whiskers all positioned right. Don't forget the whisker pads and chin whiskers.
If your cat is a darker color, make sure to stain the leather on the INSIDE (glue side) a dark color, between the ears and eyes, so that the whiteness won't show through after tanning.
Check out www.catster.com for over 65,000 reference pictures of cats being cats! You'll get great ideas there.
I never mount road kill cats simply because if it were my cat I wouldn't want any one else to. Some littel girl might be crying at home while her parents are looking for her lost kitty. I would rather know my cat died that not know what hapened to it.
There is nothing you can do now about picking it up but say in a while a custumer comes into your shop, sees this cat and recognizes it (an identifying mark). Maby this custumer isn't pleased that you pick up random peoples animals. Maby it was there cat or there neighbors. Anyways you might loose a custumer so think twice, I know I wouldn't do it.
Greg, I fully agree with your sentiments and I could return the animal to the owner then I clearly would. I am just learning to do taxidermy and my items are not for sale but I understand exactly what you have said about customer relations.
My view is, and please disagree, is that the animal is better stuffed in my house, than picked up and disgarded by the council. Please don't think that I am callous but it has been in my freezer for three months waiting for someone to put up missing cat notices.
Kindest regards
I could open up a big disscusion about this but it would just lead to the cat shouldn't have died. I'm sure that both of us could find reasons why tha other is wrong but could not fine a justifiable reason why we are right.
Do what you like, I am just saying that I would not mount it.
Sorry I cant help with your question.
LOve cats taste like chicken, just thought about it. If a person can not take care of a pet it is fair game. if onside of the road
Or maby the person respected/loved there cat so much they didn't want it to be locked up inside, so they let it be an outdoor cat.
The cat didn't kill itself so it must be the drivers fault.
(If it is the drivers fault this destroys you argument)
But then you have to know if the owner is at fault for not taking care of there cat or the driver is at fault for killing the cat that was loved so much that it was given freedom.
So you must know the owner of the cat and his reasons for letting the cat loose before you can say it is fair game.
Of course there are more possibilities of the reason the cat was loose, it escaped, is a feral cat, ect. All of which you need to know before you come to a conclusion of wether it is right or wrong to pick it up and mount it.
I said in my seccond post, and I quote "could open up a big disscusion about this but it would just lead to the cat shouldn't have died".
I also said "Do what you like, I am just saying that I would not mount it."
P.S. If you mentioned the tast of cat to waver my argument it didm't work because I have tasted cat meat and it is good, however I wouldn't say that it tasted like chicken. (I have Thai neighbors)
Greg,
I agree entirley with your sentiments and I respect your opinions and comments - I shall not be starting are debate regarding the above matter.
As for the taste of cat, I have never knowingly had any but in the UK several take aways have been shut down for serving food that was, cat, dog, Hering gull etc. So, I may of tried it.
Thank you for the return messages
Kindest regards