I tanned a bobcat using safetee-acid and liqua tan. Everything appeared to go textbook. Yet when I put the skin over the form, it was too small. Could it have shrunk or the form have been too small. I used a McKenzie form and purchased the animal from a respectable company in NY.
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Could be both...the cat shrunk and the form is too big. Bobcats are a pain at times! They vary a lot from region to region, apparently, in structure. Some forms I've seen look like they were made for our bobcats...on steroids, maybe! If a cat is borderline on size, I always go with the smaller form. I usually have problems with the shoulders and hips being too wide on the forms. And the legs are often times too thick and have to be shaved down a lot. It really helps to test fit the cat onto the form. I use ear turners inserted into the legs to stretch them so they'll go on easier, too. If you have to (and it seems I have to a lot), pare down the form until it fits, keeping the anatomy as correct as possible, of course. Also, measuring the carcass will help in ordering the right size.
I personally really like Brian Harness' Ozark Woods forms. Superbly sculpted! Jan Van Hoosen and Vic Heineker have nice cat forms, too. And there are others out there, just can't remember their names right now!
Over time, you'll learn which forms fit the cats in your area best.
Hope this helps!
the form or the cat? I read your post a few times and need more info. Did you receive a whole frozen cat, skinned green, what measurments did you use and off of what, carcess or green or tanned skin. Cat skins are very loose on their bodies, grab a handfull of house cat and you have a lot of skin in your hand. If you measured the grith and length off a overly stretched green hide, it will not fit properly on the form after tanning. I always use the carcess to measure, if not the tanned hide. Also don't believe what someone tells you how big it was, measure it yourself...Paul