[Vision2020] Caturday (May 14, 2011)

[Tom Hansen]

Just when you thought you’ve seen everything . . .

 

Courtesy of the New York Daily News at:

 

http://tinyurl.com/Cat-Hairball-Jewelry

 

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Cat hair ball jewelry for fashion-loving feline owners; Blogger is creative
with cat fur accessories

 

Kate Benjamin wants to dispel the unfashionable image of the 'cat lady'.
That's why she teamed up with a jeweler to create unique cat 'hair ball'
jewelry.

 

Benjamin, the Phoenix-based author of the blog Modern Cat and designer of
innovative cat toys and products, wanted to do something with her cat's fur.
Everytime she brushed him, she had lots of fur left over. 

 

But could she do anything glamorous with it?

 

She turned to her friend, jeweler and fellow cat lover Heidi Abramson for
inspiration.

 

"I started with a good grooming session with several of the cats, then I
hand-rolled each ball of cat fur into a tight bead," she wrote in her blog.
"By rolling the loose fur between your palms, the strands become felted
together, forming a solid little bead. Heidi then transformed the beads
using her silversmithing skills and her amazing eye for modern design, and
voilà!"

 

Note to horrified readers: The accessories are made of shedded cat fur,
never the wet, revolting clods that cats cough up.

 

"I think the latter would be pretty nasty," Benjamin told the News.

 

Benjamin's tips in creating cat hair balls: It's important to keep the fur
in a loose pile before felting, otherwise you can end up with odd shaped
beads.

 

It takes practice, says Benjamin.

 

While you might think that your long haired Main Coon would make the most
luxurious hair balls, Benjamin recommends using fur from short haired cats.

 

And no flea-ridden fur, please.

 

"Be careful not to over-Furminate (the Furminator is a cat-brush with a cult
following) your cats!," warns Benjamin. "It's easy to do and then they end
up with what we call "pig fur" for a little while until it grows back. It's
not pretty."

 

If cat hair ball jewelry isn't for you, what else can you do with all those
mounds of fur?

 

"The biggest hit at my house is to make cat toys from the fur. Just a simple
ball, about 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter. The cats go crazy for the texture,
and no, it doesn't have to be their own fur," Benjamin said.

 

Abramson doesn't just design cat fur ball jewelry for her friends – she'll
also make it for you.

 

"I'd say, take your time, gather it up, send it to me and I'll go to work!
If I need more, I'll let you know," she told the News.

 

But while you might love to wear a little bit of Fluffy every day, is cat
hair jewelry a good idea for a gift?

 

"Probably the biggest concern would be with people who have allergies to cat
fur," said Benjamin. "Hairball jewelry is not recommended for them."

 

Also, your sweet kitty's fur might be, well, kind of gross to someone else.

 

"I'm not sure if I would want to wear jewelry made from the fur on someone
else's cats, it's kind of personal," she said.

 

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Model Justin Nations shows off original cat hair ball jewelry.

 

alg_hairball_jewelry2.jpg

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/05/11/alg_hairball_jewelry2.jpg

 

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Tips for creating feline couture necklace and brooch, above: Keep the fur in
a loose pile before felting, otherwise you can end up with odd shaped beads,
says Benjamin.

alg_hairball_jewelry.jpg

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/05/11/alg_hairball_jewelry.jpg

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Furry muse: Phoenix-based jewelry designer Heidi Abramson and her cat
Puccini.

 

alg_heidi_puccini.jpg

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/05/11/alg_heidi_puccini.jpg

 

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

 

Tom Hansen

Moscow, Idaho

 

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