Cat fur is fun to touch, whether on or off the cat! Our youngest son insists on keeping all brushed-out cat hair in a round container he calls his “hairball”. Having done some wool yarn weaving in years past, and while looking at the growing pile of hair I have brushed out of one of our cats each day, I began to idly wonder about the feasibility of weaving with shed cat hair.

My research has shown me that those who regularly weave using domesticated animals’ clipped wool and hair (sheep, goats, llama, alpaca) have also on occasion experimented with spinning and weaving shed wolf hybrid and longhaired cat fur. By shed, we mean brushed-out undercoat fur that has been collected over a period of time. Cat fur (properly termed hair) is generally far too slick and short for spinning and weaving on its own. Those who use brushed-out feline hair generally mix it with a fine wool.

Most weavers try this for a specific purpose. For example, I read about a dying longhair cat having been brushed and the shed fur carded, spun and woven. The family wanted to keep the finished woven piece as a touching, touchable memento of their beloved feline. Others have wanted to relieve a longhaired cat’s suffering from a very hot summer and so clipped the cat’s fur short. The clipped fur was then spun and woven into a hat that became a gift for an older family member who loved cats.

In a series of four articles, Jerilyn Monroe discusses spinning wolf/dog shed hair into yarn. She does this to promote saving wolves and wolf hybrids. Typically the collected brushed-out fur would be washed repeatedly and mixed with fine wool such as merino. Two hand devices are usually used to turn hair into weaveable fiber: carders and a spindle.

• Carders — two of these brush-like hand devices are used to untangle fibers prior to using a spindle.
• Drop spindle — the spindles I have seen are wood dowels with a weighted circular base attached at one end, and a hook. It is used to spin fibers into yarn while winding the fibers to the proper consistency.

Not That You Would Do This, But

Commercial use of cat or dog fur (or meat — shudder) is illegal in New Jersey. The law in question (S1815) offers legal protection against abuse to numerous domesticated species. For details see New Jersey Legislature Bill No.S-1815.

The only exemption is “This section shall not apply to the sale or barter, or offering for sale or barter, of the fur or hair of a domestic dog or cat cut at a commercial grooming establishment or at a veterinary office or clinic or for scientific research purposes.” It sounds like this particular law was written to stop people from skinning (shudder, again) cats and dogs, or using their body parts in commerce. Presumably, it wouldn’t prevent you from weaving your own cat’s shed fur into a gift for a friend, but heck, I’m not a lawyer and I don’t even play one on the Web.

We have seen “toys” imported from Asia that were made by killing and skinning cats. We find this horrifying. True spinners and weavers do not kill the animals whose wool or hair they use!

For Further Information

If you are a weaver or spinner, here are some resources for more information:

• Tips on Spinning Cat Hair
• Jerilyn Monroe 4 part article