The Artists Making Mementos Out Of Pet Hair
From cat tail choker necklaces to scarves and teddy bears, there really is no limit to what you can create using the fur of a beloved friend.
By Lara McCaffrey
One of Flora Davis’ pet hair creations on Etsy. (Credit: Flora Davis)
Some might think of pet hair all over their black clothes as a nuisance, something to capture with a lint roller and throw away. But there are a select few who share a different view, seeing their pet’s hair as a material that can be used for making jewelry, accessories, and afterlife mementos.
Flora Davis is one such person. She creates abstract jewelry using metal wiring and her cat Gaia’s 3-inch-long white hairs. On her Etsy store (Flora Davis Cat Hair Jewelry) where her products sell for between $40 and $230, she currently has for sale a pair of molded, spherical earrings made with cat hair, a metal cage pendant that contains a heart-shaped fur ball, and a Wilma Flintstone-esque necklace that looks like it’s made out of ridiculously large pearls, but no, it’s cat hair, too.
Davis was inspired to use fur for jewelry some 10 years ago while brushing Gaia’s coat. Being a long-haired cat, Gaia requires regular grooming. At some point, Davis picked up the habit of rolling the hair from these grooming sessions into tight, small balls using the palms of both her hands.
“Soon, balls accumulated everywhere,” Davis told OK Whatever. “On a whim, I gathered some up and placed them in a bowl. As I admired this collection, which reminded me of lovely soft white pearls, I was inspired to make a necklace. How wonderful, I thought, to be reminded of my beautiful cat in the form of a personal adornment.”
Artists have also realized the potentials of pet hair for memorializing and paying tribute to their furry friends. While Davis works with the fur of her own, still-living cat, some artists use hair from deceased pets.
Through Nine Lives Twine, textile artist Theresa Furrer sells knit, custom keepsakes like decorative heart pillows, scarves, beanies, throw blankets, mittens, and teddy bears — all made with yarn that’s been hand-spun from pet hair.
In addition to making keepsakes of cats and dogs, Furrer works with the fur of other animals so long as the critter had a “double coat” (two layers of fur) and hair at least 1.5 inches long.
Because she works with animals of so many different sizes, it’s vital for Furrer to get an idea of how much hair she’s working with whenever she takes on an order. It’s why she now requires customers to fill out a form ahead of time so that she can determine if the pet will supply enough hair for the keepsake the client wants. For example, a scarf, which costs between $230 and $345, requires at least 5 to 8 ounces of fur. Over the years, Furrer has honed her craft, learning the particulars of various types of pet hair.
“I've experimented extensively over many years, using countless breeds in hand spinning, felting, and needle sculpting,” she wrote on Nine Lives Twine’s website. “I've developed designs which allow for flexibility with sizing and stitching; some yarn is better used with a shell stitch, some with a tight stitch. There isn't a one size fits all formula for the designs. Each piece is unique and truly one of a kind, just like your pet.”
Furrer’s memorial products provide relief and comfort to people who’ve lost their beloved pets, and Nine Lives Twine’s website is full of testimonials, like this one:
"I cried a good amount when I opened the package and felt how soft and sweet and fuzzy the yarn was. It's a special feeling to work with yarn that contains special magical little fibers. Thank you for being so quick and sweet with my project, I really appreciate it. You have a great business filled with compassion."
Cat mementos made by Simone Pixley Weinstein including a heart-shaped pelt, ashes in a jar, and paw prints in clay. (Credit: Simone Pixley Weinstein)
Simone Pixley Weinstein, “a pet loss specialist” and taxidermy artist, also makes pet mementos, such as “mourning pillows” for storing ashes and pelts.
When pet owners request a pelt, the first thing Weinstein asks them to do is make sure the pet’s body is in a freezer or on ice, which makes their fur easier to work with. The pelt is created by the fur and skin from their body, and then curing the material until it is soft and supple. Most pelts require between three to six months of tanning and other preparations before they are ready to be returned to their owner.
But for many pet owners, it’s worth the wait. “You get to touch it and pet the fur of your passed away animal,” Weinstein said, noting how comforting it can be for those mourning their loss.
Weinstein does have to advise her clients to be gentle with their petting though, because overtime, the fur can fall out.
Lauren Kane-Lysak is a pet preservation specialist who makes cat tail choker necklaces, heart-shaped fur pillows, preserved whiskers, and ceramic death masks and other taxidermy mementos.
“I think about taxidermy and pet preservation as a way of making relics,” Kane-Lysak told OK Whatever. “It's a direct line to the other side. … They're not here anymore, but this physical aspect is. And in a psychological, psychic, and spiritual way, you're reaching them through that means.”
To create a memento for a pet owner, Kane-Lysak might drive to the animal hospital or veterinarian’s to pick up the body, head to the owner’s home to retrieve the body, or have the client deliver it to Kane-Lysak’s home in Twentynine Palms, California. Prior to coronavirus, she’d also organize a viewing of the pet for owners, complete with flowers, incense, and a curated playlist.
Lauren Kane-Lysak turns pets into fashion accessories,
Preserving and memorializing pets has a long history. The ancient Egyptians would mummify pet cats, dogs, and falcons. During the Victorian era, cemeteries had special sections for pets. In the 1980s, freeze-dry preservation of pets was particularly popular. It involves using a vacuum to remove the moisture from the body tissue, resulting in a taxidermy version of your beloved Fluffy.
“This is nothing new,” Lysak said. “I think with the internet — with Instagram, with YouTube — it is becoming more recognizable and not as taboo.”
“Say hello to my little friend.” (Credit: Lara McCaffrey)
If a pet owner wants an easy project to make with their pet’s hair — be it dead or living — Kane-Lysak recommends felting. When brushing your pet, gather their loose fur into a ball. To shape it, use a felting needle to punch the bundle of fur until it’s perfectly round.
In her free time, Kane-Lysak has started working on creating a felted fur ball out of her dog Laika’s fur.
“Every time I brush her and get a big chunk of shedded hair, I add it to this ball as a memento,” she said. “She's still alive, but I'm dreading the day that she isn't here. So I'm already working towards memorializing her.”
LARA MCCAFFREY IS A CALIFORNIA-BASED WRITER WITH BYLINES IN PSYCHOLOGY TODAY, SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT, OUT THERE PODCAST, AND MORE. WHEN SHE'S NOT WRITING, SHE ENJOYS ANXIETY CLEANING HER APARTMENT.
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