Cat Hair Crafts: 6 Creative Recycling & Repurposing Ideas

Updated on Oct 25, 2023

furry cat in blanket

Brushing your cat regularly removes loose hair and keeps their coat shiny, but have you considered saving your cat’s old hair? Instead of viewing cat hair as a nuisance, why not consider it a source of raw material for truly engaging crafts? If a fur ball necklace, a felted cat fur purse, or a tiny hat crafted from cat hair sounds appealing to you, read on.

The Top 6 Cat Fur Art & Repurposing Ideas

1. Wash it, card it, spin it, and knit it.

Humans have made yarn from sheep’s wool for at least 10,000 years. Why not create a valuable ball of yarn from cat hair as well? There’s plenty of it, and making yarn out of cat hair is not as complicated (or weird) as it sounds. Check out the instructions in this article!

Collect the wool during your cat’s weekly brushing sessions. Store it in a cloth bag because it can mildew if trapped in plastic. When you have at least 4 ounces of cat hair, wash it gently in a large bowl filled with warm water and dish soap. Allow the fiber to air dry on your counter.

If the fur is not at least 2 inches long, you’ll need to blend it with another fiber, such as Alpaca. Hand carding the fiber is easy and fun. Once your fur is ready to spin, you can try spinning it yourself using a drop spindle, or you can avail yourself of the services of a pet fur fiber artist.

What could be more fun than knitting or crocheting with a yarn from your cat’s fur? It has to be better than cleaning it up and tossing it away, right?

2. Make an eye-popping cat clone.

If you have an unused $25,000 lying around, you can ask a company called ViaGen Pets to create a perfect genetic twin of your cat – like these cats here! To make a more affordable clone of your feline friend, collect plenty of loose fur, purchase craft animal eyes, and cut a tiny nose out of pink felt.

Arrange the fur into the shape of a cat, add the eyes and nose, and you’ll have a perfect replica of your cat. Snap a picture of your cat with their “clone” to post on social media. Make sure to tag us in it so we can see your handiwork.

Looking for a professional, 3-D replica of Kitty? Contact a craft company specializing in sculpting pet lookalikes out of the animal’s hair.

3. Take up felting with cat hair.

This ancient textile art uses needles or moisture to bond fibers to one another in a tight, durable form. Your pet’s hair can be needle-felted into a replica of the pet, a finger puppet, a piece of jewelry, or even a cat toy. You need your cat hair, a felting needle, and a felting surface to get you started on this intriguing new hobby.

4. Create cat-inspired jewelry.

Necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings can all be crafted from a collection of loose cat hair. Gather the cat’s leftover hair, roll it into tight balls, and store them until you are ready to craft an elegant personal ornament.

One woman described these balls of white cat hair as having a “lovely appearance that reminded me of oversized white pearls.” Cat hair can also be shaped into hearts or disks and wrapped with multicolored wire for a particularly striking model. Since pieces of cat hair jewelry retail for more than $200, this idea for loose cat hair may be the most lucrative.

5. Craft creative cat costumes.

With a little ingenuity, you can create costumes for your cat out of old hair that will seem brand new. Japanese photographer Ryo Yamazaki’s hats for his cats, were felted from their fur, and the internet went crazy over them. Learn to make cat fur hats yourself and have your very own cat in the hat.

6. Use cat hair for genuinely practical purposes.

You don’t have to limit yourself to cat fur art. Tie fishing flies with cat hair, use it as fertilizer on your plants, or add it to your compost heap. While not as creative as some of our other suggestions, they have plenty of practical merits. Other creatures enjoy cat hair, too.

Stick a tuft of it near your bird feeder, and watch how quickly that useful building material disappears. It makes a baby-soft lining for nests, and some mama birds will be grateful to you for sharing it.

Did you know environmental organizations accept donations of cat hair? They stuff pantyhose with fur to make an absorbent hair boom that will sop up oil during spills.

Conclusion

For more great cat fur art ideas, consider purchasing the book Crafting with Cat Hair. Whether crafting, repurposing, or felting with cat hair, we hope you’ve found some fun, creative, and zany ways to use it.

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Featured Image Credit: Dimhou, Pixabay