Crafting with Cat Hair and Other Things To Do for Anxiety and Trauma

Several months ago, a good friend sent me an Instagram post about Crafting with Cat Hair.

šŸ˜³Ā šŸ™€Ā šŸ˜†

pen on a pad of paper with writing on it

But today, here and now, I was in a 5-day intensive business seminar.

"Intensive" meaningĀ 75 hours long. I love learning (Whereā€™s my nerd herd at šŸ¤“!?) but this was lonnnggggg!

It was the last day.

I was drifting off in the middle ofĀ something about compounding and optimizing sales and instead, I was thinking about the sandwich baggie Iā€™d been filling with Bearā€™s cat fur.

You see, I brush Bear every day, and afterwards, whatever fur is on the brush goes into that sandwich baggie.

Why?

For crafts.

Of course.

Didnā€™t know I was THAT person, but apparently, I am.

Until days ago, I had never done crafts with cat hair.

But this is 2022, people.

Anything goes now.

Crafting With Cat Hair

I chuckled, then remembered my friendā€™s birthday was coming up!

She had done pet sitting for Bear as a kitten many times, and I thought it would be fun to include a finger puppet as an ornament on top of her birthday gift. (Yes, Iā€™m also that person.)

The seminar was pretty unconventional in that there were no significant scheduled breaks. You get a random 10-minute break here and there, and once we even got 6 minutes.

This all has to do with disrupting patterns and rewiring for new ones, so that weā€™re receptive toĀ new ideas.

Anyway, by the last day, we had a 40-minute break.

Time for Crafting With Cat Hair!

cat sniffs a cat hair finger puppet

Instead of eating, I found two YouTube videos, grabbed the baggie of cat fur, some cardboard, scissors, plastic wrap, my glue gun (that I had to unearth from packed boxes) and dish soap.

I cross-referenced the two videos, but since I didnā€™t buy the book, I realized halfway through that I missed some steps.

But itā€™s okay, the puppet was cute and functional.

Then I realized I needed some eyes, nose and a collar.

I went through my neglected jewelry craft supplies and foundĀ something the eyes and nose: blue-gray and citrine Swarovski crystals. And for the collar, a sterling silver bead!

This is becoming a fancy cat!

I finished the main puppet during the break and added the eyes, nose, and collar during the next 10-minute one.

cat hair finger pupper

Crafting Reduces Stress and Anxiety

cat hair finger puppet close-up

Many people who have a trauma history suffer from anxiety.

Crafting has been shown to be calming and stress-reducing, lowering your anxiety.

By day 5 of the seminar I'd started to feel anxious.

How I was going to remember this stuff?

How was I was going to do it all?

I noticed my breathing was shallow, my stomach was tight, and then as a coping mechanism I started to driftā€¦this is when the bag of Bearā€™s fur popped into my head.

Our bodies and minds are trying to keep us safe

Our bodies and and minds are incredible.

They know what we need, when we need it, and are always trying to keep us safe.

I will tell you that after that cat finger puppet was done, for the rest of the seminar, Iā€™d glance over at it and just smile.

cat hair finger puppet on a bottle of the SELF-LOVE blend

I definitely felt more calm, grounded, and balanced again

I felt like myself!

(I ended up buying the book, because Iā€™m now a cat hair crafter. Apparently.)

I also included below some brief information on a 3-step plan for using our flower essence blends for trauma.

Are you a crafter?

If youā€™re a crafter, Iā€™d love to know what you make and if you craft anything with your catā€™s hair, please share! šŸ˜€šŸ˜»

With Love and Above,
Siena

Flower Essence Blend Plan for Trauma

Step 1: TRAUMA-HEAL

TRAUMA-HEAL is theĀ blend you want to start with. I know the word ā€œtraumaā€ is used all over now, but when I say trauma, I mean anytime youā€™ve felt unsafe and didnā€™t have the tools to cope in a healthy way. Trauma can also be something like a surgical procedure that is traumatic for the physical body. Use this blend through one cycle which is about 4-6 weeks. Repeat the cycle a few more times if this is a deeper trauma.

Ā 

Step 2: FORGIVENESS

MoveĀ to the FORGIVENESS blend. Part of the healing process is to forgive, whether it's another person, an organization, or set of circumstances, and also, to forgive yourself. Forgiveness is aboutĀ gaining more freedomĀ from the prisons of resentment or perspectives that can drain yourĀ energy,Ā such as wishing thingsĀ had gone differently.Ā UseĀ FORGIVENESS for one cycle, repeat if needed.

Step 3: REVIVE

Third step, move to REVIVE.Ā REVIVE is all about getting your emotional, physical, and spiritual energy back, to recoverĀ what the trauma suppressed:Ā who you truly are! Use this one for at least 2 cycles.

*Super helpful: CALM

The CALM blend is an all-purposeĀ aidĀ toĀ help support and maintain the energy of peace and calm.Ā So I would be remiss if I didn't mention it as a wonderful supplement to the plan above.Ā 

*Our blends work best as a complement to your holistic and self-care regimen, which may include meditation, journaling, therapy, and other inner and spiritual work.


4 comments


  • Sue Williams
    Hi! I began this day looking for your writing bc Iā€™m looking for ā€œsomething,ā€ not exactly knowing what. Then, I found this blog entry. Just right. I love it! I might also buy that book. Thanks for the inspiration. Iā€™m reminded: ā€œYou are exactly where you need to beā€ and when you need to be. I hope youā€™re enjoying something new, crafting and creative inspiration. ā¤ļøšŸŒŗšŸˆ
    ā€”ā€”ā€”
    Love and Above Cat Club replied:
    Hi Sue! Iā€™m so happy to hear that you came to the blog for that ā€œsomething!ā€ And even more than that, Iā€™m glad you found it! It truly was therapeutic and regulating to make that little cat hair finger puppet. Right now, I have a half-finished ā€œvampire catā€ that Iā€™d love to work on this weekend. I didnā€™t set out to make a vampire cat, but thatā€™s who he wanted to become. Weā€™ll see how he looks after I finish his cape. šŸ¤£ I canā€™t wait to hear how you channel your energy and creativity, Sue!

  • Dalinda

    Omg a tiny Bear! Iā€™d never heard of this ā€“ Iā€™ll have to research. What a beautiful way to look at cat fur vs a nuisance. Lol Thank you for sharing!
    ā€”ā€”ā€”
    Love and Above Cat Club replied:
    I love that too! Please update us if you decide to try it! I just got my book today .


  • Chery Rasmussen

    SienašŸ’—
    I love this blog!!! First of all Iā€™m so happy you survived your seminaršŸ™€
    and your Bear fur kitty finger puppet is PURRRFECT šŸ¾šŸ¾šŸ¾
    I too have many Ziploc bags full of cat fur and I even have this book!!!
    after seeing your masterpiece I am inspired to make somethingšŸ˜‰

    ā€”ā€”ā€”
    Love and Above Cat Club replied:
    You have the book??? Oh my goodness! I canā€™t wait to see what you make! My error was not saving the fur in sheets. You know how you can remove the fur from the brush in a layer? They say to save these layers flat in a box and this way, the crafting is easier. I canā€™t wait to see what you make!


  • Janine

    This is too cute. I am not crafty at all, so I wouldnā€™t even try to make anything with my cats hair.
    ā€”ā€”ā€”
    Love and Above Cat Club replied:
    When I first heard about people doing this I thought they were weird! Thereā€™s just a creep factor to ā€œhairā€ so weā€™ll refer to it as ā€œfur.ā€ Ha ha! Bear used to get these horrible knots in his fur despite twice a day brushing. Turned out I needed a certain kind of brush. So now I brush him first thing every morning, just once a day and heā€™s been knot-free! But now, just for my own outlet, I can do something with his fur. Weā€™ll see how long this lasts!


Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published