Realistic Needle Felted Cat, Made to Order

Description

Anyone who has lived with a cat knows this moment. The cat plops down, throws one leg in the air, forgets the rest of its body exists and starts washing. Halfway through it looks up at you, tongue still out, as if you're the one being weird.

That's the cat our client asked for. Not a neat cat sitting pretty on a shelf, but this exact pose: licking, paws spread wide, tongue sticking out. So we made a needle felted cat in it, by hand, made to order for that one person. We don't have a shelf of ready-made cats to pick from. Every one starts with somebody's idea.

The pose cat people will recognise

Cat owners have names for it. Some call it the cello pose, because one back leg goes up like the neck of a cello while the cat works on its belly. The tongue left poking out afterwards has its own word online, the "blep". Our striped cat has both.

It sits back on its bottom with its hind legs splayed out in front, one front paw planted on the floor and the other resting on its tummy. The long ringed tail runs out between its legs. In some photos it has turned to lick its shoulder, in others it stares straight at the camera with a tiny pink tongue showing. Nobody would call it a dignified pose. That's why it's so good.

A realistic tabby, felted fibre by fibre

Needle felting is slow work. Loose wool is shaped with a barbed needle, poked thousands of times until it holds its form, then the colours are laid on in thin layers. It's how we get a coat that reads like real fur up close.

This one is a classic striped tabby: dark brown stripes along the back, head and legs, warm ginger and caramel on the sides, a white chest and belly patch, and white paws with small pink toe pads. The eyes are a clear turquoise-teal with a slightly sleepy, unimpressed look, and long white whiskers finish the face. The tail is striped in rings right to the tip.

What you could ask us for

Maybe your cat has a signature pose too. The loaf, the full stretch, the belly-up sprawl on the sofa, the mid-yawn. Tell us the pose, the colours and the markings, add a few photos if you have them, and we'll make a realistic cat in it for you. It can be a cat from your head, like this one, or a portrait of your own pet.

For a calmer, fluffier look, see our realistic handmade cat. More lifelike animals are in Realistic Stuffed Animals.

Materials used

This cat is made of felted wool with stuffing inside. The wool is what gives it the realistic look: short fuzzy fibres that catch the light like a real coat, and colours blended into each other instead of printed on.

Wool felt for the whole body, face, tail and paws, worked with felting needles.
Stripes and markings are built up from wool in several shades: dark brown, grey-brown, ginger, caramel and white.
Pink wool for the tongue, the nose and the little toe pads.
Stuffing inside, so the cat keeps its shape.

Felted wool is firmer than plush fabric. It feels more like a small sculpture you can hold than a pillow you squeeze, which suits a cat meant to sit in a pose and be looked at. Like most of our toys, it's cared for with a gentle spot clean, never the washing machine.

Lead time

A needle felted cat like this one usually takes 2–4 weeks. The range leaves room for the small surprises that come with anything made by hand.

First we agree on the pose and the coat with you: which leg goes up, which way the head turns, where the stripes run. Then the body is felted up from loose wool, the markings are laid on layer by layer, and the face comes last, because the expression is what makes it look alive.

You get photos of the finished cat before it's packed. Have a birthday or a holiday in mind? Tell us the date at the start and we'll say right away if it fits.

Delivery

We ship worldwide. Once the cat leaves our workshop, delivery usually takes 7 to 20 business days, depending on your country and your customs office.

Around Christmas and other holidays the post slows down everywhere, so allow extra time if the cat has to arrive by a certain day. A felted cat makes a lovely present for a cat person, and it's nicer when it lands before the party, not after.

Easiest way: mention your date when you ask for a quote. Then the making time and the shipping time are planned together before any wool is touched.

Guarantee

We've been making toys to order since 2009.

A realistic cat is judged by one thing: does it look like the cat you pictured? That's why we agree the details with you first and send photos of the finished toy before it ships. It only leaves us once you say it's right.

If it arrives and you don't love it, you get a full refund within 14 days, for any reason. The details are on our guarantee page.