Japanese Cool Cats Wear Hats Made From Their Own Fur

by Lori Ennis

Published: January 29th, 2018

japanese cool cats wear hats made from their own fur

Just when you thought you’d need to buy stock in lint rollers, a new trend of making hats for cats out of their own hair may have you rethinking the value of that fluffy fur!

Japanese couple Ryo Yamazaki and his wife Hiromi like cats. And they like their hair. Really like it.

So much so that they’ve taken up making hats for cats…and they are hats made from the hair of cats themselves! (Yes, we know, even Dr. Seuss is having fun with that one!)

「ねこ休み展冬 2018」始まるよ〜📢 ヌケゲパンダのマルマル🐼もいるよ〜🎋 外が寒過ぎるので暖かい格好で来てね〜♨️ お待ちしてます🙇🏻‍♂️ #ヌケゲジャイアントパンダ #ねこ休み展#ねこ休み展冬2018 #浅草橋 . On his debut,Nukege giant panda named “Maru-maru” melts your hearts at Neko-break Exhibition.🐼🎋 . #抜け毛サロン #抜け毛貯金 #抜け毛帽子 #抜け毛アート #帽子屋NUKEGE #ねこかぶり stagram sofinstagram #猫 #ねこ#猫部 #ねこ部 #ふわもこ部 #ペコねこ部 #みんねこ #もふもふ #スコティッシュフォールド #チームしろねこ #白猫 #しろねこ

A post shared by rojiman (@rojiman) on Jan 25, 2018 at 3:52pm PST

The pair has three Scottish Fold cats, and Hiromi uses their sheddings as the media for which adorable (though the cats may beg to differ!) hats for their cats, while Ryo photographs them and turns them into viral ~~hilarity~~ art. People can’t get enough of the cats wearing their hats, and already the pair has 80,000 followers looking for the latest fashions.

One of the more than 100 hats is wizard-inspired, while others look like rabbits. The cats are different colors, which means there are different shades of caps, and the couple says each hat takes about 15 minutes or so to make.

@umatan 母ちゃんに頼まれて朝から魚市場に🐟🦑 今日はサバとイカが仲良く水揚げされてました🙌🏻 #抜け毛魚市場 #ヌケゲサバ #ヌケゲダイオウイカ #イカは白より焦げ茶色の方が鮮度が高いそうです #豆知識 #サバトラ . I’m at fish market this morning 🐟🦑 . #抜け毛サロン #抜け毛貯金 #抜け毛帽子 #抜け毛アート #帽子屋NUKEGE #ねこかぶり stagram sofinstagram #猫 #ねこ #ネコ #猫部 #ねこ部 #ふわもこ部 #ペコねこ部 #みんねこ #もふもふ #スコティッシュフォールド #白猫 #茶トラ

A post shared by rojiman (@rojiman) on Jan 22, 2018 at 3:56pm PST

Hiromi says they first were playing with sheddings in 2016 when they fashioned a cat-wig on one of their kittehs. Saying the cats didn’t mind (maybe they had concerns about baldness and were glad for the hair back?), they decided to play around with some designs.

「ねこ休み展inみなとみらい」本日無事に会期終了を迎えました🎊 昨年末から年明けにかけて大勢の方にご来場頂き、三兄弟を代表してニャア兄貴より感謝申し上げます🙇🏻‍♂️ 次回は1/26からの本祭「ねこ休み展冬 2018」でお会いしましょう😼✨ #ねこ休み展 #ねこ休み展みなとみらい . Thank you so much to all of you for attending in Yokohama. See you next in 「Neko-break exhibition winter 2018」😼✨ #抜け毛サロン #抜け毛貯金 #抜け毛帽子 #帽子屋NUKEGE #ねこかぶり stagram sofinstagram #猫 #ねこ #ネコ #猫部 #ねこ部 #ふわもこ部 #ペコねこ部 #みんねこ #もふもふ #スコティッシュフォールド #サバトラ

A post shared by rojiman (@rojiman) on Jan 14, 2018 at 9:15am PST

Now, the fashionistas have inspired others to use the cat hair as hats, or to even use cat hair instead of sheep wool since you can felt it the same as you do with wood. Cat molt can be made into dolls or even embroidery for scarves, though felters should know that cat hair more brittle than wool, though.

猫猫しい我が家にシベリアンハスキーがやって来た想定🐺😳 #散歩は行かないそうです #抜けシベ . @kana_suco さん、年賀状用にどうぞ🙇🏻‍♂️ . A siberian husky is sleeping on my couch !🐺😳 . #いぬかぶり #戌年 #シベリアンハスキー #抜け毛サロン #抜け毛貯金 #抜け毛帽子 #帽子屋NUKEGE #ねこかぶり stagram sofinstagram #猫 #ねこ #ネコ #猫部 #ねこ部 #ふわもこ部 #ペコねこ部 #みんねこ #もふもふ #スコティッシュフォールド #サバトラ

A post shared by rojiman (@rojiman) on Jan 3, 2018 at 10:23pm PST

👵🏻「抜け毛と共にあらん事を🙏🏻」明日のスターウォーズ公開に備えてフォースの覚醒を復習中🌌 #フォースの覚醒 #最後のジェダイ #スターウォーズ . 👵🏻「May the fur be with you🙏🏻」 . #抜け毛サロン #抜け毛貯金 #抜け毛帽子 #帽子屋NUKEGE #ねこかぶり stagram sofinstagram #猫 #ねこ #猫部 #ねこ部 #ふわもこ部 #ペコねこ部 #みんねこ #もふもふ #スコティッシュフォールド #白いすこちゃん同盟 #チームしろねこ #白猫 #しろねこ

A post shared by rojiman (@rojiman) on Dec 14, 2017 at 5:40am PST

They’ve started a trend, though, as Hideko Tsujii is a professional hat designer who uses her dog’s fur to felt hats and berets. She has an online shop, and mixes sheep’s wool with the hair to make sure that it’s felt-able. She believes that dogs are thrilled that their hair is used to warm their owner’s heads, as they are such human pleasers.

One client of Tsujii’s lost a Lucky, her dog of 17 years, in 2010, but had been collecting Lucky’s hair for five years and gave it to Tsujii to make a hat. She feels like she has Lucky by her side when she wears it.

Maybe the Yamazaki cats feel like they are more in tune with themselves when they are wearing their own fur on their head?

Yeah. We’ll go with that!

Lori Ennis

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Would you say that your pet help you feel better during the pandemic? Countless pet parents, myself included, would say they experienced less stress and anxiety during lockdown thanks to their four-legged companions. However, a new study led by researchers from Michigan State University suggests otherwise. Researchers couldn’t find a reliable association between pet ownership and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though owners claimed pets improved their lives. The pandemic was extremely stressful for everyone. The research team from Michigan State University theorized that the pandemic created ideal conditions to determine how much happiness and comfort pets actually provide to their families. The study, published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, evaluated 767 people on three separate occasions in May 2020. The researchers used a mixed-method approach, looking at several indicators of well-being. They also asked owners in an open-ended question to think about the role of pets. Unsurprisingly, pet owners reported their pets made them happy. Owners claimed pets help them feel more positive emotions and provide companionship and affection, but also expressed worry about their pet’s well-being and reported their pets interfered with working remotely. But when researchers compared the happiness of pet owners to levels seen in non-pet owners they made a surprising discovery. Shockingly, the data showed no difference in the well-being of pet owners and non-pet owners over time. The research team explained that it did not matter what type of pet people owned, how many pets they had, or how close owners were with their pets. The personalities of the owners weren’t a factor either. “People say pets make them happy, but when we actually measure happiness that doesn’t appear to be the case,” said William Chopik, an associate professor in MSU’s Department of Psychology and co-author of the study, in a university release. “People see friends as lonely or wanting companionship, and they recommend getting a pet. But it’s unlikely to be as transformative as people think,” added Chopik. The research team also explored several other potential reasons as to why there was no difference in the happiness levels of pet owners and non-pet owners. The most likely reason might be that non-pet owners have found ways to fill their lives with activities and interests that make them as happy as owning a pet would. “Staking all of your hope on a pet making you feel better is probably unfair and maybe costly, given other things you could do in your life that could improve your happiness,”  said Chopik. Another study, involving 4,237 people, beginning at the start of the pandemic and ending in December 2021, had similar findings. Although owners grew closer to their pets, especially dogs, during the pandemic, that didn’t stave off stress.In fact, the lowest stress levels were seen in non-pet owners. When you think about it, these results kind of make sense - pet owners had an additional mouth to feed during the lockdown and had limited opportunities to take their dogs out for a walk or play session. The results of these studies are surprising, to say the least. I was positive that I was happier than my poochless friends during the lockdown, but guess that wasn’t the case. After thinking about this a bit more, I realized that maybe we shouldn’t expect so much from our four-legged companions. Yes, there are many benefits to owning a pet, and pets can make us happy, but ultimately happiness depends on ourselves. Join the PetGuide community. Get the latest pet news and product recommendations by subscribing to our newsletter here.

A New Survey Shows Both Pets and Owners Feel Separation Anxiety

When you really love spending time with your pet, and vice versa, it is only natural that you feel sad when you are apart. For pets, this is often manifested as the dreaded  separation anxiety, which can cause a lot of issues both for them and their owners alike. While you know you are coming back from work – unlike your pooch – so you won’t feel as stressed about the time you spend away from your pet, that doesn’t mean that it won’t affect your mental health. The latest  survey from PetMed Express only proves that separation has an effect both on dogs and their pawrents.The results of this survey were recently released after being conducted by OnePoll, and they show us that pet parents – unsurprisingly – while out away for work or chores, will deeply miss their four-legged friends back at home. And, interestingly, the poll shows that the strain only got worse after the owners had to return to their offices after the Covid pandemic and the time they spent in their homes. "This research confirms what we already know: People love their pets and prioritize being with them," said Matt Hulett, President and CEO of PetMeds. "What's eye-opening is how many pet parents feel their own sense of separation anxiety and loneliness when they're away from their pets – a concept that underscores the pivotal role our pets play in our lives."The results indicate that 4 in 10 pet parents said that they would rather accept a lower salary and work from home, just so they could be closer to their furry friends. It is a sad truth and an everyday occurrence that owners have to endure the commute and long work hours and yearn for the company of their pets all the while. PetMeds claims that pet parents begin to miss their pets just 37 minutes after being apart, on average. Furthermore, the results show that on average they find themselves thinking about their pets about 13 times per day. Here are some other stats included:44% expressed worry about their pets experiencing separation anxiety52% have felt an increase in their own separation anxiety in the past two years42% said they have observed a change in their pet's mental health and behavior in the past two years48% said their pets follow them to the door and look sad when they leave63% would like more support and guidance in understanding their pet's health and behavior70% would try pet telehealth servicesWhat about you? How do you cope with being separated from your cherished four-legged friend?

How Often Do Dogs Need to Go Out to Pee?

When nature calls, dogs answer. And when dogs answer, so do you – by taking them outside to do their business. In other words, if you have a potty-trained dog, they will rely on you to know when their bladder is full or at least to take them out frequently enough so it doesn’t get full in the first place. This leaves most owners with the question – how often do dogs need to go out to pee? You don’t want them to have an accident inside the home but you probably don’t want to take them out for a walk every hour or so (even if you did have the time for it) so it’s important to find the right balance. Here’s what you need to know so you can make it work for you and your dog.How Often Do Dogs Pee?The frequency at which dogs need to go out to pee can vary depending on several factors, including their age, breed, size, activity level, and overall health. In general, you can use the following guidelines as a starting point, but it's important to pay attention to your individual dog's needs and adjust accordingly. Sometimes, it’s enough to just observe the signs your dog gives you, like nudging you or standing by the door. But at other times, it requires a bit of “intervention”. When it comes to the connection between a dog’s age and their peeing habits, the younger the pooch, the more they need to go out. Puppies have smaller bladders and higher metabolisms, so they typically need to go out more frequently. A general rule of thumb is to take a puppy out every 1 to 2 hours, especially after eating, drinking, playing, or waking up from a nap. Make sure to let them know why you are going out so they’ll gradually relate walkies with peeing time.Adult dogs, on the other hand, can usually hold their bladders for longer periods. Most adult dogs need to go out every 4 to 6 hours. Some larger breeds may have more bladder capacity and can hold it longer, while smaller breeds may need to go out more frequently, so have that in mind too. Of course, as dogs age, their ability to hold their bladders may decrease. Senior dogs may need to go out more frequently, potentially every 3 to 4 hours. What is more, some senior dogs may suffer from incontinence, meaning that they can’t really control when or where they pee. In this case, you could  use disposable dog diapers until their condition improves or in periods when you’re not there to take them out more frequently and prevent accidents.

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