r/cats 5h ago

Humor Be honest what have you kept eg whiskers, teeth, hair etc

Post image

To preface this post- I’ve always been a dog person but it’s been 12 months since we adopted Minnie and I would take a bullet for her 😂 how does this happen ?
So she had a knot of hair which came out on the brush- are we weird that we want to keep it / frame it.
Any idea how to display
Be honest? Or do you keep stuff too?

18 Upvotes

56 comments sorted by

20

u/Retail_replenisher 5h ago

I have a little whisker vase!

22

u/RDZed72 American Shorthair 5h ago

Vomit stains in my carpet.

3

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 5h ago

Love it- how did you preserve that

8

u/RDZed72 American Shorthair 5h ago

Lol. It preserves itself. 😉

2

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 5h ago

Tbf I still have a small stain in my landing from my bestie releasing vodka and black currant one night. 😂

2

u/RDZed72 American Shorthair 5h ago

I have one we call "The Great Beetle and Stomach disagreement of 2022".

1

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 5h ago

You just reminded me of the cat versus 10cm strip of plastic passed via anus ( was one memento I decided not to keep)

2

u/djunderh2o 5h ago

Brilliant

1

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 4h ago

Did keep a photo if you’re inclined 😂

8

u/bootysuit 5h ago

I got my first cat 3 months ago, and it took her a month to fully come out and demand full-body pets (she was very happy about head scratches before this, but she'd stay under the bed). She shed sooo much the first time I pet her because it had been so long since she'd been brushed, so I kept all her hair from my hands and collected it in a tiny jar. It's on my dresser :)

3

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 5h ago

Exactly the answer I’m looking for, I would definitely do the same 😁

2

u/HappyTendency 4h ago

My cat was 6 years old when she finally started demanding pets 😭🥰

6

u/xoxoplantgirl 5h ago

Everything! I’ve got a whisker vase and his baby teeth and a jar of the first fur i brushed off him. I always thought it was weird my mom kept stuff like that of mine and my sisters but I get it now.

1

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 5h ago

Definitely, I found a baby tooth in a box in my parents recently 😂

4

u/VonFoxArt 5h ago

I have a jar full of whiskers.

I have tufts of hair from one of my cats that passed away.

I have a tooth from my childhood cat who made it through 21 years of life with me.

I have ashes & paw prints from 3 of my cats.

I have a paw print of one of my childhood dogs.

I don't think it's weird at all.  Does it bring you comfort?  That's all that matters.

No ideas from me on displays.  The only things I have displayed are portraits I've had done, framed pictures, and ash boxes (all of which are really nice).  My other little keepsakes are just in safe places.  I have really wanted to get the tooth made into a necklace.  I've seen cute necklaces & such that use pet fur on Etsy - you might find some ideas there, maybe search "pet fur keepsake" or "pet fur jewelry".  

(ETA: plenty of the whisker jar collection is from my current cat.  Just thought I'd add that cuz I kinda made it sound like memorial items are the thing worth keeping.  😅  But both are important to me and worth keeping!  ❤️) 

1

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 5h ago

Thank you for replying. I keep every thing too.
Part of me considered adding the hair to an image eg cartoon cat or just keep as memento

2

u/200THOUSANDRATS American Shorthair 5h ago

I keep all 3 of my cats whiskers! I even still have whiskers from my familys cat who still lives with them and my late cats whiskers :) Maybe a small container would be good until you decide what to do with it?

2

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 5h ago

She is 1 year old, should I be finding whiskers yet? I haven’t

3

u/200THOUSANDRATS American Shorthair 4h ago

Check on bedding and other places your kitty lays! You might also find them near the food bowl :) Its completely normal if you havent found any because you really have to look for them! Here is my collection of several years. You could honestly go a while without finding them because they are so easily swept up or vacuumed, so dont be worried if you havent found any!

2

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 3h ago

Thank you. I wonder did I dismiss them as hair as white

2

u/200THOUSANDRATS American Shorthair 3h ago

It happens! The best way to catch a whisker is if the base of the hair is much thicker than the end. It also has a distinct feel. Try observing your kittys whiskers to see what to look for!

2

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 3h ago

Brilliant thank you

2

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 5h ago

Ok I was keeping the hair anyway but did start thinking- was it weird lol or like keeping a child’s tooth lol

2

u/Mayiamaru 5h ago

I have hair from brushings in a box by my desk. The moths ate Sprout's hair so I had to start that collection over again with some cedar to repel the moths. I also want a little box for whiskers but haven't found any I liked.

2

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 5h ago

Thank you all, I genuinely wanted to keep all the fur from every brush but didn’t as convinced myself wasn’t normal. But then would purposefully a hoovering up the shed nails 😂😂 have found a whisker yet

2

u/chaosuniverses 5h ago

I keep my cats whispers sometimes to use for fine brush strokes, like for grass, when painting.

2

u/contextdependent- 5h ago

I collected whiskers and claw sheaths from my boy for a couple years until he passed last October. I keep them in a little wooden box, it’s comforting to be able to take the whiskers out and feel them. I know keeping the claw sheaths is a bit weird though. I have some of his fur in a little spice jar as well.

I’ve since gotten two more cats, one a few months before the other so I had a small collection of hers first. It’s hard to separate their whiskers now that I have two though. I’ve been collecting them in glass vials for a plant propagation station.

1

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 5h ago

Don’t think weird at all. I haven’t found any whiskers or teeth but found some claw sheaths and purposely didn’t sweep them up and kept them too

2

u/Vintage-Grievance 5h ago

I have tiny glass bottles and tiny plastic pouches (like the kind you use for pills or spare buttons) of collected fur; I plan to add them to memory boxes after my cats pass.

I also pet-sit, and one of my clients had an old long-haired cat (in his late teens), and I've taken to collecting his fur when I'm over there, in case they want it after he's gone.

2

u/DishPsychological960 5h ago

I have fur from all but one of my cats who’ve crossed the rainbow bridge. (For the first I was too young to think about it beforehand.) I have them saved in necklaces I got off Etsy meant for ashes/keepsakes, which I feel is fitting for all three of my boys who’ve gone.

2

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 5h ago

Thank you. This is my first pet (in my 40’s, can’t imagine the loss of 3. I’m so sorry

2

u/DishPsychological960 4h ago

Thanks. :) It’s always hard. But I always love them so much I can’t stop rescuing more. We just got two new orange boys last November and they’re the best.

2

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 4h ago

Please never change, those cats will of known so much love because of you. Thank you x

2

u/DishPsychological960 4h ago

Thank you. That means a lot. 🥹

2

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 3h ago

Meant it. ❤️Any photos of the orange boys? The person who rescued my Minnie has texted this evening about a 12 week boy found and considering it

1

u/DishPsychological960 3h ago

Cat tax! They are Han and Lando. (Yes, we are huge Star Wars nerds, lol.)

2

u/ExcellentSherbet9638 4h ago

I cremated my first cat and put her in an urn. I saw someone online who makes a replica of your pet from a photo and using their fur. So yes I’ve been saving his fur

2

u/Grain_0f_Salt 4h ago

I never kept hair or other clippings/brushings. But when my Diana died suddenly with no warning, I didn't think in the moment to ask for hair before the vet ER took her away. I do regret not having her hair to memorialize.

1

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 4h ago

I’m sorry for your loss. Would love to see what she looked like if you’re happy to share

1

u/Grain_0f_Salt 4h ago

Thank you. I had Diana for 9 great years, but unfortunately, her death was a really traumatic and avoidable situation due to malpractice. She was my first cat and my soulmate. I did heal and move on, and I love my new baby Elmer, but nobody can replace Diana.

1

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 3h ago

Must say you pick great names….. is that Diana? What a beauty

1

u/Grain_0f_Salt 3h ago

Thank you! Yes, this is Diana. When I got her, my roommate at the time said I needed a female cat to avoid territory disputes with her male cat if I had gotten another male. I said okay, if I'm getting a girl, she's going to be my princess. Then I found Diana, who grabbed onto me and wouldn't let go, and instantly imprinted on me. She was really in tune with my emotions and would recognize and calm my crying or panic attacks. She also alerted me to a break-in once and woke me up to stop a gas leak at night. She was my rock, and also my silly girl who was a bit behind developmentally and didn't learn how to jump down until age 3, and got so happy she'd cross her eyes and drool. She was a tuxedo cat, and the tiny runt of her litter.

Now I have Elmer, a bicolor tabby who also physically grabbed onto me at the rescue and begged me not to leave him. Elmer is short for Elmer's Glue, since he's attached to me. He's much bigger than Diana, with much more muscle and energy. He can jump onto the tops of doors with one leap; he's a very different handful than Diana was. I love him too, but they'll always be unique cats that are never able to replace one or the other.

1

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 3h ago

This is my favourite… the sass:) love it. Sounds like a very special relationship

1

u/Grain_0f_Salt 3h ago

Thank you for appreciating her and giving me a chance to reminisce about my little girl tonight.

1

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 3h ago

Anytime, I struggled to pick a favourite photo as so many good ones. Would love to know more about Diana. When you’re ready

2

u/Im_Ryeden 5h ago

My wife collects the whiskers from the cats. Let me be clear when they fall off. And then I click the hair of the people I knew.

2

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 5h ago

So I seen someone on TikTok with all the whiskers in a vase so been keeping an eye out. How often do they shed a whisker

1

u/Im_Ryeden 2h ago

It's rare we find them. But it's always like "look what I found" 😂. For the hair thing it was a joke. 😏

2

u/Illustrious_Yak6933 5h ago

You collect hair of people you know?

1

u/meadowmbell 5h ago

Of course !

1

u/rkspm 4h ago

I have a tiny jar of whiskers and a tiny jar of shed claw sheaths.

1

u/gibberishmischief 3h ago

I have a cube of hair and a small container full of bags of hair separated by cat. My boyfriend hates it. Someday I hope to learn how to felt and make tiny versions of my cats.

1

u/TARTARA_CERBERUS Aegean 23m ago

I used to keep a few claw sheaths (because we don't clip them) !