the wonderful world of cats

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 10:38 pm

whats the best way to preserve a cat? I don't have access to formaldahyde or syringes. I've thought about coating it using clear matt varnish, but it's a bit pricey. Basically, I don't want it to decompose any more than it already has. Also, smell is another thing.

All I really need is the skin and it's shape, but it's hard to skin a head. Is there anything I can just dump it in until I find a more constant solution? It's buried at the moment, but time is of the essence!

2 days so far.

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 10:49 pm

I'm very surprised myself, but this is quite possibly the sickest DAC thread of the year.

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 10:50 pm

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 11:01 pm

you should probably just skin it and support the skin with a wire skeleton or something? keeping the insides can't be good.

i donno, call your local taxidermist on the telemaphone? smile

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 11:53 pm

there's more than one way to skin a cat rofl

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 11:55 pm

maggots appear after 24h tard

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:06 am

If it were anything but a cat. A human, for instance. Were so, would offer my insights, bleached as they often are, unto you, Julia.

Alas, I find cats quite amusing, and so tend to focus such attention upon other organisms.

Thus, you learn by doing. Or not doing.

One morsel - No indication, yet, unless you've undressed cats prior to this poor one, be prepared to ruin it. Dramatic variety, can and does. Tried and proven for one and all ? No. Texts, as all secondary hands, do run to thresholds, intuition and experience held high. Your intentions may well require additional volunteers.

Just like tissue paper. icon_drunk

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:29 am

Fragment, consider revising.

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 1:07 am

You probably know this but don't pierce the bowels at any cost.

It's nice to see I'm not the only interested in hunting/using dead animal bodies.

I caught a porcupine with a trap last week. icon_chick

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 1:33 am

I'm pretty good with traps. Applied Animal Trapping Techniques is my favorite subject.

But I prefer the animals well and healthy and alive not dead. Just catching them for scientific purpose, without harming them.

But maybe it's just because I have heaps of cool animals around my house. (Koalas, Wallabies, Kangaroos, heaps or Lizards, Turtles, cool spiders, manti, stick inects, awesome birds)

Or because of my passion for wildlife.

(I hve +25% on outdoorsman skill)

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 1:38 am

OH

DEAR

!!!!!

icon_drunk

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 5:55 am

They do if a fly lands on it which is usually unavoidable unless you seal the cat up right when it dies so that no outside air can get to it. From the picture it looked like there wasn't many flys on it at all. It mysterious how all the roadkill I see never has many flys or maggots on it but like living things get tons of flys. icon_confused2

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 7:24 am

It's because they were mutilated by alien abductors. The flys refuse to land on the carcases because of the alien radiation!

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 9:23 am

Keep the pictures coming. rofl

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 9:31 am

Sure
I thought you wanted to keep the head skin as an entirety, as like in a cat mask, or something? That could be a little tricky
Didn't the old egyptians mumificize(?) their cats as well and sucked out the brains with straws they punched through the nose holes into the brain?

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 10:43 am

First of all, a little hint to make your life a bit easier:

) instead of >

Don't listen to those who suggest using a scalpel or a similar blade for skinning. If your main tool is a blade, get one with a wide and curved blade (like this or this). But as you have experience on the matter, it's likely that you know this already.

I myself have never skinned heads of any animal, since they serve no "practical" use (the amount of meat or other usable parts is rather minor). I usually just ignore them (larger animals) or chop them off (smaller ones). Crushing the skull or leaving the head completely intact sound interesting enough - they're at least worth trying. I'm not sure what technique taxidermy professionals use, but I guess you could ask around on their forums, read their FAQs et cetera.

http://www.taxidermy.net/

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 10:57 am

taxidermy - this christmas will be something the whole family remembers. good hobby. also money innit.

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 11:57 am

It's harder than I thought. Everytime I tried to make a cut, all the fur and shit just got caught up in it. I'd use a sharper knife except I don't want to taint any of them with possible gross germs! ew!

Here is my surgery and workstation.

It appears cause of death was having it's eye turn to icecream then wrap halfway around its head.

So anyway, I started trying to cut away. I think I heard a hissing sound, though its no good anyway as I can't see inside. I ended up getting mad and tried to split it open with the shovel, but that didn't work either. I'm guessing it's why vets shave areas they'd cut into, but i can't be arsed with that shit. I'll go back later with a pickaxe and see if i can make a dent.

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:04 pm

Just mail it to somebody from the phone book.

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:08 pm

I have a curved knife for skinning, but if I were to use that I'd prefer it more fresh. I don't want to get something on me then spread it to my cat for crying out loud.

I've been rethinking the situation and it makes more sense to just cut off the cats head, legs and tail. I'll probably give that a go after lunch.