A widespread global subculture exists of artisans who “farm” their pet hair for crafting material. For example, Amazon offers a Japanese book on the subject, and more grotesquely reminiscent of taxonomical experiments, the Daily Mail has reported that some folks have made their dead pets’ hides into clothing.
The previously-quoted 1899 article on feeding hens newspaper also mentions the successful establishment of “cat fur farms” (“Another Perpetual Motion”). The suffragist vegetarian Frances W. Willard published a very practical guide called Occupations for Women (1897) wherein she advocates for pet-boarding and breeding as “profitable and congenial business” options (117). In this handbook, she disapprovingly distinguishes such “cat lovers” from the “heartless people” who have set up cat fur farms.
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Cited:
“Another Perpetual Motion.” Dental Digest 5 (Jan.-Dec.). Chicago: J.N. Crouse, 1899. Google Book Search. Web.
Willard, Frances E. Occupations for Women. New York: Success Co., 1897.
