There is a truth that cat-lovers all recognize about their little friends: if there is a box available, whatever size, a cat will sit inside. The truism of “if I fits, I sits” also applies to all box-like objects, baskets especially. And it’s not just the vessel that cats seem to love – they want to “help” at each step of a basket’s creation.
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Hawkeye in the ubiquitous Amazon box |
Reed is my current material of choice. It requires little preparation from me, is readily available for purchase from a variety of online sources, and even though the cost has gone up precipitously due to the embargo, it still is reasonably priced. It also comes in tidy coils that make nifty rattling sounds when unrolled – a siren’s call to my feline friends.
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Here’s Selina. I literally turned my back for 30 seconds after putting that coil on the ground, heard a rustling and turned back around to see her tangled in the reed. |
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Simon joined Selina a mere minute afterwards. |
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Another minute goes by, and momma cat Phadre joins the fun. Not much basket making ended up occuring on this day, but the little friends had a great time! No reed or cats were harmed. |
Some people may get mad or frustrated at their pets when they want to join in the creativity. I’ve decided to take a different tack – playtime. Cats can have a pretty short attention span, so I don’t have to take that much time from my project to placate them. Although, when there are seven in the house, dealing with each one separately can take some time.
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Bruce fills the 12” hen basket. |
Typically, I work at my favorite space on the couch. I have a great view of my backyard, and I can watch TV if I feel the need for visual background noise. The coils get strewn about at my feet, I spread out my tools next to me on the cushion, and the side table holds my water bottles (spray bottle for spritzing my work and one for hydrating myself). Spokes wave enticingly, extending from my occupied lap. Whatever reed I’m using as my weaver gets waved around, randomly flopping like wounded prey. There may be no sign of my beasties when I sit down to work, but I can count on at least one of them getting up from their naps to join me.
It starts with sniffing and casual batting at the end of either the weaver or one of the spokes. I ignore them for a time, until it is clear they are not going to just wander away. Depending on how involved I am in the particular project, I’ll either wave the weaver around to catch their attention, or simply cut a new piece of reed. Sometimes I’ll tie yarn or feathers to the end, but usually, I just move my focus from my basket work to the cat until he is finished with his play. Then pets and maybe some snuggles, and the cat is bored again and wanders off to a sunbeam. Occasionally, they decide naps have to be on my lap, and that may scuttle my basket work for awhile longer. Patience is certainly required, but rewarded as well.
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Seriously, Selina will show up out of nowhere to get into a basket photoshoot |
One benefit I’ve embraced from my integration of play into my basketry is that the cats also seem to sense when I’ve sat still for too long. Simon especially will interrupt me periodically to make me take a break. Five or ten minutes spent playing and cuddling the cat refreshes me, and switches both my visual and mental focus away from the pin-point I normally have while working on a project. I am reminded to hydrate and move around a bit so I don’t stiffen up. Plus I get bonding time with my favorite furry pals!\
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