Looking to turn heads this fall with a bold fashion statement? Try a handbag made out of a dead feline.
New Zealand taxidermist Claire Hobbs transformed some roadkill she encountered into quite the accessory: The handbag is made from the pelt and head of a cat. When Hobbs first found the dead animal, she kept it in a freezer for three months while checking community boards for lost pets. When it looked like nobody was searching for the kitty, she turned it into the striking bag pictured below.
Hobbs posted the purrfect purse to online marketplace TradeMe. From photos she uploaded, it looks like she was originally trying to sell the handbag for $1,450. But according to the auction, which closed on Wednesday, there were 44 bids and a final price of $545.
While people have come after Hobbs, accusing her of animal cruelty and insensitivity, she argues the opposite.
She told Stuff, “To spend all that time on tanning and sculpture and making it brand new shows the utmost respect. … I guess because it’s a domestic animal people get a bit funny about it. I don’t kill animals for my work, it’s not as though I go around snuffing out animals thinking this’ll make a nice handbag.”
And while she’s had some legitimate questions asked on the TradeMe posting, a little bit of insanity has also broken loose.
The cat handbag may have already been sold, but we’re sure there’ll be another chic roadkill accessory on the market soon. Perhaps a possum choker?
H/T Stuff
