Cat's Creative Clawing Leads to Fame

01/20/2011

Pawtrait of the Artist

If your cat has ever personalized a sofa or chair by clawing a bit of the stuffing free or shredding the upholstery, you've probably shrugged and ignored it. Maybe you've offered a small admonishment --"Please don't!"--and a big hint: a new scratching post. But you could have labeled it "art" instead.

That's the case of a tuxedo cat named Henry, whose talent for clawing fabric into fanciful designs has brought him the spotlight. Henry, who lives with Anita McCormick in Bangor, Maine, began demonstrating his skills not long after Anita spotted the 8-week-old pet-shop kitten. She brought him home as a friend for her cat, Alice, who longed for a playmate.

Even as a baby, Henry was an enthusiastic scratcher, and always looked beyond a traditional scratching post to express himself (yes, Henry too began on furniture. Every artist has to start somewhere). When Anita, herself an artist and writer, began giving Henry pieces of discarded fabric nailed to the wall, she noticed he vigorously worked at the fiber, fluffing, shredding, clawing it into shape. Absorbed by the results, Henry is a true artist, working as the mood strikes him. Anita says Henry breaks in a fresh portion of fiber by scratching all over it first, then zeroing in on certain spots.

A finished piece can take months, says Anita, because Henry may work on it only for short periods each day. Henry most enjoys loopy shag carpet---shades of the 70s!--because it offers so much to work with, but he'll take on almost any fiber. And Henry's finished pieces resemble those trendy displays seen in the lobbies of big office buildings, a little bit modern, a little bit retro combined.

Artistic Celeb

Henry's talent has been recognized by the media, and he's even made an appearance on Animal Planet's "Cats 101". "Henry loved the attention, "Anita recalls. "At one point, the crew couldn't find him, and we were afraid someone had let him out accidentally. But Henry wasn't hiding from these new 'visitors', he was inside one of the big equipment bags, exploring." (And maybe scouting one of those snake-like cables for a future project?)

Samples of his work were exhibited at the Bangor Public Library, where residents could inspect the pieces for themselves to marvel at Henry's ability. Like any publicity-savvy feline, Henry has his own Web site where you can see more of his work. He's got his own Facebook page and Twitter accounts too.

But Anita says Henry's talent is not just about one cat's knack for making something cool out of old carpet. Henry's work offers a simple message---cats claw, it's what they DO. He includes a reminder on his website to "Save a Paw, Don't Declaw," because a cat's scratching is normal, not a habit to be punished or denied. Alice, Henry's companion, was declawed before Anita adopted her. "It always makes me sad to look at her front paws, "Anita says, certain that Alice would be into fiber arts if she had claws. Alice sometimes watches Henry when he's busy, overseeing with interest. If you've ever had a declawed cat, you know they still enjoy the motion of scratching, the feeling of fiber, so it's no surprise that Alice supports Henry's stylings.

As for Henry, he's still turning old carpet into new creations, a true "repurposing" of materials. While Anita contemplates a children's book about Henry, he's content to enjoy the creative process.

Think your cat might like to imitate Henry? Anita suggests offering him or her a strip of carpeting sturdily attached to a wall. Rub a little catnip on the surface to get things started and who knows, your cat may scratch up a masterpiece!

Comments

[Bernadette Kazmarski]

Henry, you're our hero! The Fantastic Four and their Mom (but maybe not our tortie big sisters).

[Ingrid King]

I love Henry! Nice to see him featured here.

[A.F. for Animal Planet]

Our next door neighbor has a cat who "customized" her mommy's horizontal blinds in the kitchen and recently did some "landscape architecture" on our patio.

She wasn't being destructive, she was just looking for a creative outlet. Thanks Animal Planet for truly understanding the working mind of the feline artist.

[Sue]

I love this! I have been referring to my 31-year-old loveseat and sofa--remember off-white Haitian cotton?--at cat-tastrophies after being pawed by three felines. Henceforth, I will proudly call them works of art.

[Melissa]

I love this! I think my mom's cat has a future now!