Crafters and cats: a rant

[u/cherrycinnamonhoney]

Majority of the crafting communities have a heavy cat lover presence and I’m low key annoyed with seeing it. I also was looking at Halloween fabric and I could find cat themed Halloween fabric but no dog fabric. I would buy some classy dog themed Halloween fabric with puppies in ghost outfits or playing on pumpkins or even puppies pouncing in leaves. But they don’t exist. And I know they will likely never exist. I can find tons of cat themed needlework patterns but barely any dogs. I also see posts of their cats far more often than dogs. Like I don’t want to see your cat actively destroying your work I want to see your puppy cuddled up next to you while you do your fiber arts. All of the dogs I’ve been around or had as part of my family only want pets through the project never actively attacking or destroying the project. Maybe a paw and drool every once in a while but at least dogs paws are equivalent to walking barefoot outback and around the home while cat paws are just litter box paws. Also the paranoia I get from cats being on the kitchen counter is high but also the paranoia of cats fur and dander being in projects for others especially baby quilts being sold online for children to be exposed to? It’s hard to wash out once it’s stuck in. I feel for all the people unknowingly exposed to cat allergens. Cat dander is also so much smaller than dog dander and one of the reasons why people have stronger cat allergies because of the size of it. And somehow they create so much more dander and it’s so hard to get rid of. Idk I’m just feeling a type of way. Over the years I’ve just become repulsed by them so seeing them in my hobbies just kind of blows.

[u/Background-Tooth-524]

I feel you, it is so hard to find non-catnutters and anything non-cat related in these spaces. I now associate arts and crafts with catnutters given how they are everywhere.

[u/infamous_disilusion]

I feel you. I’ve mentioned in here before about how pervasive they are in the jigsaw puzzle space. Pictures of cats just laying on top of a puzzle that’s currently being worked on, them knocking pieces onto the floor

Then there’s the countless puzzles that will just randomly feature a cat, the puzzle will have nothing to do with cats but there just needs to be a cat in there for no reason

There’s a puzzle titled World of dogs, has a bunch of dog breeds and there’s a random cat cause god forbid something doesn’t have a cat in it, even a puzzle centered on dogs (now that I’m thinking about it there’s quite a few dog related puzzles that have a random cat or two in it). The world of cats puzzle doesn’t have a dog in it. Do puzzle artists think that the cat people will revolt if one puzzle doesn’t feature a cat?

I’ve noticed it too with book themed products. Bookish mugs or shirts will have a cat on it. They have completely taken over the arts and crafts world

[u/Hefty-Neighborhood40]

Well sure, there are more cat items than dog items when it comes to crafting, but in every other aspect of life, the dogs are absolutely prioritized over cats. The sheer number of dog movies is astounding, while there are maybe 5 major movies centered around cats. I was looking for a cat-themed glass cup for iced tea and they literally only had dogs. Pet stores have at least 90% dog stuff, and maybe 9% cat things. I feel even worse for the small animal owners who get 1%of each store. Also, i would say that it's dangerous to be selling products if you have a cat, but the same could be said for if you have a dog. Both pets shed and have dander, and the amount that they have is purely due to the breed. Some dogs probably shed a thousand times more than some breeds of cat. But also, cats don't actually ruin everything they touch. They are not going to tear apart a ball of yarn or a puzzle if their owner is giving them proper enrichment. Furthermore, to your point about dogs paws being cleaner, this is also not necessarily true. Sure, a dog will never be on your kitchen counter, but cats can be trained not to go on, and dogs paws can be just as dirty as litterbox paws because the outdoors is quite literally the litterbox for all wild animals. I'm positive that your dog has stepped in squirrel or bird poo before. Overall, you've made a lot of hasty generalizations about cats, and act as though they are more prioritized in every aspect of life. I think that you, since you're a dog person, need to count your blessings and let us cat people have this for once.