Hi, me again. I heard you answer emergency... â€� Andrew Shaffer Q&A

Lancelot Schaubert asked Andrew Shaffer:

Hi, me again. I heard you answer emergency taxidermy questions. The hair trigger on our sawed off shotgun went off and blew a hole through this stuffed Bison Iâ€™ve been working on for WEEKS and I donâ€™t have a backup hide. If I use the skin of my neighbourâ€™s recently deceased and buried cats, do you think anyone will notice?

Andrew Shaffer For a traditional skin-mount, it's considered a major faux pas to substitute another animal's hide. At that point, you might as well just cast the entire piece using fiberglass or resin (a "reproduction" mount), and use artificial fur. Cat fur is not an adequate substitute for bison fur, as bison fur is much thicker. An accomplished taxidermist should be trained in both styles (skin-mounts and reproductions). I would take pictures of the animal (in its original state) and a gym bag with the pieces you have left to a professional taxidermist, and let them advise you which route to go.

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