Fashionable felines: Island woman knitting scarves for cats

Dog owners have lots of choices when it comes to dressing their pets but one P.E.I. woman wants to do more for our feline friends.

While there are winter coats,booties andbandanas with every kind of pattern available for dogs,there are fewer options for cat owners who want their feline to be fashionable.

Terri Welsh is a cat lover from Riverton, P.E.I., who is hoping to change that. She is starting a business knitting scarvesfor cats.

She's knitted about 10 scarves so far that are mainly for indoor cats. Hers are adjustable to the cat and quick to release so it doesn't getstuck around a cat's neck.

One of my cats is always cold so he seems to be enjoying having a bit of warmth. Some of my other cats aren't so inclined to be fashionable.Terri Welsh

"The way I'm making them, it's a keyhole scarf so there's a loop and you can have it all ready just slip it over the animal's head," she said. "They seem to be reasonably happy with it and then quick and easy to take off."

She's got a wide range of colours of yarn and will make scarves to order so that it matches the cat's colour and the owner's tastes. The scarves take about an hour to make, with more complex designs taking longer. The scarves cost $15-$20.

"One of my cats is always cold so he seems to be enjoying having a bit of warmth," she said. "Some of my other cats aren't so inclined to be fashionable."

She's hoping to introduce some locally-sourcedscarves with wool from Island farms and ramp up her offerings. She said dogs always get to make fashion statements and now it's time for cats to do the same.

"I might have actually stumbled on something that people hadn't really given much thought to that might actually take off."

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