Make stuff out of cat hair — seriously

“Crafting with Cat Hair: Cute Handicrafts to Make With Your Cat” by Kaori Tsutaya, translated from the Japanese by Amy Hirschman, $14.95)

According to the Humane Society, there are approximately 86.4 million cats owned in the United States.

And most of them shed.

Blogger / writer Kaori Tsutaya, a cat lover from Japan, has found a use for all that fine fur that usually ends up on an owner’s pants, shirts, bedspreads, chairs and carpets.

In “Crafting with Cat Hair”, she shows you how to create crafts — finger puppets, book covers, tote bags and pin cushions — that use your feline’s contribution.

For all that this seems self-indulgent, “Crafting” is filled with helpful tidbits aimed at the cat owner as well as the crafter. Tsutaya says she wrote the book to “share the fun and happiness these cute cat crafts have brought me.” She uses her own cats as models, and introduces them at the end.

What does she do? She creates felt. She entwines the fur fibers and compress them. How much hair does she recommend? “A mound just big enough to fill both hands.”

She recommends gently brushing the cat, watching carefully for when the cat has had enough, and might bite you. Along with collecting fur, brushing is good to keep the cat from running into issues with hairballs. She explains the difference between textures of the topcoat and the undercoat.

This is a sweet book aimed directly at the cat owners and crafters, and should do well as a gift for that hard-to-find-for friend who loves cats.