“Maybe I should get a cat so I can start a whisker vase...” I say to myself as I sip a steaming cup of death-defying Greek Mountain Tea. You’re the best kind of influencer.
My daughter has been saving our cat's fallen whiskers in a little Limoges-type ceramic box that is the perfect size and shape. I definitely feel less weird now knowing that other people do some version of this!
Was coming to say the same!!! My now-9 year old has been saving our two cats whiskers in a ziplock bag since we got them…. Now I am feeling quite guilty for throwing that away ….. 😬
Adding that show to my list and dropping my recent fave here: For the Love of Kitchens (available on Prime with a Discovery+ free trial). It's about British kitchen company DeVol. They skip the whole drawn out demo-with-a sledgehammer-and-fabricated-drama, and fill space between before and after with inspo trips to flea markets and craftspeople making things like aged copper worktops, brass lamps, ceramic lampshades, and the tiniest pinion latch. They like to layer in old things, make a kitchen look like it’s always been there. It's all so good. BUT. My favorite is season 2, episode 4, where you meet Paul & Alison, the loveliest couple who met later in life. Their love and care just radiates. Paul is recovering from a stroke, and Alison is so gentle (and, you can tell, still delights in him!). They're redoing their kitchen so that Paul can walk through without a mobility aid, and let me tell you, I cried watching him make his own cup of tea in his own kitchen at episode's end.
My kids and I just listened to a podcast about cats the other day and I learned the most amazing things about cat whiskers: they measure the distance between spaces and are the same width as the cats' bodies. So basically if a whisker doesn't touch a space, a cat knows it can fit into it, which is why we see cats squeeze themselves into tiny allotments. So fascinating. I did not learn whether they grew back, but judging by your cats' plethora of whiskers, I'm guessing yes!
I swear when I first glanced at the subway pic of your parents they were peeling potatoes, and then I rubbed my eyes to see them empty handed! They look like such sweeties:)
I have three cats and am constantly having to pull whiskers out of the weave of the stair carpet (I'm beginning to think they do it on purpose). Now, I shall follow your advice, stick 'em in a vase, and treat them as trophies.
I love whiskers in vases! Someone please write that into a Few-of-My-Favorite-Things type song!
We hadn't been to the actual movie theater in a while and last night saw American Fiction. 💯 Recommend to everyone; a funny, snappy, poignant, extremely well-acted movie that I will be thinking about for a long time.
I weirdly almost never find whiskers! Claw layers that have finally been gnawed/scratched off, all the time, but almost never a whisker. I was never sad about the whisker lack until just this moment!
(And, not a rec, but last Sunday I finally read 'One Mixed-Up Night', and Catherine, please write more books!! Children/YA, adult, whatever, just MORE, please!) ((Yes, I realize as a non-parent in my 40s I am not the target audience, but what can I say, I love kids'/YA books too.))
The last time a friend took me on a field trip to IKEA, shortly after I moved into my current apartment, she also needed some things. She had written down the number of some item or other, and picked up a couple of small household things, and I didn't get anything until we reached the kids section and I put...a giant stuffed snake (that later turned out to be a PUPPET!!!) in the cart, and she just looked at me like "Okay, that's the first thing you are putting in the cart, eh?" (Puppet snake would have been worth it at twice the price, tbh.)
Had to comment again that yesterday I _just_ found a whisker, threaded into the soft blanket on the couch! So now I guess I _have_ to get a tiny vase...
I’m reading Catherine’s new book, Sandwich, right now, and frequently annoying my husband, who is trying to sleep, by laughing out loud. It’s delightful AND I’m learning important, important, actionable things about menopause! I’m a librarian and get to read advance reading copies, which would have impressed my 13-year-old self to no end, but it comes out in I think May?
I knew there was something I connected to about you and the cat whisker vase is it! As soon as I saw your pic I recognized it for what it was. I too had a fuzz butt Maine Coon type who was always leaving whiskers around. I kept putting them in a vase and pretty quickly had a bouquet. The cat is at least 15years gone but I still hold on to them. This truly validates what I thought was my own private wierdness!
Babies was a favorite of ours too. The one thing we all liked over and over and just a few days ago introduced it to our four year old. Don’t you love when something comes up right after you mentioned it???
Tiny vases are the best! I packed all mine up two years ago, in preparation for a move (that hasn’t happened) and I cannot count the number of times I have needed one. They are perfect for short little flowers that broke off from a big bouquet or pretty blue jay feathers found in the yard.
“Maybe I should get a cat so I can start a whisker vase...” I say to myself as I sip a steaming cup of death-defying Greek Mountain Tea. You’re the best kind of influencer.
ha ha ha ha! GET A CAT!
I save whiskers! I have some tiny vases! How have I never thought to put these two things together?!
My daughter has been saving our cat's fallen whiskers in a little Limoges-type ceramic box that is the perfect size and shape. I definitely feel less weird now knowing that other people do some version of this!
Oh how elegant!
Was coming to say the same!!! My now-9 year old has been saving our two cats whiskers in a ziplock bag since we got them…. Now I am feeling quite guilty for throwing that away ….. 😬
Adding that show to my list and dropping my recent fave here: For the Love of Kitchens (available on Prime with a Discovery+ free trial). It's about British kitchen company DeVol. They skip the whole drawn out demo-with-a sledgehammer-and-fabricated-drama, and fill space between before and after with inspo trips to flea markets and craftspeople making things like aged copper worktops, brass lamps, ceramic lampshades, and the tiniest pinion latch. They like to layer in old things, make a kitchen look like it’s always been there. It's all so good. BUT. My favorite is season 2, episode 4, where you meet Paul & Alison, the loveliest couple who met later in life. Their love and care just radiates. Paul is recovering from a stroke, and Alison is so gentle (and, you can tell, still delights in him!). They're redoing their kitchen so that Paul can walk through without a mobility aid, and let me tell you, I cried watching him make his own cup of tea in his own kitchen at episode's end.
I am SOLD!
My kids and I just listened to a podcast about cats the other day and I learned the most amazing things about cat whiskers: they measure the distance between spaces and are the same width as the cats' bodies. So basically if a whisker doesn't touch a space, a cat knows it can fit into it, which is why we see cats squeeze themselves into tiny allotments. So fascinating. I did not learn whether they grew back, but judging by your cats' plethora of whiskers, I'm guessing yes!
Thankfully they do grow back cuz I once accidentally cut a cat’s whiskers while trying to shave off mats. I felt so badly!!
OMG, me tooooooo!!!! Only one whisker, but even that I felt terrible about. Thank goodness they didn't get stuck in a cabinet or anything.
I swear when I first glanced at the subway pic of your parents they were peeling potatoes, and then I rubbed my eyes to see them empty handed! They look like such sweeties:)
Ha ha ha ha! They're great until you're trying to help them buy a new TV.
I have three cats and am constantly having to pull whiskers out of the weave of the stair carpet (I'm beginning to think they do it on purpose). Now, I shall follow your advice, stick 'em in a vase, and treat them as trophies.
Yes! I am a fan of spinning annoyances into joy ha ha ha.
I just love the word "whisker" so much, I want to thank you for bringing so much whisker joy into my day!
It's got kind of a whiskey vibe. Whisker + Friskies maybe. . .
I love whiskers in vases! Someone please write that into a Few-of-My-Favorite-Things type song!
We hadn't been to the actual movie theater in a while and last night saw American Fiction. 💯 Recommend to everyone; a funny, snappy, poignant, extremely well-acted movie that I will be thinking about for a long time.
We saw it too! It's SO GOOD, and you feel like you're totally implicated, don't you? Loved it.
I weirdly almost never find whiskers! Claw layers that have finally been gnawed/scratched off, all the time, but almost never a whisker. I was never sad about the whisker lack until just this moment!
(And, not a rec, but last Sunday I finally read 'One Mixed-Up Night', and Catherine, please write more books!! Children/YA, adult, whatever, just MORE, please!) ((Yes, I realize as a non-parent in my 40s I am not the target audience, but what can I say, I love kids'/YA books too.))
My kids and I read this book multiple times and then visited IKEA together for the first time. Definite core memories created!
The last time a friend took me on a field trip to IKEA, shortly after I moved into my current apartment, she also needed some things. She had written down the number of some item or other, and picked up a couple of small household things, and I didn't get anything until we reached the kids section and I put...a giant stuffed snake (that later turned out to be a PUPPET!!!) in the cart, and she just looked at me like "Okay, that's the first thing you are putting in the cart, eh?" (Puppet snake would have been worth it at twice the price, tbh.)
ha ha ha!
Look at this guy, though! https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/djungelskog-glove-puppet-snake-burmese-python-20402850/
We have that, it's great
xo
Thank you! Maybe we should keep those claw fragments too? In a locket!
Had to comment again that yesterday I _just_ found a whisker, threaded into the soft blanket on the couch! So now I guess I _have_ to get a tiny vase...
I’m reading Catherine’s new book, Sandwich, right now, and frequently annoying my husband, who is trying to sleep, by laughing out loud. It’s delightful AND I’m learning important, important, actionable things about menopause! I’m a librarian and get to read advance reading copies, which would have impressed my 13-year-old self to no end, but it comes out in I think May?
That still impresses my 43-year-old self, tbh. I would say you are winning in one aspect of life, at least!
I knew there was something I connected to about you and the cat whisker vase is it! As soon as I saw your pic I recognized it for what it was. I too had a fuzz butt Maine Coon type who was always leaving whiskers around. I kept putting them in a vase and pretty quickly had a bouquet. The cat is at least 15years gone but I still hold on to them. This truly validates what I thought was my own private wierdness!
xo
Babies was a favorite of ours too. The one thing we all liked over and over and just a few days ago introduced it to our four year old. Don’t you love when something comes up right after you mentioned it???
Whisker vase! You have one-upped my decorative bowl of wishbones (which of course I keep in a cabinet for the safety of my own whisker-havers).
That sounds like a lucky bowl!
Tiny vases are the best! I packed all mine up two years ago, in preparation for a move (that hasn’t happened) and I cannot count the number of times I have needed one. They are perfect for short little flowers that broke off from a big bouquet or pretty blue jay feathers found in the yard.
Yes! Yes!
Whenever I go to Goodwill I look for tiny vases! I have one that looks similar to yours (sans whiskers).
Me too, Asha!
im debating whether i should make a whisker vase for my dog, even though i am covered in her fur always. that’s love.