Staff Review: Tiny Hats on Cats by Adam Ellis

Last summer I put together a blog post highlighting some of our quirkier books for cat lovers. I should've recognized it as a warning sign because in October, I adopted a cat. I am now an official cat-owning librarian cliché. But look at this sweet face!

How could I say no?

Dexter (yes, he is named after the fictional serial killer) is a wonderful cat, but you might've noticed the Cone of Shame in his picture. No one has been happy with the (temporary) necessity of the Cone of Shame. It's both annoying and unfashionable, but it did remind me of that cat lover book list and one particular title on the list: Tiny Hats on Cats by Adam Ellis

Yes! This book will guide you in the crafting of tiny paper hats for your feline friends. Obviously, Dexter and I had to get in on this. So we gathered our supplies and got to work!

We decided to start with a simple top hat design. A real classic. The book provides patterns and directions for several basic shapes that can be combined in different ways to make different styles of hats. There are even tips on sizing the tiny hats to better perch on your cat's head. In this, my first attempt, I made a hat slightly too large for Dexter's dainty noggin.

I recommend crafting your hat in a room without your cat. Both to maintain the surprise and joy your cat will feel when presented with your finished hat, and because cats are naturally curious about what it is you are doing, yet completely unable to understand phrases like "Please don't step on that! The glue is wet!"

In the end we crafted a hat and Dexter was willing to wear it long enough to pose for a picture in exchange for two extra kibbles and extra play time with his favorite catnip mouse.

Do I recommend this book to others? Um, yes. The world needs more pictures of cats (and dogs?) in hats.

~Sarah, Adult Services