Cat Hair Dubbin’…

FinLuver

Native Oregonian…1846
After I brush my avatar, I get this soft rabbit-like under fur with spikey squirrel-like guard hairs.
Can’t wait to get enough, to dub a few cat hair nymphs or some collars on other flies.
Anyone else (fly tyers) eye the cat differently while sitting at the tying bench?
 

Trout Trekker

Steelhead
One of my first consistently successful ties when I was around thirteen years old, was the Chalk fly. It was tied on a #12 Eagle Claw Baitholder, a maggot shaped body built up with white thread from my mom's sewing kit ( sort of like the old Ted Fay Bombers ) and a tail made from our cat Chalky's combed fur. The body was over coated with clear nail polish also ala my mom's stash. Worked wonders on small creek trout and warmwater panfish. Could easily do the same thing today with a hank of white rabbit fur from a Zonker strip.
 

GAT

Dumbfounded
Forum Supporter
The original, and experimental, Trude caddis dry fly was said to be made with dog hair from the ranch dog at the time. It was more or less a pattern tied as a joke because it did use dog hair for a wing but when it worked, those staying at the ranch decided it might be more practical to use white calves tail fibers instead of ranch dog hair fibers.
 

flybill

Life of the Party
I tied a few flies with my last dogs hair, he was a Keeshond, named Cody so I had a Cody Bugger! Also used some hair from my friends brindle Greyhound and called it a Hair of the Dogs Ear! Not sure if I still have any left or not, but will look!
 

krusty

We're on the Road to Nowhere...
Forum Supporter
My mother always wondered why her feather dusters always seemed to get so prematurely sparse. As a broke 10 year old flytier pretty much any object with feathers was fair game, though 60 years ago I knew nothing of dubbing or hair flies, so our household critters weren't brushed bald.
 

Vandelay Industries

Steelhead
Forum Supporter
I don't have a cat but the dog has been producing dubbing in massive quantities lately.
View attachment 17349
Apparently, the birds have decided that the dog fur makes excellent nest-enhancing material. My wife found this bird picking up individual fur strands in the yard this morning.
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