Cats, like dogs, are popular house pets who give us affection, attention and comfort us with their presence and purrs. I, for one, am very fond of cats and have had several over the years.

So to celebrate these remarkable creatures, here are some awesome wire work cat jewelry tutorials. First up is the advanced wire woven cat pendant tutorial shown above by Erika Pal of WireArtTutorials. She is a terrific wire artist who is also prolific in what she creates. Well worth a look if you have never come across her before. 

Also by Erika is this frisky cat wire work tutorial :


There is also  a simpler kitten pendant tutorial for novice wire workers from Lucie of Wireupgem :


This unusual cabochon wire wrapped tutorial became a cat head! Clever! The designer is Gopi Dave of ArtsvilleHandCrafted. I have featured Gopi's work before. 



Lucie of Wireupgem came up with this tutorial for a wire wrapped cat ring!  I have also featured her work a number of times before.  


These are templates which accompany the free wire cat tutorials. Templates guide you in making the bends required to form the design. The designer is Heather of HeatherBoydWireDIY. 


There are no written instructions with her template which is paired with the video :


This lovely cat inspired wire bookmark tutorial is by Svitlana of JewelrybyMirraling. I have featured this talented wire artisan before. 


Simon the War Hero Cat

Cats have been companions aboard ships for hundreds of years. They keep rat populations down and thus protect the precious food stores and vital equipment like ropes from being chewed away. They are also wonderful morale boosters.

In 1943, the British established the PDSA Dickin Medal, the equivalent of the Victoria's Cross award which is given to service animals for "conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty while serving in military conflict." 



Most of the 54 recipients have been dogs, homing pigeons and include 3 horses. There has only been one cat to receive the medal - Simon, the ship's cat on board HMS Amethyst. 

The tuxedo (black and white) cat  was found as an undernourished year old stray on one of Hong Kong's docks. A 17 year old able seaman, George Hickinbottom, took him on board where he quickly became a favorite of the crew. He would leave dead rats as presents for the sailors. Lieutenant Commander Bernard Skinner liked Simon so the cat bunked in his hat. 

Simon in quarantine Picture Source 

In 1949, China was undergoing a civil war between the Communist Party and the Kuomintang-led Nationalist Party.  In what is known as the Yangtze incident, HMS Amethyst which was sailing up the Yangtze river to relieve another patrol ship when the People's Liberation Army (Communist)'s gun battery inexplicably opened fire on the Amethyst. The blast killed 31 crew including the commander. Simon, who was in the captain's cabin, was badly injured. 

The medical staff managed to treat his burns and removed shrapnel and he recovered. Simon went back to his job of dealing with the rats. He was given the rank of "able seacat" after he dispatched a particular vicious rodent nicknamed, "Mao Tse-tung". By the time the ship returned to the UK, Simon had become a huge celebrity. 

As with all animals entering the UK, Simon had to spend time in quarantine. He died of a viral infection while he was there. He was buried with full naval honours at the PDSA's Animal cemetery in Ilford, Greater London. 


This video by SimplyCurious recaps Simon's story :


There are some stories about a cat named Oscar/Sam known as Unsinkable Sam as he was supposed to have survived 3 warship sinkings during World War II. There is not much evidence so there is some doubt the story about Unsinkable Sam is actually true. Many of the images used in the retellings are that of Simon. 

Before You Go :

jewelry making supplies

Disclosure 

This blog may contain affiliate links. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation. 
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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM