The grandmother who turns cats into hats

A grandmother has set up a cottage industry on a remote island making hats out of cat skins.

Robyn Eades, who lives on a Tasmanian island, says her designs are increasingly popular, and she has taken orders from as far away as Siberia.

But although most of her designs are made from the skins of feral cats which roam the island, the trapper who sends her the carcasses admits his haul includes the odd unlucky pet.



The self-styled artist, 60, lives on remote King Island in the middle of the Bass Straight, south of Australia.

Every week she takes delivery of frozen cat carcasses which have been trapped and shot by a local ranger employed to cull the population.

The cats are defrosted and skinned, before being tanned and stitched into winter hats, coat hangers and purses.

With photo gallery.