Cat lovers would you buy this at a craft fair?

[LauraSaidIShouldBeNicer]

I am doing my first craft fair in December I make dog and cat collars. I also plan on doing some low cost items aswell like treats and toys and blankets ect.

This is a cat mat it's thicker than a blanket and can save a sofa or bed getting too hairy?

Is this something that would interest cat owners? What price would you pay for something like this I was thinking £5? I don't want to make a few up if they are useless.

Im not looking to make a huge profit just cover costs and maybe some extra. It's just a hobby for me and not needed to pay the bills.

Ps the lighting is crap this evening its a blush pink.

I wouldn’t buy that for a cat, but you could change the shape slightly and market it as a ‘Pram Blanket’. Even at twice the price it would be a good deal.

I agree with pp’s about collars- too dangerous, so not a large market. Toys a good idea.

How about novelty hats for cats? Jumpers for dogs?

My black cat will only sleep on black blankets but if they came in black I'd probably give one a go for a fiver or so.

Dcats are only interested in crochet blankets whilst they are being made, either cosied on my lap and trying to get the yarn. Although I can't say I've ever had a problem with them catching their claws in them.

It's well made and looks good but the cat we used to own had a mind of his own an I doubt he would have sat on it as opposed tonnthecsofa.

Ps I have a broken arm tgatts why mybtyping is poor.

You are obviously talented crafter.I would choose a bit more interesting colour(eg.rainbow colours) or make the mat in a catface.I should bring a smile on peoples faces when they see your catmats.best of luck.

@LauraSaidIShouldBeNicer

Are cat collars not a great idea? Should I stick to just dog collars?

Unless they have a safe "release" so if the cat gets stuck it can escape then I really wouldn't bother with a collar.

My DH old cat got her collar stuck and nearly died - she needed surgery. Our current 2 have never had collars because of this.

Some sort of ball/fish etc with some catnip might work, but mine would ignore it after 2 minutes and prefer a screwed up piece of paper.

I don't have a cat but it's very pretty!

My hairdresser makes little knitted mice with catnip in - my cat absolutely loves them! I would never, ever put any sort of collar on her (she is chipped obviously) and blanket-wise her favourite is teddy fleece, particularly the heated throw.

Fiver is too cheap imo

I don't understand how you could make a cat lie on that rather than any other chair or other part of the sofa?

No, sorry. My cats sleep in comfy cat beds, not a thin blanket.

I think you are selling yourself short. I wouldn't sell them as cat blankets as lots of pp's have mentioned the issue with claws, but you could easily size appropriately to market as baby blankets and sell for a decent price.

@toocold54

Does it have to be for cats? I think it is lovely but maybe not something I’d think about buying for my cat. So you may sell more if you don’t call them cat blankets.

This. Crocheted mats, throws, blankets but not for pets.

Please proce accurately or you will get the stink eye from other sellers who are being undercut while trying to make a living.

They are very nice and you should be paid properly.

No I wouldn’t but as my cat would get his claws caught as others have said.
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Nope. My cats would destroy that in seconds.

I would also never put a collar on a cat - it's so dangerous.

In the nicest way I would also never buy a dog collar from a random craft stall maybe I'm over cautious but how do I know it's going to be strong and safe enough?

My cats wouldn’t be interested in it as it is not fluffy enough & I would be concerned about their claws catching.
However, I think calling it a baby blanket would work as it is beautiful, especially if you put little tags around the edge to be played with. You could then sell it for considerably more. Good luck.

Would you consider baby blankets, there’s quite a market for those? Surely charging £5.00 wouldn’t be worth it for the investment of your time and wool?

I wouldn’t buy it for my cats as I had knitted blankets before for them and they clawed them to bits within a week. Now they have a mix of fleece and fur which they love.
I would buy the cat nip mice and fish. I would love it if the fish ones were a lot bigger about the size of an adult size 5 shoe as the small ones aren’t so good for a large cat.

The blankets would be good with a small matching pillow and sold as a set for a childs dolls pram.

Large fish like this
www.etsy.com/listing/677817093/catnip-fish-toy-hand-knit

I really like the cat nip idea. You could even make little squares and other shapes with a catnip pocket as a pp suggested, that cats could use as toys.
Your work is lovely OP and I think you could do particularly well this winter with people sized blankets, wrist warmers, hats, bed jackets, hot water bottle covers etc.
The combination of more people still WFH and rising fuel costs will see a return to really wrapping up indoors as more people try to save on heating costs.
I always think that making things to sell must be so much work and that crafter's should be paid well for their time and skills.
Hope you do really well!

No I wouldn’t because they knead their bedding as they settle down and would keep getting their claws caught. It would be shredded within days.
Sorry

This has been a massive help thanks for your input.

Am wanting to stick to one "area" which is pets for now primarily am thinking could tie in a winter walkies set with fingerless gloves, scarf and hat set?

Agree with the other comments. Collars for cats a complete non starter. Most people don't use collars on their cats, they lose them anyway and microchipping is a more reliable way of identifying them if needed

Knitted blankets also not practical for cats, due to being hard to wash and dry and your average bloody minded cat refusing to use any item bought for such purposes. One of mine has spent most of this week asleep on the pile of leaflets, old newspapers and jiffy bags that I was going to put in the recycling until she claimed it .

Knitted cat toys are a great idea though and they will be very popular. Also the advantage of being quicker to make and take less wool I would have thought.

People keep buying these because they get damaged and then thrown away so need replacing. I foster rescue kittens and small knitted toys are really popular with them. Something like [[https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1045667932/woolly-prawnshrimpga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=shrimp+toy&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&tr_rank=3&organic_search_click=1 this] or even a simple knitted square sewed into a tube and then stuffed, with a bit of catnip in it and sewn so it looks like a Christmas cracker. We had one of those a couple of years ago and they loved it.