On a Roll with Cat Mats

Hey needleworkers! I've now made five cat mats recently, so I thought I would do a little post. I finished two more last night:

In addition to the three I posted about earlier this week in an Alive post:

The original three are going to a friend's three cats, one of the new ones is going to my younger sibling's cat, and another to a different friend's cat. :)

I've made several of these over the years for my cats, friends' cats, and shelter cats, and friends have all reported back that their kitties like to lay on them, as does Yuan. ^_^

For shelter cats, knitting/crocheting/sewing them something comfy and homey like a little blanket not only helps them to be more comfortable in the kennels, but also gives them a higher chance of being adopted! It's true! The thought is that perhaps people can more easily imagine them in their homes when they are in with something cozy like a blanket, rather than the stark kennel and newspaper.

And I once again won at yarn chicken!

If you would also like to make a cat mat, the way I do it is double stranded, worsted weight yarn on size 11 needles, 50 stitches across in a square. Acrylic yarn for easy washing since it will get covered in cat fur and stuff. :) Straight knit stitch, so it's nice and thick for them to lay on.

So hopefully the kitties enjoy their new mats. Have a great week everyone! :)