Most online users had quaint responses, but some mentioned that if they have long-hairs, they collect the fur and leave it outside in bird feeders, so it can be utilized as a lining for birds' nests. Some commenting also mentioned reappropriating bowls (if they couldn't afford or build something like a bird feeder) and hanging them from (or leaving them on) windowsills, porches, and branches so that it can be plucked and taken away on a needs-basis.
Some also knit with cat fur, or spin it into felt. A book called "Knitting with Cat Hair" by Kaori Tsutaya has become immensely popular. There are a variety of applications we've clearly not tapped into as a culture at large. But it got me thinking: what else do we not know?
According to the internet mag Catster, cat hair (along with that of humans and dogs) can be used to clean up oil spills and to formulate allergy injections for cats (which laboratories pay for, and sellers occasionally put funds toward charitable organizations).
Personally, I'm going to try collecting my cat's fluff and sending it back to those he seeks to maim. That seems fair and karmic. Sidenote, life goal: make pajamas made strictly from shed feline fuzz. Accept that it will take a plebeian such as myself to learn how. Frame in glass case after finishing because it's just that much a labor-of-love.
