Crafting with animals presents its own unique set of challenges. Whether you have a dog, cat, bird or ferret, animals have a way of inserting themselves into your process, not always for the better. Cats in particular like to sit on things, bat at yarn, and knock things over.

While this can be a nuisance, I, personally, try to embrace it. My animals are family to me and part of the reason I took up crochet to begin with is that my cat really enjoyed playing with the yarn.

However, there are moments that you definitely do not want “help” while working on something. Whether it is a particularly delicate moment or you are merely growing frustrated, you may want to discourage your animal, particularly a cat, from being in your way.

With smaller animals, like a bird, the solution is usually to simply return them to their cage. Unfortunately, this strategy is not usually feasible with a cat. When dealing with cats, nothing is 100% effective, but I have had a certain amount of success with a few strategies.

1. Decoy Project – If you begin your crafting session pretending to work on something else, your cat will often hone in on it as being the most in the way place to be. Once your cat is firmly planted on your decoy project, you can pick up your real project and work on it. At least until your cat realized that they’ve been tricked.
2. The Box – Recently, my fiance and I were trying to eat dinner. The cat refused to leave us alone! Eventually, my fiance got up from the table, pulled a box out of the closet, and set it on the floor. Possibly because this box had once held catnip, the cat was all over it! It didn’t last forever, but we did manage to finish our meal in peace and we occasionally spotted her curled up in that box for the next several weeks.
3. Distraction – Particularly if you have someone else around, distracting your cat with treats or toys can sometimes keep them away from your project – at least for a while!
4. Acceptance – Sometimes, its time to pet the cat, not work on your craft!