# How many ways are there to skin a cat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 31, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159 "2010-08-31T17:29:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/1 "2010-08-31T17:29:08Z")
Obviously there is more than one way. But how many? Two, three, hundreds, thousands, more? Using a practical definition of a ‘way to skin a cat’ as one that has been demonstrated to work, it could not be infinite because only a finite number of cats have ever existed. In your responses, please indicate whether you have actual experience in skinning cats, how many cats you have skinned or seen skinned, and any methods which proved unsuccessful. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/2 "2010-08-31T18:40:53Z")
Very funny. Anyway, I have never skinned a cat, but have skinned a lot of rabbits over the years. There may be more than one way, but the most effective is to cut off the feet (after the rabbit is dead, that is), cut a slit on the stomach from the head to the tail, and pretty much just pull the skin off like you would take off your own sweater. It is easier with rabbits than, say, a deer, as the skin is not attached to the body, and is quite loose. I would think a cat’s skin would be likewise, but I doubt that I will ever have the opportunity to find out. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/3 "2010-08-31T18:48:09Z")
I’ve personally done around 5 or so, and supervised the skinning of around 50 or so. We’ve always done it from the top down, i.e. cut along the backbone, and strip off towards the head and feet. This helps maintain the integrety of some of the more delicate muscles associated with the abdomen. So, I know of 2 ways…the traditional hunter method, and the method I’ve used for dissections. ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/4 "2010-08-31T18:48:13Z")
I object to this thread ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/5 "2010-08-31T18:57:49Z")
This is a cat thread right? Where are the obligatory pictures? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/6 "2010-08-31T18:59:04Z")
No actual experience. The three most obvious ways I can imagine would each resemble a way of undressing somebody. 1. Remove the head as a unit and treat it as a separate skinning maneuver. Make a lengthwise slit on the belly side and peel the skin off like a scuba suit. 2. Same head removal. Make a circumference cut about midway down the body and peel the top part off like a pullover sweater and the bottom like a leotard. 3. Same head extraction. Slit lengthways down the back and peel forward like a woman getting out of an evening gown. If you wanted a really smooth skin, you could start by lopping off the legs as well as the head and have a much smoother and neater pelt at the end, albeit with some holes. Do we have any taxidermists here? Did anybody ever wear a Davy Crockett catskin hat? What an intellectual exercise here. Practical Topology. ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/7 "2010-08-31T19:19:26Z")
I hope there’s a way to do it with **FIRE!!** Since the OP refers to a cliche, it seems fair enough to also suggest the basic gymnastics-like move on a high bar. ([http://http://www.ehow.com/how\_2074681\_skin-cat.html](http://http://www.ehow.com/how_2074681_skin-cat.html). The Urban Dictionary also refers to excessively vigorous masturbation (“essentially skinning the cat”). These sort of divergent uses of the phrase make me wonder if it’s etymology is a chicken-and-egg chase. Sadly, I’m far too busy waiting for the phone to ring with a new job offer to do more research (and would hate to be mentally side-tracked with masturbation, gymnastics, and animal cruelty… especially in regard to any appearance of a link between the first one and the last two) ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/8 "2010-08-31T19:33:10Z")
The so-called ‘cat inequality’ Ways of skinning a cat \> 1 ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/9 "2010-08-31T21:31:57Z")
I vaguely remember, long ago, reading a booklet that listed many ways of skinning a cat. The only one I can remember is repeated clubbing with a blunt object until all the bones, muscles and organs liquify, then rolling it up like a tube of toothpaste starting at the tail. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/10 "2010-08-31T21:49:25Z")
I don’t know… dozens? I don’t keep track of my necropsies, and certainly I’ve necropsied things other than cats. For skinning, we only skin the part we need to open the body, and that usually is left side down. Cut through the skin (and then muscle and fat) to separate the scapula and front limb. Cut deeper and slanted to separate the femoral joint on the hind leg. Cut the skin connecting those two areas (knife coming from the inside to outside of skin… Then cut the neck and up to the mandible same way. If specific parts need to be examined, then after everything else is done, the other legs are taken off and the rest of the skin removed to check for bruises/fractures/trauma. I always skin the head, up to the eye sockets, and cut the ears in the process, if I need to get the brain out. Of course, I cut the head off the body first. For smaller kittens, I can do them dorsal part down, straight line through the ventral midline. Remove the skin from both sides of the midline. Those are just two ways I do it, but I’ve seen at least 2 other ways of doing it. Keep in mind, I’m not trying to preserve precious skin. I’m just trying to see what is beneath it, or get the damn hair off my way. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/11 "2010-08-31T21:52:13Z")
On-topic hijack: I’m acquainted with the man who runs Felis Software, a one-man operation which does database programming and graphic design programming including “skins” for websites, and whose logo is a cat with arched back. Needless to say, he’s heard far too many puns founded on this expression. (The generic Felis database program comes with about 12 skins whch may be used for it, FWIW.) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/12 "2010-08-31T22:12:06Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > On-topic hijack: I’m acquainted with the man who runs Felis Software, a one-man operation which does database programming and graphic design programming including “skins” for websites, and whose logo is a cat with arched back. Needless to say, he’s heard far too many puns founded on this expression. (The generic Felis database program comes with about 12 skins whch may be used for it, FWIW.) Thank you. I presumed the expression referred to actual cat skins, as it clearly preceding the new meaning. I should have been more specific about that in the OP. > [@KarlGrenze](#): > > I don’t know… dozens? I don’t keep track of my necropsies, and certainly I’ve necropsied things other than cats. > > For skinning, we only skin the part we need to open the body, and that usually is left side down. Cut through the skin (and then muscle and fat) to separate the scapula and front limb. Cut deeper and slanted to separate the femoral joint on the hind leg. Cut the skin connecting those two areas (knife coming from the inside to outside of skin… Then cut the neck and up to the mandible same way. > > If specific parts need to be examined, then after everything else is done, the other legs are taken off and the rest of the skin removed to check for bruises/fractures/trauma. > > I always skin the head, up to the eye sockets, and cut the ears in the process, if I need to get the brain out. Of course, I cut the head off the body first. > > For smaller kittens, I can do them dorsal part down, straight line through the ventral midline. Remove the skin from both sides of the midline. > > Those are just two ways I do it, but I’ve seen at least 2 other ways of doing it. > > Keep in mind, I’m not trying to preserve precious skin. I’m just trying to see what is beneath it, or get the damn hair off my way. OK. I wasn’t looking for the specific use of the skins, so you sound like credible source to document 4 methods. > [@Skammer](#): > > I vaguely remember, long ago, reading a booklet that listed many ways of skinning a cat. The only one I can remember is repeated clubbing with a blunt object until all the bones, muscles and organs liquify, then rolling it up like a tube of toothpaste starting at the tail. That would qualify as well. Total - 5 > [@These are my own pants](#): > > The so-called ‘cat inequality’ > > Ways of skinning a cat \> 1 This is an important principle. I suspect future math texts will include this. > [@GiantRat](#): > > I hope there’s a way to do it with **FIRE!!** > > Since the OP refers to a cliche, it seems fair enough to also suggest the basic gymnastics-like move on a high bar. ([http://http://www.ehow.com/how\_2074681\_skin-cat.html](http://http://www.ehow.com/how_2074681_skin-cat.html). > > The Urban Dictionary also refers to excessively vigorous masturbation (“essentially skinning the cat”). > > These sort of divergent uses of the phrase make me wonder if it’s etymology is a chicken-and-egg chase. Sadly, I’m far too busy waiting for the phone to ring with a new job offer to do more research (and would hate to be mentally side-tracked with masturbation, gymnastics, and animal cruelty… especially in regard to any appearance of a link between the first one and the last two) I would need verification of the fire method to include that on the list. But it seems practical. The gymnastics move is called ‘skin-the-cat’. I’m not sure whether it refers to an actual process of skinning a cat. If you get tired of waiting for the phone to ring, perhaps you can do further research. What kind of job to you need? Methods of masturbation don’t count here, but that would be a very interesting thread. > [@Zeldar](#): > > No actual experience. The three most obvious ways I can imagine would each resemble a way of undressing somebody. > > 1. Remove the head as a unit and treat it as a separate skinning maneuver. Make a lengthwise slit on the belly side and peel the skin off like a scuba suit. > > 2. Same head removal. Make a circumference cut about midway down the body and peel the top part off like a pullover sweater and the bottom like a leotard. > > 3. Same head extraction. Slit lengthways down the back and peel forward like a woman getting out of an evening gown. > > If you wanted a really smooth skin, you could start by lopping off the legs as well as the head and have a much smoother and neater pelt at the end, albeit with some holes. > > Do we have any taxidermists here? > > Did anybody ever wear a Davy Crockett catskin hat? > > What an intellectual exercise here. Practical Topology. These seem to duplicate the confirmed methods supplied by KarlGrenze. If he identifies them as unique, I’ll add them to the list. > [@tr0psn4j](#): > > This is a cat thread right? Where are the obligatory pictures? I have been remiss. It may not have been necessary, but as you mention it is traditional. I’ll look for some. It might also end being very useful to supply pictures to clarify the difference between similar skinning methods. > [@willthekittensurvive](#): > > I object to this thread I understand, but thank you for your response. > [@Sigene](#): > > I’ve personally done around 5 or so, and supervised the skinning of around 50 or so. > > We’ve always done it from the top down, i.e. cut along the backbone, and strip off towards the head and feet. This helps maintain the integrety of some of the more delicate muscles associated with the abdomen. > > So, I know of 2 ways…the traditional hunter method, and the method I’ve used for dissections. This sounds like 2 good methods. Your dissection method sounds different from the ones specified by KarlGrenze. The traditional hunter method hasn’t been documented yet, but I’ll go ahead and add to the total, subject to future revision. Total - 7 > [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > Very funny. Anyway, I have never skinned a cat, but have skinned a lot of rabbits over the years. There may be more than one way, but the most effective is to cut off the feet (after the rabbit is dead, that is), cut a slit on the stomach from the head to the tail, and pretty much just pull the skin off like you would take off your own sweater. > > It is easier with rabbits than, say, a deer, as the skin is not attached to the body, and is quite loose. I would think a cat’s skin would be likewise, but I doubt that I will ever have the opportunity to find out. This sounds like one of the methods KarlGrenze provided. Perhaps you know someone with more details about the traditional hunter’s method for cats. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/13 "2010-08-31T22:16:36Z")
Update: The most recent research figures show the _Cat Inequality Principle_, also now known as _These Are My Own Pants’ Theorem_, should now be expressed as **Ways of Skinning a Cat\>6.** ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/14 "2010-09-01T04:28:22Z")
[moderating] It’s an interesting thread, but it’s not a GQ thread. I’ve moved it to IMHO. Why, you ask? Because there’s no clean way to define what makes two methods of skinning a cat different. If you do feet first, is starting with the left front different from starting from the right front? If you begin with a ventral incision, is a cut starting 1 cm above the anus different from a method with a cut starting 1.5 cm above the anus? Does it matter whether you cut front-to-back or back-to-front? Is it a different method if I use a razor blade instead of a skinning knife? In My Humble Opinion, this belongs in IMHO. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/15 "2010-09-01T06:14:22Z")
Well how about answering some of those questions? You seem to have some background on this subject. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/16 "2010-09-01T09:54:16Z")
I would try it the same way as with tomatoes - plunge the cat into boiling water to ‘blanche’ it, and the skin should then come off easily. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/17 "2010-09-01T10:17:20Z")
**Ways of Skinning a Cat \>7** ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/18 "2010-09-01T13:10:58Z")
Although it might seem like extra work for the results involved, as long as we’re after a creative solution plausible enough to boost the count in the inequality, I suggest the “banana cut” which would involved four lengthwise slices (with head and tail still in place if desired), belly, back, either side, and a banana stripping process. After that departure from the obvious, perhaps a “barber pole” endeavor could be employed. That might even be embellished to the “apple peel – all in one piece” incision. Something tells me we have only begun the numeration. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/19 "2010-09-01T14:41:07Z")
This is a sick thread, but oddly enough, I can’t stop reading it. \<2000 Year Old Man\>There’s only one way to skin a cat! You grab it by the tail and pull with all your might! And don’t do it at night… you’ll wake up the whole village.\ ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159/20 "2010-09-01T14:50:22Z")
I’ll leave it to some other fan of the _Sequential Threads_ concept, but just now in the _New Posts_ view of things going on at SDMB, this thread is right next to: **Girl throws puppies in river (WARNING: Video of animal cruelty)** Hey, y’all. What’s going on? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ways-are-there-to-skin-a-cat/552159.md?page=2)