Taxidermist studies acrobats and dancers and transforms rats into ‘sexy showgirls’ using feathers and rhinestones

A novelty taxidermist who studies acrobats, burlesque performers and belly dancers as inspiration for her work transforming frozen rats into showgirls with coloured feathers, handmade nipple covers and fake eyelashes has said she loves making her creations “sexy and fun”.

Since the creative mother-of-two already had many of the materials and equipment at home, including paint brushes, needles and sculpting tools, she began watching taxidermy tutorials online – and soon enough, the “idea” to preserve rats and dress them in costumes became her full-time “dream job” and she has never looked back.

“We watched videos online and we made our first taxidermy together, me, my daughter and my sister, and it was comically bad, but we loved it,” she told PA Real Life.

After posting pictures online, Caitlin realised people were not only “delighted” to see her creations but they wanted to purchase them as well – and thus Showtime Taxidermy was born.

Since then she has been “blown away” by her business’s popularity, selling the perfectly preserved rats online and at Oddities and Curiosities Expos around the US.

“Then with the internet, I’m able to see pictures that people have posted online of something I’ve made that’s in their home – that’s a really cool feeling.

“I have not gotten used to it at all, and it still blows my mind that my artwork is all over the country. I think I’ve got one in almost every state now.

Ever since she was young, Caitlin said she has enjoyed visiting museums and “seeing the animals in real life”, but she never dreamed she would one day become a taxidermist.

Previously working as wedding photographer and graphic designer, she thought taxidermy was “too specialised” and not conducive to working from home.

With her home “like a craft store” already, she had the ideal set-up to launch Showtime Taxidermy in 2021 – and importantly for Caitlin, she has always wanted to be her own boss.

“When people think about taxidermy, I think they mostly picture deer and game animals, and, just to simplify it, let’s say that takes 100 steps,” she said.

“I started out with videos online and then I started practising, and they’ve just become cuter and cuter over time.”

She added: “This is a very American thing, I don’t think it’s something that you’d see anywhere else.

“But when I have travelled, I have seen raccoons on saddles with lassos and cowboy hats and little prairie dogs in canoes paddling.

Caitlin explained that she buys the rats frozen from an ethical local breeder who supplies food for zoos and she keeps them in a large freezer.

The rats cost four dollars each, but Caitlin ensures there is as little waste as possible, as a friend uses the bones to make jewellery.

With materials such as clay, foam and wire, Caitlin puts the skins in borax, which is a preservative, and then shapes the skins around her desired moulds before letting them solidify.

The drying process typically takes two to three weeks, but once this is complete, she will then add decorations, such as coloured feathers, rhinestones, velvet and fake eyelashes, and she even handmakes her own “signature” nipple coverings for the rats, of which there are six on each animal.

“There are a lot of people who say, ‘OK, taxidermy is not my thing, but this is something different, this is really glamorous and fun and happy’,” she said.

“I’m crossing into these multiple territories, where people who do like taxidermy like my work because it’s fun and it’s whimsical, and people who don’t necessarily like taxidermy are drawn to it because they like that it’s pretty and it’s glamorous.”

“I love that I can work from home. It gets a little funny though, as I stock up for the shows that I do – the Oddities and Curiosities Expos – and build up my inventory.

“I don’t have a big home, so when I have a stockpile growing, the place that I put them is my laundry room, and I’ve hung dowel rods across the room so that I can hang them.

Caitlin, who often works 12 or 13 hours every day to keep up with demand, said it is “overwhelming” seeing people’s positive reactions and comments about her work.

She currently sells her “novelty” creations only in the US either online or at expos, with each piece costing around 185 dollars, but one day, she may consider selling overseas.

“When I started this, this was really coming out of left field in regards to trying to make a career out of something really weird and different,” she explained.

“It’s the coolest job in the world – I get to be creative, I get to be artistic, I get to have my own schedule, I get to interact with awesome people.

“I couldn’t improve on this, I love it, so as long as I can do this, I’m going to do this.”

To find out more, follow Caitlin’s social media pages @showtimetaxidermy or visit her website: showtimetaxidermy.com