Cat-skin rug

A rug made out of the skins of 16 tabby cats has sold on the New Zealand Trademe auction website for $500, sparking outrage from animal lovers.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) had demanded the offending page be removed from the website.

The seller, "Wetcoaster42", whose profile lists him as Gavin, of Greymouth, said the rug was made out of tabby cats and measured 1.2m by 1.6m.

"This is an old blanket rug made out of 16 tabby cats (I didn't do it)," he said on the site.

SPCA chief executive Robyn Kippenberger said they had contacted Trademe to have the item removed from the website and had notified the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to check its imported status.

"It won't have been made in New Zealand – we don't have cat farms in New Zealand, to our knowledge."

The attitude of the seller and some of those interested in the rug had caused concern with the animal welfare group.

When told by another on-line user that "this is horrid" and she wondered what they were thinking when they made the rug, Wetcoaster42 repl ied: "I dunno wat they were thinking, maybe they were hungry LOL."

Helen of Porirua, aka Vonedel2, initially told the seller to burn the rug because it could be made from someone's pet, "a pet stolen for their fur", but then paid $500 so she could burn it herself.

Yesterday Wetcoaster42 was selling only a less controversial brass lampshade stand, asking price $10.

In an answer to a question on that auction, he said he believed the winning bidder for the cat skin rug was serious.

"If by chance its not genuine I will relist the rug and try again."