October 1st 2024.
Caitlin is a mother and entrepreneur who runs Showtime Taxidermy from her home in Texas. Her unique business involves transforming frozen rats into "sexy showgirls" by dressing them up with colorful feathers, handmade nipple covers, and fake eyelashes. Despite the unconventional nature of her work, Caitlin is dedicated to her craft and often works 12-hour days to keep up with the demand for her creations.
At 36 years old, Caitlin has been running Showtime Taxidermy for four years now. It all started as a fun activity during a craft night with her daughter and sister. They watched some online videos and attempted their first taxidermy project together. Though it didn't turn out perfectly, they had a blast and decided to continue experimenting with the art form. Eventually, they came up with the idea to make the rats "sexy and fun" by adding costumes, and thus, Showtime Taxidermy was born.
Caitlin's unique and quirky rats quickly gained attention online and at Oddities and Curiosities Expos across the US. What started as a hobby has now become a full-time business, much to Caitlin's delight. She loves seeing people's reactions to her work and takes pride in the fact that her creations are now in homes all over the country. As she puts it, "it's a really cool feeling to be weird, to do something different, and to have so many people enjoy it."
Though Caitlin never imagined herself becoming a taxidermist, she has always had a fascination with animals and enjoyed visiting museums to see them in real life. Previously, she worked as a wedding photographer and a graphic designer, thinking that taxidermy was too specialized to be done from home. However, her daughter's suggestion to try preserving smaller animals opened her eyes to the possibilities.
Contrary to popular belief, taxidermy isn't just about working with large game animals. Caitlin explains that the process for rats is much simpler and takes around 20 steps. She uses materials like clay, foam, and wire to shape the skins around her desired molds, and then adds decorations such as feathers, rhinestones, and even her own handmade nipple coverings. The whole process takes about a month, but Caitlin works in batches and can sometimes have up to 100 completed rats around her home.
Caitlin sources her rats from an ethical local breeder who supplies food for zoos. She ensures that there is minimal waste, as she has a friend who uses the bones to make jewelry. Her passion for her work shines through as she talks about the different poses she creates for the rats, drawing inspiration from acrobats, burlesque performers, and belly dancers. And though the drying process can take up to three weeks, Caitlin doesn't mind as she loves every moment of it.
Despite the success of her business, Caitlin remains humble and grateful for the opportunity to turn her passion into a career. She admits that she's not sure if she'll still be making rats when she's older, but for now, she's happy "riding the wave" and bringing joy to her customers. As she puts it, "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."
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