Hey everyone, here are some pictures of cats I have caught. I have some idea of what makes a high dollar cat and I have a rough idea of what my cats are worth, but I have heard people refer to different grades of cat as A belly, B belly, C belly etc. and although I have a understanding of what this means, but am just curious if any of you that have a better understanding of bobcat grading could try to tell me what these bellies look like on that kind of scale? Size aside, and I know it is impossible to really tell by looking at a picture but am just curious what defines an A belly vs a B belly or a C belly? Are any of these cats an "A" belly? Is the poorer of the 3 a "C" or "D" belly? And if not what does an "A" belly look like? Just curious and trying to learn. I know there is no textbook definitions but any opinions are appreciated.

this an a grade

In a nutshell bellies grade two letters, a-a/ a-b/ b-b Etc.
This all approximate due to buyer wants and needs.
First letter is the "grade"/"size"

So and the first A is a belly that has 4 1/4"+/-wide white area
B=3-4" wide
C=2-3" wide

Second letter dictates clarity
A= Cotton white with distinct black spots lots/ lots of pop and character
B= off white with dingy brown rimmed spots/ common cat
C= dark belly/blotchy spots/ lack of character.

Your top cat would grade A-A
the middle pic would grade B-/C
Bottom pic B-/B-
Give or take!

Danny--Do you have a shot of the back?

no i dont

Picture 1 is definitely an A. Wide and white.

Pictures 2 and 3 are B/C. Depending on the buyer. Sort of middle range. I’ve seen better and I’ve seen a lot worse.

Note - pictures can be deceiving.

IMO

Clarity is important on cats.
Here are the clarity grades from the grading manual for bobcats and the percentages of each that are harvested.


Picture is not the best but percentages are-- Clear-19% sl off-37% off-36% stained-8%

I'm just learning... three of them have 22lr holes in them and the other two got the ketch all treatment so they turned out much better. I've just been collecting them as a hobby so far but with 9 of them and my fur put up improving I might sell a few next season.

How'm I doing and how do these grade ?

Good to see you on here nvhermit

You do some desert racing ?

Nice cats

You really need to get more length out of your cats. I would consider wetting these down real good and re-stretching. (Nice looking basin cats).

They do look a bit wide.Might be the pic.
With split boards a lot of guys make the mistake of putting the pelts on then pulling the stretcher wide.That is incorrect.
Set the width of the board to standard size for the cat your working with then pull the pelt down on the form and pin.

Wide and white (or clear) like the middle one command the best price. The one on my right (left of photo) is far from clear and much harder to sell. He had a bridge that almost made it all the way accross.

From what several buyers have explained to me in a tough market the grade gets tougher. In a great market things get pushed a bit. Might be my eyes Monster Tom but the middle cat in the pics he posted seems to be the worst of the 3 cats it seems like it is stained not very clear. Also is the top cat that wide or is the fur just brushed out and it seems to be A wide belly.

The next one I catch I'll try and get all the length I can out of it. As I've said, I'm just collecting them until I have too many and have mastered the put up. My first year I took two rolled up frozen balls of fur in a black garbage bag to NDOW to get them sealed. I was so embarrassed seeing all the guys with hangers filled with fur, I vowed to improve. Maybe this morning I'll get another chance.

Thanks

The kids used to race, so there's trophy's everywhere

All of my cats are AA, some buyers just don't know what the $#^! they're doing.

If you want a quality put up, buy quality stretchers. Otis make a cat board that is made for western cats. designed by and made by cat trappers.
Again not gospel but a good starting point,
34-35 long should be 6.5-7" at the flank
36-37 = 7.0-7.5
38-39 = 7.5-8.0
40-41 = 8.0-9.0
42+ try not to get wider than10. Big ole tubby gut toms can make it tough .
Uniformity is key.

I was given the stretchers, I'll order some from Otis

So far, this is how I would lot them. And I did stretch these a little narrow, but not as bad as the picture looks. I used the .5 zoom lense on on my phone so everything looks longer.

NvHermit, if you have not already seen it, here is part one of a 3 part thread in the Fur Handling Archives by Lazarus (under his old handle Cameron2)

https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2649508/bobcat-cat-put-up-part-i#Post2649508