There are multiple different styles of taxidermy offered here at Wildcat. They include traditional mounts, soft mounts, head mounts, and skull mounts.

Here is where I will break down the differences between these types of taxidermy mounts.

First off, what is a mount? A mount refers to a fur pelt that has already been made into a taxidermy piece. A pelt is the skin and fur of an animal that has already been tanned, or preserved, so that it won’t rot, smell, shed fur, or attract unwanted insects. If we break down the word “taxidermy,” we get “taxi-” and “-dermy,” meaning “move” and “skin”, respectively. We use the term “mount” because taxidermists essentially move the skin, or mount the pelt, onto an already fabricated form. The difference between the types of taxidermy is mostly reliant on the material that this form is made of.

Traditional Mounts - Also known as “life-size,” the whole pelt is mounted on a rigid and lightweight foam form. This solid form holds a single pose and cannot be repositioned. This is the most common style of taxidermy.

Soft Mounts - Growing in popularity, these mounts are whole pelts with only the head mounted on a rigid foam form. The rest of the body is stuffed with pillow stuffing and sewn up, essentially making the ultimate stuffed animal. Unlike traditional mounts, soft mounts can be repositioned and posed any way you’d like, and there are different types of soft mount bodies as well - posable and floppy. Posable soft mounts have a complete wire skeleton within the stuffing to allow the mount to bend and hold poses and positions. Sometimes posable soft mounts can sit and stand without support, depending on the wire used and the weight of the mount. Floppy soft mounts have no wire skeleton at all, and are more cuddly and portable, like a teddy bear.

Head Mounts - In this form of taxidermy, only the head of the pelt is mounted on a rigid foam form; the rest of the body is left unmounted and intact. These types of mounts are mostly used as a wearable accessory, or a good starting point to sew up, stuff, and make a DIY soft mount.

Skull Mounts - If you prefer a spookier look, skull mounts may be a good option for you. In this style, a real animal skull is used instead of a foam head form. The face of the pelt is often cut away so that the skull is left exposed. These mounts have the option of mounting the rest of the body on a traditional form, as a soft mount, or just skull mounted with no body filling, similar to a regular head mount.