A woman who makes £100,000 a year from selling stuffed dead mice in yoga or pole dancing positions has been branded ‘disrespectful’ by This Morning viewers.
Katie Hardwick, 38, appeared on the ITV programme today after her taxidermy went viral on TikTok – and explained how 80% of her clients are from the US, she feeds the insides of the dead animals to crows and even her five-year-old daughter helps.
However, despite the British mother earning six-figures a year from her business, she admitted that 20 per cent of people she interacts with online don’t approve.
Viewers appeared to be in agreement with her critics, with many saying they felt sick when seeing the ‘creepy’ stuffed dead mice on the show.
Full-time taxidermist Katie stuffs at least five mice a day – which she buys already dead from pet stores – and creates mini-scenes by attaching them to stripper poles, circus hoops and miniature yoga matts. They can sell for £55 up to £200.
Katie Hardwick (pictured right), 38, appeared on the ITV programme today after her taxidermy went viral on TikTok – and explained how 80% of her clients are from the US, she feeds the insides of the dead animals to crows and even her five-year-old daughter helps
However, despite the British mother earning six-figures a year from her business, she admitted that 20 per cent of people she interacts with online don’t approve
Speaking on the programme, Katie explained that the arms and legs of her taxidermy designs are made of wire, while the eyes are beads.
She admitted: ‘I do think people picture me at home with an apron covered in blood and with this big knife.
‘But no, if you do it properly, which does take time, you take the skin off and everything is sort of enclosed, all the muscle, all the insides, everything is there so you can just discard it.
‘I actually just throw it out my back window and the crows come and eat it. So I have crows waiting out in my garden if I’m too late starting work, they’re waiting there like come on, “where’s my food?”‘
Katie said people either believe she’s preserving an already dead animal to live forever, to be appreciated, or that she likes parading ‘dead things around’.
‘Most of my business comes from me posting on social media because you don’t wake up in the morning thinking right, “I want a taxidermy mouse”,’ said Katie.
Viewers appeared to be in agreement with her critics, with many saying they felt sick when seeing the ‘creepy’ stuffed dead mice on the show
Full-time taxidermist Katie stuffs at least five mice a day – which she buys already dead from pet stores – and creates mini-scenes by attaching them to stripper poles, circus hoops and miniature yoga matts. They can sell for £55 up to £200
‘So I’d say online, I’d say 80 per cent is positive, they say “I’ve bought one, it makes me smile”.
‘But then you get the other people who are like “you are an animal. You’re horrible, What do you think you’re doing? How would you feel if you died and you were dancing forever?”, and I think that actually I quite like that.’
Katie mainly uses mice for her job, but has also stuffed rabbits and squirrels that were found as roadkill.
Speaking about her taxidermy, she said: ‘I like to see it that everyday I make these I smile and I have so many people say “I bought this for my daughter and it was her favourite present ever”, so I just see it more as it’s art and I personally think they look beautiful.’
She added that her customers were mainly from the US, saying: ’80 per cent of my sales go over to America.
‘But you know what, young, old, I’ve had someone say “I’m 60-years-old and I’ve bought this for myself for my birthday… and I just think it’s fabulous” and that lady has actually bought nine from me now.’
Katie said people either believe she’s preserving an already dead animal to live forever, to be appreciated, or that she likes parading ‘dead things around’
She added that her customers were mainly from the US, saying: ’80 per cent of my sales go over to America’
She was also asked about her children’s reaction to her job and said her five-year-old daughter likes to care for the mice before they are worked on by Katie.
‘I don’t think they know any different to be honest,’ she said. ‘My daughter, she’s five and when I’m working, if she’s at home, she will come up and she’ll say “Mummy, can I look after the mice?”
‘So this is before I’ve done it and they’re waiting so she’ll cover them up with a blanket and she’ll give them names and I have to explain I’m just giving them a new skin.’
‘It makes me smile and a lot of other people smile,’ concluded Katie.
However, Twitter users were left unimpressed, with one saying: ‘Those stuffed dead mice are horrible.’
Another said: ‘A real stuffed one… the little bodies are freaking me out completely. Just eeew.’
Reaction: Twitter users were left unimpressed, with one saying: ‘Those stuffed dead mice are horrible.’
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