I completed the cat carving Friday evening.  This morning I gave it a first coat of mineral oil and took a few pictures.

I call the cat Pounce, because that’s what it looks like he’s doing: crouching on the shelf, ready to pounce on anybody who walks by.  Pounce is about 4.5″ from nose to tip of tail, and about 1.5″ from the shelf to the tip of his ear.

I did this carving without instruction, starting from three pictures (top, side, front).  I’d carve a little, then look at the piece and the pictures trying to figure out how to free the cat from the wood.  The result doesn’t look a whole lot like the pattern, but it does resemble a cat.  So I’ll call it a success.

I’m going back to simpler carvings for a bit, to learn a little more about technique.  First stop:  the five minute bear.