CAT AND MOUSE ARMORER

Jeff de Boer from Calgary has made a career out of creating intricate metal suits of armor for cats and mice.

“It all started with a mouse,” Jeff de Boer recalls. He was looking for a creative way to combine his longtime passion for medieval armor with his trade as a jeweler and one day he made a tiny suit of armor for a mouse. It seemed like an interesting idea at the time, but he had no idea he would go on to become known as the world’s first and only animal armorer.He created over 500 suits of armor for mice and cats.He made his first suit of human armor in high school. But his major in jewelry making made him think of things on a much smaller scale. He is influenced by various historical styles, from the Japanese samurai to the Islamic chain-mail.

 Jeff de Boers'  clients almost always have a deep interest in history and art. Many have clear requests that he use elements of various historical armor styles, like the Roman gladiators, Polish Hussars, the Ottomans,etc.Each armor set contains anywhere from 500 to 300 individual pieces and requires dozens of hours to complete. Most are crafted from nickel, steel, or brass.