Shoppers horrified after learning sheepskin vest actually made of cats

A children’s vest advertised as being ‘100% Australian sheepskin or wool’ has actually been found to contain the fur of two domestic cats, sending shockwaves through Aussie shoppers.The findings were released by fashion advocacy group Collective Fashion Justice, following an investigation by British fiber analysis firm Microtex.The incident has led many to call for a crackdown on the sale of animal fur – with some suggesting it be banned altogether.Shoppers have been left horrified as a number of fur pieces sold in a Melbourne shopping center have been found to have been mislabeled, with one children’s vest in particular containing the fur of two domestic cats.The vest, sold by fashion brand Suttons UGG – not connected to UGG or UGG Since 1974 – was made of domestic cat fur and rabbit fur, despite being labelled as ‘100% Australian sheepskin or wool’.The tests also found that two beanies purchased from Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market had pompoms containing fox and raccoon dog fur – though they were labelled as being acrylic.According to founder of fashion advocacy group Collective Fashion Justice, Emma Hakansson, this was extremely concerning.“This vest has one cat skin at the front, another cat skin at the back, as well as rabbit fur,” she said.Animal Justice MP for Northern Victoria Georgie Purcell said that the seller responded saying they were told it was a ‘special kind’ of fur – which was ultimately cat.“Consumers could be out there, buying this, and then going out wearing domestic cats,” she said.Queen Victoria Market said it was “unaware of mislabeled fur items” being sold at the market.“We do not condone the sale of any goods of this nature and work with traders and relevant authorities to resolve specific situations when they are brought to our attention,” a QVM spokesperson told the ABC.According to Hakansson, while this may be a new concern, this issue has been going on for years, citing numerous occasio...