Eight-Foot Ice Cat Sculpture Brings Joy Amid Winter Storms

When you’re buried under snow, how do starve off cabin fever? Why, build an eight-foot-tall ice cat, of course!

The last few weeks have shown much of North America the power of Mother Nature’s winter fury with what is being called “the Snowbomb Cyclone of 2018.” States have been crippled by feet of snow, inches of ice, and frigid temperatures that are breaking records. Now we can say we know how the Canadian’s must feel!

But for Dave Rothstein from Northampton, Massachusetts, the winter wonderland became a blank canvas, and he crafted an ice sculpture from a one and a half block ton of ice.

And while you might think it’d be something artsy and meaningful like swans or even penguins, Rothstein, who said he just wanted to make winter a little bit more fun for everyone around him, chose a cat as his muse.

Here is the 8-foot-tall ice cat he has named Feline Groovy.

“Feline Groovy” is now complete! So my friends, feel free to swing by to say hello, snap some photos, and put a little…

Posted by Dave Rothstein on Sunday, January 7, 2018

Rothstein, who is a sculpturist in his off time, likens sculpting ice blocks to when people make snowmen in the winter. For years, he has been using the artistic media that winter brings to bring joy to his neighbors during the cold, dreary months. Two years ago, he even created an ‘igloo-bar’ and had a backyard party where he served his neighbors free drinks.

Even though a hobbyist, he has been a participant in national competitions and festivals.

To make Feline Groovy,  Rothstein and some buddies used about 3,000 pounds of compressed snow that was packed into a big wooden box. Once the box  was turned upright and the snow removed, it produced a chunk of ice just waiting to be molded into Rothstein’s next masterpiece.

We prefer to admire his work of art from a distance… inside a warm house, sipping hot chocolate!