9-12-2014: Repairs completed! The hat was in good shape - no evidence of kitty tampering. New pompom - extra securing (wound with sewing thread, then yarn too). Ran a bead of glue around and rubbed it in for good measure. After running long yarn ends of pompom into crown and securing inside, went out and back in 4-5 locations with the ends to reduce pompom floppiness - worked well. Also, re-did braids in a 4-strand lanyard style this time instead of a simple 3-strand braid - should hold up well. I’m rather glad I got the chance to improve on the embellishments :)
8-18-2014: Whoa… just got a call from Casey’s mommy (my cousin Ann) the day after gifting. The cats got the hat and the pompom and braids met an untimely end. Boo, hiss, and a big cat scratch. Hopefully the hat is o.k. because I can repair the add-ons.