Thats odd that it took you hours to skin one. I think the longest it took me is 45 min. Skin them as fresh as you can that always helps. I don't know how you did it but I have found the best way is skin them like a raccoon,or case skin. First cut all the way around the front paws, about half way up the leg. Make a slit down the hind legs where the belly fur meets the back fur and cut a circle around the anus. Peel the hide off around the legs and work your way up towards the paws as far as you can then cut the hide when you get about 3 inches from the paw. Work the hide down and strip the tail out with a tail puller. Then just pull on that hide and do as little cutting as possible being cats are extremely thin skinned. Getting the fur off the front legs, is in my opinion, the hardest part. Just pull down and try to seperate the hide from the front legs and work yourself a hole between the leg and the body connecting the belly and side of the hide(this is really hard to explain).When you get to the head be as careful as you can not to cut any arteries(it makes a big mess). Feel for the ears and cut them as close to the base of the ear canal you can. Cut around the eyes(don't mess up here, this really hurts the pelts price if you screw up). Now work over around the lips and peel them off the carcass. On the bottom lip,cut it off about 3/4-1 inch before you get to the end because if you freeze it it will curl under and taint. Be sure to feel for the base of the nose and cut straight down keeping the nose and upper lip on the pelt. This is the way I was taught and how the fur buyers take them.

Without passion.....Why bother?