Catgut Catgut Catgut is a type of cord that is prepared from the natural fibre found in the walls of animal intestines. Catgut makers usually use sheep or goat intestines, but occasionally use the intestines of cattle, hogs, horses, mules, or donkeys. Despite the name, catgut manufacturers do not use cat intestines. The word "catgut" may have been an abbreviation of the word "cattlegut". Alternatively, it may derive by folk etymology from "kitgut" or "kitstring"—the word "kit", meaning fiddle, having at some point been confused with the word "kit" for a young cat; The word kit, being derived from fiddle in
Music history of the United States during the colonial era on the State of Virginia", which refers to it as a "banjar", and notes that the instrument came from Africa. Other names included "bangoe", "banshaw", "bangelo", "banza", "bangil" and "banjer". The instrument was described in West Africa as early as 1620 by Richard Jobson, but was present for some time before. In North America, the banjo was typically made by hollowing out a gourd or calabash and attaching a long neck. The slaves then stretched a piece of animal hide, usually raccoon, over the bowl and attached four strings. Jefferson claimed that the "banjar" with which he was familiar was