Knowing my limitations will (hopefully) prove to be my strength.
I am moving forward on the plan to make forms that I will then use to create the Purr Pods' shapes. The plan is to test out cardboard by making a cat head in the next few days. This way I'll have a grasp on how to shape and attach the rod, add "skin", make space for electrical elements and cat-like details. If it works, all the cat forms will be made with the cardboard or wood. Hopefully cardboard just for cost efficiency.
I realized on my first day practicing bending the metal rods and welding them that it would take me months to create just one cat. So now the extra steps of creating forms and using those to create the sculptures, I believe, will save so much time and energy and breakdown-worthy frustration.