Tattooed Cat

THAT IS HORRIBLE. I know after having tattoos how tender and itchy they can be afterwards and to subject a cat to anesthetic which could have had adverse effects.

Wow, this is a brave one Alex...

HORRIFIC!

They might as well start tattoing babies.

jeepers

That is absolutely disgusting.

This is wrong on so many levels. It's one thing to tattoo your pet for ID purposes, which was a common thing to do before the microchip. That was a matter of practicality and far from elaborate. To do it for a frivolous purpose is just putting an animal through unecessary risk with the anesthetic, unecessary pain, and really just all around stupid.

I have four tats, and I made the choice to get them as a rational human being, but a pet cannot make that choice. I just don't see anything about this that is remotely ethical.

I always thought those cats were horrific in the first place. But yeah, they can't help being born, and that's just mean. How about a nice Tutankhamun pendant on the collar?

I wouldn't classify this as HORRIFIC. There's plenty of other things that the word "horrific" could appropriately be attributed to, and I don't think a a tattoo, given the proper sanitation and whatnot, is one of them (especially since there was anesthesia involved). This *is* unethical and stupid, however. But then, the entire concept of owning a pet has always seemed a little twisted.

I don't support this. I mean, what if the cat wanted a different tattoo instead? He looks more like a 'Tasmanian Devil' kind of cat. How could it tell us? Now he's stuck with Tut, poor thing; his whirlwind personality will never be broadcast.

I am a tattooed cat lover.

This is not nice.

don't let /b/ see that...it will not be pleasant.

Apart from the pain and irritation from a tattoo, putting an animal under a general anaesthetic so the asshat owner can use it as a fashion accessory just plain sucks.

Vile. Revolting. Poor cat.

Canadian Hairless? Never heard of it.
It defies logic.

People who do this do not love nor even like their pets :-(

Trust me, cats would do much worse to humans if they could. I agree, however, that it is a shame to waste any amount of money and talent on a cat, even though it makes them hurt.

that's a fairly expensive cat to be exposing to anesthetic.

I would like to force the owner to submit to a tattoo of my choosing.

Awful! Those cats have really really sensitive skin, and I'm sure a tattoo was very painful. That cat's owner should be ashamed of herself.

What a shallow, selfish thing to do to an animal. Disgusting.

Absolutely despicable.

I don't even know where to start! That poor animal. Its like those people out in Hollywood who have cosmetic procedures done on their pets to make them more attractive. It's a living creature, not your fashion accessory. If that's what you wanted, buy a purse.

Just plain stupid.

You know what's cruel? Breeding a hairless cat in Canada.

She said: “I wanted something new and different for the times we live in.”

That line makes no sense. For the times we live in? Does something about post-modernism cry out for a tattooed cat? Cats are perfect just the way they are.

That's absolutely disgusting. No one has the right to do something like this.

I like the way it looks. But I would never do this to an animal. Its just not right.

Charlie
March 5th, 2009 at 8:56 am

You know what’s cruel? Breeding a hairless cat in Canada.

haha, so true. however, i think we're all agreed that the idea of tattooing a helpless animal is just shameful.

May have been inspired by;

Banksy's Graffitti animals
http://images.google.com/images?q=banksy%20animals&pws=0&hl=en&num=10&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

and
wim delvoye animal tattoos
http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2008/05/wim-delvoyes-swine-art-own-your-own.html

Hmmm, Tattooing Babies...now that's an idea...

Wow, that is disgusting.
Seriously... who the hell thinks of this crap?
What next... giving your animals piercings?? How about under the skin implants so it makes them look like the have horns!
Good god people are stupid!

as someone who owns 5 cats and loves all things cats, i can't believe a cat owner would do this to their pet. makes me sick.

This is so wrong. It isn't a that the animal is so self aware to be concerned one way or another about having a tattoo but is more about the owners ego. Their need to be in fashion with a current thrend. What's next piercings and subdermal implants?

Yeah, what everyone else said.

This is not cool.

This is horrible. Yeah that cat was asleep for the actual tattoo but the healing time is painful and uncomfortable too.

It's wrong on many levels, but the worst is that anesthesia is dangerous to small animals and it's more dangerous the longer it's used. We consider the risk for procedures like teeth cleaning for our cats and I'm sure take a fraction of the time the tattoo took.

I also wonder about the implications of the cat's much thinner skin going under the needle, and I wonder if the anesthetic was done by a skilled vet. I can't imagine a responsible vet being party to this.

The owner should be neutered, such stupidity should be removed from the gene pool.

It's her property, her money, her problem. Not any one else's. No indication that the cat is suffering any long term pain, any more than being sterilized, or even being kept as a pet. Or even being bred in the first place.

"You know what’s cruel? Breeding a hairless cat in Canada."

THIS.

I would never consider the cats I care for to be my property. That's just stupid, as we all know I am their property.

When done properly, anesthesia can be fine for animals, if blood tests are done and they can calculate the amount needed. If this was done, and i don't know if it was, then thats dandy.
I am a cat owner
and owner of 8 tattoos, the longest which took 4 1/2 hours and covers my ankle to my knee and wraps around my leg.

my thing about tattoos is that they hurt during the process, but other then that, it will be sore for maybe a day or two, and feel just like a sunburn.

though i agree with the fact that the cat didn't have a choice, i don't think that the words - disgusting, vile, or horrific apply to this case. the cats going to be fine, and now has a sweet tat.

the owner may not have thought this out thouroughly, but there are plenty or more idiotic people out there, as well - piercings have been performed on animals for years, with piercings of dog ears, i don't condone it, but maybe the cat really will like it? who knows?

Sooo dope!
I'm gonna get a cat like that and will tattoo hair xD

Well, let this comment thread show that nobody better be doin' this in the US!!!

And what about what they're doing down in Mexico-- CAT JUGGLING!!! FOR MONEY!!!

I can't believe people are actually condoning this.
It's not just the fact that they're doing it, it's the fact that these idiots are doing it only as some stupid fashion statement.
Like the morons who carry around tiny chihuahuas as accessories instead of treating them as a living breathing feeling animal.

"The owner should be neutered, such stupidity should be removed from the gene pool."
Ditto that.

horrible. fucking russians.

I think looks awesome, but it's not very nice to tattoo something that can't exactly give consent. However, depending on the animal, they may not be that bothered by it.

Being a cat lover and an avid lover of the inked arts, I have to say this is a tad morbid. Shame shame...besides that, putting an animal under for any reason is dangerous.

It's messed up. Anesthesia makes it so the process of getting the tattoo isn't painful, but anesthesia itself can be dangerous and have unpleasant side effects. Plus, it only helps with the pain of the initial tattooing. What about the poor cat while the tattoo heals? Tattoos on human skin are not terrifically comfortable for the first couple of days (in line with a sunburn), and then get incredibly itchy as they heal up. The itching is awful. I'd hate to try and deal with it as a cat. But as a human, I've chosen that the discomfort of the tattooing is okay because I want the tattoo. That cat didn't get any say in the matter.

But it think there's a ton of animal cosmetic procedures that need to be outlawed,too. If it's only for modification of the looks of an otherwise normal healthy animal, animals shouldn't have to go through any surgical procedures. That goes for the surgery on Dobermans and Great Danes and such that makes their ears stand up and docking tails on pets. I think it's odd that while lots of people are outraged by animal tattooing, they're not "horrified" by seeing Dobermans with unnaturally pointed upright ears . That procedure is really painful. Much more painful than a tattoo. I guess it's just been being done longer. Things that are gross become less gross the more used to them we are I guess.

If people want painful cosmetic procedures to be beautiful, it's up to them. But animal owners shouldn't be able to choose to hurt their animals to make them prettier.

I don't think it's the worst thing the world. It probably didn't cause the cat much pain or undue risk. That said, I do find it interesting that the owner (who, for the record, is probably an idiot) calls putting an ancient image on a cat something "new and different." The art is not exactly new, though I suppose putting on a cat is different.

I totally want a paisley cat now.

Sphinx cats are sweet and deserve to be treated better than that. I am appalled. My friend/neighbor has two who are lovely animals, very affectionate.

Horrific? horrible? Not at all. Not that I'd do this to a cat in my care (nor would I have a cat in my care, but I digress...), but why is this so terrible? In a legal sense, the cat is the property of the owner, and the owner has the right to do with it as he/she pleases, within reason of course. Domestic cats have been bred as pets, and bred to look a particular way, so why is decorating a cat with tattoos any different than selectively breeding a cat to accentuate specific attributes? I can think of several breeds of dogs that have traits associated with their breeding which often require surgery to correct (or euthanasia in many cases)... I suppose breeding them that way in the first place is just as horrific?

Then, in the comments someone says that next big thing will be piercings, and someone else says babies with tattoos will be next... So wouldn't babies with pierced ears fall into the same category of someone getting a body mod without being capable of giving consent?

People can be so inconsistent sometimes, it makes me really wonder.

so what about cropping dogs ears and chopping off tails for show? how is that ok and this not? i don't see a problem at with that. it's just a freaking tattoo.

Sick! I'm sure the cat didn't ask for the tattoo. I'm also pretty sure the animal rights activists in the States would have a "hairy" with such a story. I'm not a cat person, but I don't think it is right. As for cropping dogs tails, cropping ears, dehorning goats, etc., these animals are meant to endure the practice as that is what distinguishes the breed of the animal. Adorning an animal with tattoos or piercings for personal pleasure or social status is just plain ol whacked!

Even speaking as a tattooed person, I have to say this is HORRIBLE. First of all, the pets don't have any choice in the matter (ask yourself if it would be ethical to tattoo children?). Second, animals can die under anesthesia, and it shouldn't be used lightly.

Forgot to add, the photo of the poor dazed cat having its head held up for the camera adds that extra little pathetic dig to the story. So sad. You buy hairless cats SWEATERS, not tattoos.

I'm really surprised by how many people are upest by this. I think it's hilarious, especially with what the tattoo was of. I do agree that it wasn't humane, but really people? as long as you take care of your cat it will live long and happy for a long time. cats can't see colors and the pain of it would go away after not too long, so all-in-all the cat will forget it ever happened.
Though I do think it's sad that the cat will be gawked at and man-handled so people can see his tattoo.
But people who do things like this for amusement should be careful with who they go to for the tattooing, because doctors aren't as careful with animals and sometimes they die from too much anaesthesia. It happened to my Dad's parrot and he's still bitter about it after about 15 years. Please be careful with their safety.

Is it just me or does there seem to be a lot of "bad things happening to kitty on teh interwebz" lately?
First there was that kenny glenn cat abuser who posted on youtube, then the kitten in a bong, and now the tatoo'ed cat. Whats next?

I used to be a vet tech, and while anesthesia in the hands of a competent veterinarian is generally safe, there is still always a risk. Putting an animal under unecessarily, or a human for that matter, is never something a person should take lightly.

This is horrific not in that a tattoo is so harmful, because animals have been getting tattooed for identification for years (obviously not on an elaborate and ridiculous scale like this tat), but for the reasoning behind it. So it's a week of itching and pain afterwards for the cat, after a relatively risky procedure. Not a big deal if you look at it from that perspective, but it is a big deal when you consider the fact that it's bordering on abusive because there is no practical purpose for it.

Those of you commenting about cropping tails and ears on dogs - at one time, for some (not all) breeds, there was a practical purpose behind this. I don't agree with it unless it's for a working dog that would fall into this category. People, and kennel clubs are moving away from the unecessary ear and tail cropping little by little. Boxers in Germany are automatically disqualified if you crop their ears in any competition, and the uproar over the breeding practices in the UK has brought a lot of this stuff to light and bringing about changes.

Putting a tattoo on a cat, or any animal for the sole purpose of stroking one's ego is stupid and wrong. I don't know what's worse with this - that the owner thought of it at all, or that someone actually said, "Yeah, I'll do it."

Evilbeagle: I'm in a vet tech program (just started). Why are you no longer a vet tech? Just curious.

That cat would've looked better with a tramp stamp.

Noelegy, that's awesome! Being a vet tech is the most rewarding job I've ever had, and I would still be doing it if the qualifications weren't so different in the UK. Here, you have to have a mentor at a clinic to be in the program, and be in the program to have a mentor at a local clinic. I'd have been happy to do it, because classes would have been way easy for me with the five years I have in the field, two of those years spent with a specialist,but no veterinarians in the area were participating when I was looking into it. Since it was not vital that I work anyway, I settled into being a housewife and found that it's anything but boring.

It was never a matter of dissatisfaction with the job itself, or any sort of burn out. I enjoyed it far too much for that.

Argh.

That's just not acceptable- anesthesia is usually safe, but far from 100% safe 100% of the time- especially not given the very sketchy way it looks like that cat was sedated/anesthetized (no IV catheter, no monitoring equipment, I could go on and on).

The American Veterinary Medical Association has just reaffirmed and strengthened their stance on cosmetic procedures for animals (http://www.avma.org/issues/policy/animal_welfare/tail_docking.asp). Hopefully the vets in this country won't participate by providing anesthetic to anyone wishing this "procedure".

At least tattoo a cool animal like a dolphin. What a waste to do it on a stupid ugly cat.

That's awesome! I always thought we should be able to give our dogs n cats tats. I mean we tattoo the inside of the critter's ear with a stupid ID number. Tattoos for all critters! It's not gonna bother them. do it while you're getting it neutered....

I agree, this is just wrong. Like getting your baby's ears pierced.

Dude, I'm totally gonna cover my cat in fish tattoos, cuz, like, he's totally into fish and it'll also, like, improve his chances getting accepted into the yakuza.

You should cover your fish in cat tattoos.

Not many things I see on the internets surprise me anymore. This made my jaw drop. I need to go hug a kitty... :(

my brother's dog has a tattoo... however, it was done for i.d.ing purposes and he had been getting neutered at the same time... he rocks out an old english k on his ear... good zeus, good dog...

retard with too much time/money on her hands

Get this crap out of here. One of the last things we should be drawing attention to is treating pets like accessories, belongings to be customized. I'm surprised the entry is ended with "what's your take on this?" And the sad thing is, some people would think it to be cool.

I'm very disappointed.

Uh, Circumcision is a LOT worse and that... on humans.

The cat doesn't care. The tat IS super sweet.

Tail docking, ear clipping... way worse then this.

I have such mixed feelings about this. I've been an RVT (vet tech) for over 6 years and am a year away from vet school. I have seen a lot of stuff, so I am very on the fence. (I am against ear cropping, and consider tail docking/declawing on case-by-case basis)
On one hand, I am really upset by this. It is needless cosmetic alteration for human aesthetics (like ear cropping in modern times). It is a medical risk and even with pain management, it is not comfortable for the cat.
On the other hand, this person that spent all this money on their cat is likely (not guaranteed though) to be a good cat owner, who probably will assure a good quality of life overall.
I have seen lots of people who don't even bother getting vaccines for their pets and the animals come in deathly ill and the owners say "Put it to sleep I'll just buy a new one."
So Hey, it's not the end of the world. It occurred in Moscow, which I can imagine has much more relaxed animal rights/veterinary legislation than the UK or the US.
If someone asked me to do it or help with it, I'd say hell no. But if someone gets it done elsewhere, at least I can hope they did everything they could to have as-safe-as-possible anesthesia and good pain management...

That's awful.

what an a-hole. this is cruelty for sure.

That is rad. I really don't agree with those of you who have deemed this vile, despicable, or cruel. This is nowhere near on par with tattooing a baby. Not even close. The cat was anesthetized for the entirety of the procedure, and is extremely unlikely to feel any pain from it in the days following. Tattoos only hurt while you are under the needle. Just don't show Pam Anderson or the other PETA psychos.

I tought that eyeball tattoo was sick, but is just f*cked up...
As a tattoo and a cat lover I do think that looks awesome ('cept for the picture is ugly) but I could never do that for a cat.. Or any other animal.

and for that piercing thing, it has been done allready....
http://www.examiner.com/x-1028-Pet-News-Examiner~y2008m12d20-Gothic-Kittens-sold-on-eBay-are-rescued

disgusting, vile, and horrific.

Okay, even though the cat told me you were a stinking idiot and hated you and wanted to tattoo a butt on your forehead, I won't say that.

Let's just say that the hairless breeders of the Peterbald, Donskoy and Sphynx are getting pretty upset with anyone doing this. If we see you, let's just say the PETA people who throw paint on fur wearers will look like a tea party compared to what we'll do to you.

Have a pleasant day.

Surely this would come under animal cruelty, if someone was seen in the street poking any animal with a needle they would get in trouble right???
And I agree with the others, its a cat, I dont see why these people spend $700 plus on an animal that may die within a year, And then to spend more money on a tattoo for it, but I guess even a tattoo cant take away from the uglyness of those cats.
Its cruel and pointless

CRAZY! MEAN! HORRIBLE! UNKIND!!!!!!!!!!!!111

CRAZY FEMALE!!!!!
CATS ARE NOOOOOTTTT A HANDBAG!!!!!!
WHAT DOES SHE THINK SHE IS??!!!??????????????????????

Mean horrible female witch!!!!
pooooooooooooooor cat.... *snivel, snivel.*

such a person...

she's nutts.. that's ALLL! CRAZY< MEAN< NUTS< MEAN, MUTS, and NUTS!!!!!

Yo man.
Tatted cats are sick. Get into it.

this is so cruel, my female cats have tattoo's, but those are just little green lines on their stomachs to indicate that they have been spayed

that woman should be shot! she should not be allowed to have pets. why doesnt she just get herself tattoo'd instead and see how she feels. fucking mole

Really now people. I am a proud owner of 3 cats (none of which I would ever tattoo), but you really can not say this is horrible or disgusting. Yes, I believe this is not horrible because of reasons like ear clipping and tail docking being much worse, but for many other reasons as well. Also, before a few smart people start to comment on my tail docking comment by saying things like "Tail docking serves a purpose!", I would like to say that you should wikipedia clipping and docking so that you will see that it really is only to increase speed and prevent injuries while ratting, fighting, or baiting. If you are ratting or fighting with your dog, then you are more inhumane than the tattoo artist and cat owner above. If you are hunting with your dog (and living in the 21st century, which I hope you are) then you are doing this for sport, not for your livelihood. So you just clipped and docked your dog so you can enjoy a sport? Would that person be any better? Also, if you put a collar on your cat that he does not like, didn't you just force your cat to have something he does not feel looks good on him? The last thing I would like to add is that I do not believe it would cause very much pain. My reasoning behind this is that all three cats I own were all taken in from the streets because I would find them in bad situations, such as been injured by a car, scratched near to death from animal fights, etc... and have had very serious wounds that were sometimes to the bone. All three of my cats are completely healed and showed hardly any pain (sometimes even laying on their wounds) while recovering. Anyways, my point is not that we should do this to our cats because they can tolerate pain, but that this really is not THAT bad when you really think about it and consider other factors.

It's more unnecessary than it is horrific. What's the point of tattooing a cat? I know how it was for me when I got a tattoo, so I can imagine the healing process for a cat. The skin texture is not the same.

Your all mostly a bunch of retards. It's not vile, or cruel just because you don't happen to approve. A tattoo is minor compared to other COMMON practices ie docking dogs tails, cropping ears, declawing cats or your most common spaying or neutering. Who gives any of you the right to do the above? But because you happen to approve of it it's all good. Please get over yourselves or please remove your poor bleeding hearts from the gene pool.

Sick, decadent & degenerate. An owners' pathetic cry for attention. Like the South Asians dying their dogs to look like pandas or ewoks or care-bears or whatever... ANIMALS ARE NOT A FASHION ACCESSORY. IT IS NOT ALL ABOUT YOU. There is a special circle in Hell reserved for those who deny their compassion to all life. For SHAME!!! ... though IT IS preferable to being dinner, I will concede.