This is sad and pathetic as far as I am concerned. As a cat owner you don’t impose your attitudes about your preferred appearance on your cat especially when it relates to tattooing. This bloke is obsessed with dark, gothic tattoos. That’s fine. He can do what he likes to his skin provided it does not break the law. However, he has no right to impose his views about what is a good look on his cat. This is very poor cat ownership. Yes, the cat looks okay but that’s not the point. On principle this should never happen.
Is it animal cruelty? Would it be in breach of the criminal law in the West? It might be. Tattooing is painful for the recipient. We don’t know how it was done. I presume the cat was sedated and given pain killers. I would argue that it is a minor crime. In the UK there’d be a good chance he’d be picked up by the RSCPA and charged under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
The objective of cat ownership is to provide an environment where the cat feels relaxed and at home and where he or she can express her natural drives. It is about naturalness and not being forced into satisfying the extreme behavior of a self-indulgent rocker who likes anarchistic tattoos.
Note: I am not against anarchy. And I am not against having the confidence to bold self-expression. Animal welfare is about asking what is right for your cat and not using your cat as a vehicle for extended self-expression.
Yes, agreed.
Selfish idiot tattoos a cat, he needs to have the cat taken off him, he does not deserve any animal in his care, what a vile stupid plonker. Name and shame this idiot…
All my female cats have little heart tattoos that IDs them as spayed on their tummies. Beyond that or for ID it is animal abuse. I suppose breeders of hairless cats need to include a no decorative tattoo policy in their sales/adoption contracts.
As a matter of general interest it takes a tattoo several weeks to heal and several months for some inks to lay down flat. Any ink can cause a severe allergic reaction. If your cat ever needs an MRI which is becoming more frequent if there is iron in the ink it will pull from the skin in some cases. While humans can choose the possible health risks of being tattooed for art cats have no such luxury nor do they need to express their inner emotions or self journeys. I have to assume a cat would need to either be forcibly restrained in some contraption or put under. The dangers of anesthesia in cats are well documented. Some people have no brains.