How far? How about as far as Russia. Now, we all know that in everything there is a boundary that must not be crossed. Call it bad taste, call it social madness, even call it outright wrong. Russians have found just such a boundary and boldly gone where no true animal lover could possibly contemplate going.
The new trend first arose in Russia. While it may have occurred elsewhere before, never in recent history has any society embraced such an aberrant use of tattoo art with such openness and lack of shame. What is this horrid new fashion? It is the tattooing of one’s pets.Cat owners have taken to getting their felines tattooed with elaborate, colorful designs for no other reason than because they can.
It is reported that one woman had her Canadian Hairless put under general anesthesia for three hours while an image of the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun was tattooed on its chest.
Needless to say, this practice has animal right ativists in Russia spitting hairballs in fury. One spokeswoman of the movement has publicly condemned the cosmetic tattooing of animals, saying: “The ethical thinking about animals in Russia lacks behind that of the West. People in Russia mostly buy animals for selfish reasons and anything that happens to them afterwards is a consequence of that.”
The reaction, however, is not restricted to the former USSR. The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in the UK) has published its opinion on the matter also: “We are totally against using animals for purely cosmetic reasons just on the owner’s whim. Clearly the animal has no say in the matter. We do not believe in using pets as fashion accessories. It shows no respect for the animal whatsoever. So far we have only heard about this practice happening overseas - and we hope it doesn’t spread.”
The tattoo artist who undertook the task is called Anatoly Keksel. The cat’s owner apparently “wanted something new and different for the times we live in” while Keksel proudly lifted up his shirt and announced that he had the identical tattoo himself. It makes you wonder why he would want to share that information…
