Tattoos on Pets: Fashionable or Freaky?

I could not believe my eyes when I ran across this rather perplexing news item the other day while I was on my daily rounds surfing the Internet looking for things of interest. And as I delved more deeply into the story, I sat in my chair shaking my head in bewilderment. What in the world was this woman thinking when she decided to adorn her cat with a tattoo? How dare she? The hairs on the back of my neck actually stood up straight, in much the same way I imagine any cat's fur would when meeting up with Oksana Popova's beautiful Sphynx kitty, the hairless breed, named Mickey. Now I don't want to start an international crisis here, but apparently in Russia, sadly it seems that cat tattooing is now all the rage. Some folks think it adds another aspect of beauty to their felines. Good grief, aren't cats just gorgeous just the way they are? Give me a break! Popova made the decision to tattoo her cat in order to "celebrate the interesting times" which Russia now is undergoing. Feeling that the tattoo was both appropriate and befitting her cat, she said that she was quite delighted with the outcome. However I wonder how Mickey felt about this procedure which required him to be under anesthesia for three hours in order to acquire the tat of King Tut. Of course animal rights activists are enraged with what they consider to be a brutal and senseless action. Outspoken in her dismay and disgust, Irina Novozhilova, an animal activist who lives in Moscow, stated that she thought the procedure was "barbaric and cruel". She added, "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." While identification tattoos, which are generally placed on the inner side of a cat's leg only requires shaving a small portion of fur and a very brief period of sedation, the more common practice today of embedding a small micro chip, a relatively painless procedure, is done by a veterinarian or a specially trained technician as these procedures are considered to be very useful in helping owners locate their lost pets. The pro-tattoo folks in Russia claim that the "artful" tattoo is similar, and cannot understand why there is so much outrage about tattooing cats. As far as I am concerned, Ms. Popova has gone beyond the poll in subjecting her lovely kitty to what I think borders on insanity and the height of egotistical behavior. But that is just my opinion, for what it is worth. What do you think? Is all the upset over this tattooed kitty justified? Leave a comment and share your opinions. Photo credit: Balkanpix.com; AP