Shocking scandal: tattoos on cats

There is a horrendous new craze taking hold amongst wealthy pet owners in some countries, especially Russia. Owners of Sphynx cats, are having their poor pets tattooed. I have nothing against tattoos, and have one of my own. But on a cat? The poor little things are anaesthetised (UK spelling) for hours at a time, in order for these needless procedures to be carried out. Anaesthetic always carries a degree of risk. Why risk a pet's life for a needless tattoo? And as most people will tell you, new tattoos cause a great deal of discomfort whilst healing. The skin smarts for some time afterwards. Imagine getting sunburn on top of a cat scratch - that's what it feels like. The skin also becomes very tight for a few days, and as the healing process progresses, the new tattoo can also become almost unbearably itchy. Any normal cat would probably attack the itchy area, risking further disfigurement, and infection.

I hope this fad dies quickly, and does not spread. Hopefully, existing animal cruelty laws in the UK should be adequate to prevent the craze taking hold here. If not, the government needs to legislate against it now, before we start seeing tattooed cats, and maybe dogs, too, in the UK. It takes a lot to shock me, but this cruel practice really has.