Dog And Cat Tattoo Shops To Be Banned In New York, Is A Pet Tattoo Cruelty To Animals?

Dog and cat tattoo shops will soon be out of business soon since a bill prohibiting pet tattooing passed the state Legislature recently. But who would risk having their fluffy turn into a grumpy cat by making them have a pet tattoo?

In a related report by The Inquisitr, the so-called panda dog in China is the latest fashion trend for the up and coming Chinese middle class who want to own pets rather than eat them. But some people feel that transforming a pet into a panda dog is cruelty to animals.

Democratic Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal apparently felt the same way about pet tattoos after stumbling upon cat tattoo and piercings for sale online as part of a “gothic kitten” website. After hearing that the bill was expected to clear the assembly, Rosenthal said, “Companion animals… will no longer be subject to the selfish whims of their owners.” The bill is expected to be signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Now, I can fully understand getting a cat tattoo that depicts your favorite feline on your own body. But, at least to me, it seems fairly cruel to subject a poor feline to having a needle jabbed into its skin repeatedly in order to pull off the art work. While we humans will submit ourselves to such agony since we know the final result, animals have no clue why they are experiencing this pain, nor would they have any thrill or pleasure from having a tattoo.

At the same time, I can see those who support pet tattoos saying that they have the right to groom, cut, and dye the color of their pet’s hair, so why could not they also get a pet tattoo? If the animal were to be properly medicated and fit for even surger,y it could be argued that the animal would not feel the pain of the tattooing process. But anyone who has had a tattoo knows that after it’s done it can still bleed and scab for a while, so it’s not like a pet tattoo can ever be pain free.

In the end, I would say that giving your pet a temporary tattoo is probably the better option and is completely harmless. There are also products that are certified to be pet safe where you can essentially draw artwork onto your pet’s fur and it’ll eventually go away.

Do you think pet tattoos should be legal?