Cat's owners defend giving feline Egyptian chest tattoo
A Russian Instagram star has been accused of animal cruelty after she shared pictures of her sphinx cat with a tattoo across its belly on social media.
Elena Ivanickaya caused a stir for choosing to have a picture of the winged Egyptian god Anubis inked on his hairless feline Yasha to make him look “unique” and to “please God”.
While the fitness model doesn’t appear to have any visible tattoos on her own body, Ms Ivanickaya said the procedure was undergone through anesthetic and caused no harm to her kitty.
Ms Ivanickaya and her partner Anatoily Loginov claimed the tattoo was done by one of the best artists in the country and approved by a veterinarian.
"The best tattoo parlour of Chernigov (and probably all of Ukraine) was chosen, agreed with the vet - a woman wanting to do God-pleasing work,” Mr Loginov defended in a Facebook post following the furore.
"When, two months ago, we decided to make a tattoo for our cat Yasha, we rummaged through the Internet in search of information about whether or not it was harmful,” he added.
"Making sure that in the world where thousands of sphinxes live well with tattoos, we asked the clinic if it would be harmful for our unique cat.
"We got the answer - that we can calmly do it.”
He hit back at critics, claiming the tattoo was not a form of animal cruelty and urged people who were offended to focus their energies on “real” issues of animal violence.
An Instagram page has been set up for the feline, which has copped a string of abuse from many horrified people.
"How disgusting and cruel to do this to your beautiful Sphynx,” one wrote.
A second Instgrammer wrote: "This is definitely animal abuse. I genuinely hope this poor cat is taken from you."
Ukraine police spokesperson Natalia Chovpylo told The Mirror Ms Ivanickaya would face animal cruelty charges only if authorities establish that the animal was tortured.
The incident comes a year after a Brazilian tattooist was accused of animal cruelty when he shared photos on social media of his bull terrier's face covered in tattoos.
The pet owner claimed he inked his dog to prevent it from getting cancer, which is a myth that has been busted by veterinarians.
RSPCA Victoria told 7 News Online the practice of locals having their pets tattooed for cosmetic purposes was not something it has seen any evidence of.
“Whilst there is no direct specification relating to this practice in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (POCTAA), we would urge owners to avoid any unnecessary procedure that may result in unreasonable pain or suffering,” RSPCA Victoria Head of Prevention, Sophie Buchanan said.
