to think this isn't actually a tragedy?

[Skyrg]

I'm aware I may get flamed for this...
First, please note I am a vegetarian, have a much loved dog and cat, and like animals generally. Was shocked by the cat in the bin and puppies in the river incident. Hate animal cruelty.

So, AIBU to not quite think this is such a big deal?

uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100925/tod-the-pink-prankster-cat-covered-in-dy-870a197.html

BBC reports the same thing:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-11407516

'The RSPCA is trying to trace the owner of the animal and described the culprits as "sick".'
Why? Sick imo is enjoying causing an animal pain and suffering. The cat is just pink! The dye is non-toxic, so it will not be harmed by licking it, and the 'yobs' who did it have obviously (it is noted in the article) taken care not to get any near the cat's eyes, nose and mouth.

Now, this is clearly not fair on the cat, but I'm struggling to see what harm it will do to it. It may have more difficulty hunting (but being white it would have difficulty anyway and will be fed by owners/RSPCA so it doesn't need to hunt) and it will look a bit foolish.

So what I'm saying is: yes, it was wrong to dye the cat pink, but why is it a 'sick prank' by 'yobs'?
It was apparently thrown over a garden fence, not sure what 'thrown' means here, but surely throwing a cat is more of a big deal than dying its fur?

I just keep thinking people need a bit more of a sense of perspective. There are far worse crimes going on unreported.

OMG! The camel poodle is inspired! The cats are hilarious too.... I partictularly liked the Chaplin Catsbum and the cat with the curly moustache. The pink cat got off lightly IMO.

Now, what can I do with a fat tabby and a scrawny Ginger?

It could be worse. A theatre sister I once worked with told us the story of a female patient who had come in for a cystoscopy (fibreoptic exam of the bladder) following repeated bladder infections.

They were somewhat surprised to find a goldfish skeleton in her bladder - apparently she had inserted it for some wierd thrill. {shudders]

lmao at pink cat! dont think it was possible the nicest thing to do, but hardly sick....

how do you insert a goldfish skeleton into your bladder??

Ah, but just think... a pink cat, with the RSPCA jumping up and down in anger about it, is newsworthy.

Which means lots more nice publicity for the lovely caring RSPCA and more legacies to add to the tax breaks they get and the £119 MILLION that they have in the bank.

It takes attention away from the fact that they shoot German Shepherd Dogs with .

And detracts from the fact that they now refuse to take in unwanted dogs from the general public, citing lack of resources as their excuse and leaving independent rescue, most of whom get no tax breaks and struggle on a shoestring, to take in these poor unfortunate creatures.

Val - fellow vegetarian, dog and cat owner and independent rescuer.

I saw this and i thought it was quite funny.

Then i felt bad, but reading this thread i see i was right and it IS funny

I feel sorry for the cat, his mates have probably been taking the piss out of him all week.

Valhalla, I agree with you about the RSPCA. They don't really seem to have animal welfare at heart, it all seems to be about campaigning, fancy uniforms and swish head quarters.

The ones on the link do look quite bizarre don't they, I did quite like the one that was painted in auburn and green stripes to match the owners hair!

lol at his mates taking the piss...
StayingDavidTennantsGirl - uh.. did she insert it when it was whole and it rotted, or just the skeleton?

Pinky - I think that must be a hoax!

MaMo, it's neither something I'd do nor something I'd encourage or condone but tragic? No, it's not imho. I don't know about "sick", "warped" is more the way 'd phrase it.

Whoever made the cat pink has surely been severely punished by the cat. I have yet to meet a feline that would put up with such undignified treatment. He or she is almost certainly nursing deep gouges in both arms and possibly even some puncture marks to the face

When i saw this on the news it brought a smile to my face tbh.

I think it looks lovely! and i dont see how it could have been or will be harmed by being dyed pink.

I don't suppose the cat is in the least bit bothered. The RSPCA get all outraged about something that was obviously meant as a joke (whether we think it's actually funny or not) but turn a blind eye to much worse when it suits them.

dd2 once coloured her white cat with pink and blue highlighter, the same week her and her friend coloured friends cats ears.

Maybe it's cruel because her favourite colour is blue.

we had a ginger and white cat and once dyed a bit of his white bits pink with that wash-in wash-out hair mousse. He lived to tell the tale.

I think it could start a craze - blue hamsters, anyone?

A MNer dyed their chicken blue the other week

Some of those painted cats are definitely photoshopped. The moustache one for example, it wouldn't be that crisp, no way.

Yanbu, I'm also vegetarian and hate animal cruelty but I fail to see the harm caused here. In the local news there was a story recently about some heartless fuckers who had put pins inside apples in a horse field . This was obviously done to cause serious harm to the horses and a vet was quoted as saying if a horse ate one it could die! I also remember several incidents where cats were tied to fireworks or set alight around where I used to live, a mildly bemused pink cat is quite funny in the grand scheme of things!

I think that the RSPCA have shot themselves totally in the foot with this one. As the likelihood is that a fair few people will see this news story and think 'how cute I want to dye my cat pink'. It is probably a very bad idea to dye animals, because they might well have an allergic reaction to the dye (as people do at times) and I think it is wrong to think of your pet as a fashion accessory (I really dislike all the clipping stuff too personally). It is not sick or evil however, and given how much animal cruelty they actually see you woudl think that they would have a sense of proportion.

I think you're right nooka. I have to admit to looking at it and thinking (only briefly!) I could do that to my cat... Ofc I wouldn't because he is black it would be unfair. I don't mind the clipping and dying, I just think it's a way of showing off your pet. At least they are loved and well looked after (if a bit humiliated).

Margee - I saw that story, horrible. And obviously intended to harm rather than just for fun. That story disappeared more quickly than the pink cat too, just shows where people's priorities are.

Marjee, sorry, can't spell :)