The Internet is a vast playground for those with hours to squander and a penchant for tasteless humour. But it’s also a place where cruel, sick and demeaning things can find a public audience. Take the case of bonsai kitty, which caused a furious outcry among cat lovers worldwide and has led to calls for the site to be shut down.
The original bonsai kitten website was launched in 2000 and instructed visitors on how to force adorable tiny cats into jars. The idea was that the kittens’ bones would slowly mold to the shape of their containers, similar to the pruning and shaping of a bonsai tree. It didn’t take long for animal rights activists to raise hell, and bonsai kitty ended up being investigated by the FBI.
Although the original site has since been taken down, a mirror is still available. The cat bonsai-o-philes behind the site have even taken to proudly displaying hate mail they’ve received.
While many argue that it’s cruel and wrong to physically constrain a living thing to take the shape of a container, others point out that it’s perfectly fine to do so with plants. And why shouldn’t cats be subjected to the same treatment as trees? It’s just another form of topiary gardening, really.
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