Cutekitty wrote: Does the FEverse have an equivalent for tattoos? Like perhaps dyeing markings into the fur or feathers? (Less permanent, I know, but also less painful ) Does the FEverse have an equivalent for tattoos? Like perhaps dyeing markings into the fur or feathers? (Less permanent, I know, but also less painful

Dyes are more commonly used to change the color of one's headfur, and needs to be redone every few months when the roots start showing. Tattoos are a different-since the goal is to not just color the surface, but alter the actual color growing from within.Though there are a variety of methods to obtain a tattoo, they all achieve the same basic goal: injecting enough ink into the roots of the hair so that it saturates the rest of the hair's shaft. This is usually accomplished with sticking an extremely fine needle beneth the skin to penetrate the hair's root, through which enough ink is pumped to saturate the entire hair. Though each hair only takes a few seconds, even the simplest design requires penetrating the roots of at least several dozen hairs, which does cause some pain. For Avians, it's the base of the Calamus (or Quill) beneath the skin which gets injected with ink, so the feather's barbs get saturated.It's a delicate, precise process-but if done properly, the saturated hairs/feathers will continue to grow the injected colors for years. Of course, after the saturated hairs/feathers have regrown several times, the ink will diminish. Those who enjoy their tattooes will visit professionals on a regular basis for touch-ups when the ink starts fading.