New York Passes Bill To Outlaw Tattooing Pets

If you live in New York, you might want to cancel that appointment to get your dog tattooed: On Wednesday, a bill prohibiting pet tattooing passed the state Legislature. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to ink it.

The soon-to-be-law, which gained bipartisan support and was endorsed by the Humane Society of New York, prohibits "unnecessary body modification" of animals but includes an exemption for piercings or tattoos for the purpose of medical identification.

Democratic Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal introduced the measure in 2011 after noticing "gothic kittens" with tattoos and piercings for sale online.

"Companion animals ... will no longer be subject to the selfish whims of their owners," Rosenthal said after the bill cleared the assembly.

But if you can't tattoo your cat, at least you can still get a tattoo of your cat. The New York Daily News reported earlier this month that "cattoos" are all the rage.

Tattoo artist Betty Rose, who works at the Eight of Swords parlor in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, does several cattoos a week.

"People used to get wildcats all the time," Rose told the News. "But it's a sea of domestic cats now. People are more OK with sharing the fact that they have cats and they love them."