Gothic Felines? Woman Pierced Cats' Ears, Necks and Tails...to Make Them More Marketable

A Pennsylvania woman finds herself under house arrest after piercing her cats' ears, necks and tails. After gothifying the kitties, she then listed them online for $100 each. Apparently, she thought that the minor "improvements" she made would make the felines more marketable (it's a tough economy, right?).

Aside from piercing the cats' various body parts, the woman also docked their tails. In case you didn't know, docking is a process that results in the removal of a portion of animals' tails. The procedure is typically performed on working dogs and livestock in an effort to prevent infection (i.e. there's typically a method behind the madness).

As you can imagine, it didn't take long for PETA and the local ASPCA to catch wind of what had occurred. The woman, of course, has been penalized for her actions. Consumerist has more:

[The woman] was convicted of animal cruelty, and the Superior Court of Pennsylvania recently affirmed her sentence and conviction on the grounds that no one could possibly be stupid enough to think that this was a good idea. I paraphrase...

[She] defended her actions, using the examples of declawing surgery for cats and debarking surgery for dogs, both of which are controversial but legal. The court's response was that these procedures have a purpose, while putting a metal ring through the scruff of a cat's neck kinda doesn't.

Just an FYI to those of you out there considering animal piercings and cosmetics: Probably not a good idea.

(h/t Consumerist)