A SICK pet owner has caused outrage across the world - by giving his cat a TATTOO. Tattoo artist Timur Rimut, from Tatarsan, Russia, has inked a necklace design on the moggy with the words Carpe Diem, Latin for 'seize the day'.
Rimut, 24, has an identical tattoo on his own chest and a tattoo portrait of the hairless sphinx on his arm.
The unfortunate feline went under anaesthetic for the painful treatment – and video footage shows him passed out on a table while Rimut gets to work with the needle.
Seemingly unaware of his cruelty, Rimut then poses proudly for photos which show their matching tatts.
Animal rights activists are furious at the abuse of trust, with YouTube users queuing up to condemn the sick stunt.
NewLifestyleMentor posted: "This is the ultimate in animal cruelty. I can't understand how an animal owner could do this to their pet. Totally sickening!"
HaileyIsAGoddess added: "The cat doesn't give its consent to be tattooed. You rob it of its rights by forcing it asleep only so you can decorate it with what you want. Cats are not colouring books."
This latest outrage is not the first time a sphinx cat has been tattooed in Russia.
Moscow woman Oksana Popova had her cat sedated for three hours so a tattoo of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen could be inked on its chest.
Put to sleep ... the poor cat is anaesthetised so that his owner can give him a tattoo. Barbaric ... hairless sphinx has neckless design inked on his neck
Going to work ... Timur Rimut puts his cat under anaesthetic and then inks a tattoo on his neck.
Doesn't seem THAT bad. Obviously the process is painful and wrong, but let's say for a minute that getting a tattoo was painless, nobody would have an issue with it.
In many cultures, pets get tattoos anyway, but through hot iron branding not tattoo guns.
The cat was put to sleep and tatooed? Seems more humane than dressing your puppy up in shoes and clothes or carrying it around in your handbag. They're actually awake when that happens and feel uncomfortable. The cat won't even notice he has a damn tatoo. Everyone overreacting