ANIMAL ABUSE

[Maddwraph]

i have stubled across in the website myspace, a petition agaisnt bonzaikittens.

bonzai kitten is an extremely disgusting method of treating a kitten. if you want to learn more go to thier website.

http://www.bonsaikitten.com/bkintro.html

i signed the petition, and would hope that you all are agasint this. its a true criminal act. hopefully, it will close down, by i doubt on its own.

anyways, any opnion, discussions on this horrible matter?

[ShotokanKid]

I heard that this is just a joke, and the pictures are hard to tell if the kitten is really being shaped. I will say that I don't know anything about it, but some newspaper column says it's just a joke.

[ShotokanKid]

http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/hoaxes/bonsai.html

"protesting against a website where it is suggested cats are being maltreated. In fact, the website is a joke (albeit one which some may find tasteless)."

The link you put on this post is the website described above.

even more from http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/pranks/bonsai.html

"But that was not the end of BonsaiKitten.com. What started was a game of 'cat and mouse,' as the site simply began relocating from one server to another. Whenever furious animal lovers discovered its new location, they would bombard its host with criticism until the weary host, buckling under the weight of the attacks, would force BonsaiKitten.com to move on and find a new home. This continued until the site finally found a permanent home on Rotten.com.

During this time the site's creators at MIT began giving interviews to the press through the fictitious persona of "Dr. Michael Wong Chang." They explained that the site was a prank designed to satirize "the human belief of nature as a commodity." But this did little to calm the animal lovers whose anger continued to grow and grow.

In February 2001 even the FBI got involved and subpoenaed all information about the site from MIT. But its investigation came up empty when it found no evidence of animal abuse or of the sale of Bonsai Kittens."

Also, check out http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/bonsai.asp

It says:

Claim: A web site provides information and equipment for making 'bonsai kittens.'

Status: False.

And from http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blbonsai.htm

Comments: First things first: The Bonsai Kitten site is a hoax — a sick joke. No one is really doing those awful things to kittens (see "Bonsai Kitten" for the history of this prank).

I must not have enough to do if I'm researching all this, lol

Edited July 29, 2005 by ShotokanKid

[ShotokanKid]

I don't think you need to worry about this. I sincerely believe the kittens of the world are safe.

[fallen_milkman]

*sigh* Animal rights activists need to learn to take a joke.

[sdargie]

There was an email petitioninig that site that made it's way around my college a few months ago.

[Maddwraph]

wow i feel stupid,lol. i guess it is funny, especially when somuch people believe it.

[White Warlock]

Yeppers, saw that years ago. It takes advantage of people's kneejerk response to things and does make a great social statement.

[Enviroman]

Yeah, I knew someone that tried to convince me that it was serious about 5 years ago...it took me a while to show him that it wasn't real.

[Menjo]

lol i never took it seriously in the first place, no one doing that would put it on the internet anyway...lol