Pink Shock

(Image Courtesy:CBBC-Newsround, RSPCA)
Natasha Gregory and the pink cat Oi!Kitty

A pink coloured cat walking happily on the street. What would your first reaction to it be? The first specimen of a new species of a cat or one straight out of a fairy tale?

Actually it is neither. It is a pet cat that was dyed in pink, by its owner, out of affection. A few days back, in London, Natasha Gregory, a 22 year old, mother of two, admitted to dying her pet cat, Oi!Kitty pink, using food colouring thanks to her love for the colour 'pink'.

I was left gaping in shock after reading this. Yes, the idea of a pink cat is cute as long as it is restricted to the pages of a fiction comic book/story or to a television cartoon (and apparently Natasha WAS inspired by a popular 'pink cat' cartoon character), but to carry forward your sentiments with your favourite cartoon and favourite colour into real life in this way, is simply too much.
At least in the case of fiction stories and animated movies, 'animals were not harmed in the process', but  actually trying to realize such strangest of fantasies in real life could have disastrous consequences. If Natasha had indeed always imagined of being the proud owner of a pink cat, she should have rather purchased a pink toy cat, rather than risking the health of her cat, by dyeing it pink. In doing so, there was a high chance of her harming the cat in the process.
The red food colouring used was non-toxic and safe for edible purposes, but it was never intended for animal use, it had never been tested on animals. So you never know what chemicals, it could contain that could be unfit for cat fur.
After dying it pink, the cat may be looking more sweet and cuddly, but imagine how it could lead to a skin/fur problem in the cat. The cat is not going to speak for itself. Humans have to understand.
Unfortunately,the problem is that experts have found that it would be impossible to restore the original colour of the cat. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that Oi!Kitty, in spite of this experimentation remains in the pink of health!