Animal Rites

Obviously Photoshopped images traveling through the unregulated gift economy of e-mail are nonetheless stirring outrage among would-be animal rights advocates. Like the earlier bonsai kitten hoax, Why Paint Cats -- the sequel to Why Cats Paint -- is stimulating well-meaning if misguided activism on the assumption that painting cats in the colorful and elaborate manner illustrated would entail cruel practices of exposure to potentially toxic substances and long periods of restraint while being forced to serve as a motionless feline canvas. Although the images were recently debunked as fakes, the order page at Amazon.com indicates that many aren't in on the joke, even though they can search inside the book digitally and see the mock art historical pomposity contained within that includes sources cited like the Journal of Applied Animal Aesthetics. (Thanks to Janice Gregory of Humanities Core Course for pointing out the controversy about a perceived act of visual violence. Janice also represents our Search and Rescue Program, although no anteaters were harmed in the making of the photos on their site, as you can see by scrolling down the page.)