Woman Spent RM6,000 On Double Eyelid Surgery For Her Cat Because It "Had Ugly Eyes"

The cat's owner spent 10,000 yuan (approximately 6,085 ringgit) for a double-eyelid operation, also known as Asian blepharoplasty, where a crease was added to the cat's eyelids.

According to a report in Daily Mail, vets in China made a cut on each of the cat's eyelid with a scalpel after the owner deemed its eyes were "too ugly".

While the procedure is common among dog owners who want their pets to participate in shows, the surgery on the woman's cat wasn't as successful as expected.

Images released by the local television station showed the poor cat with a line of stitches visible under each eye, with the area around them significantly red and swollen.

The Daily Mail report did not say where exactly the surgery was carried out.

However, an employee at the Rupeng Pet Hospital, which provides such double-eyelid surgeries for pets, was quoted saying that cats might be at risk as they are "resilient animals" when it comes to anaesthesia which can create a lot of discomfort for them.

Additionally, an unnamed female veterinarian at a different hospital called double-eyelid surgeries on pets a "frivolous procedure", reported Daily Mail.

"We would never agree to put cats and dogs under the knife unless they are sick and needed the procedure for health reasons," the female vet added.

Wendy Higgins, director of international media at Humane Society International, too echoed the views about health risk where an animal is anaesthetised.

"Subjecting a cat to that risk as well as all the associated discomfort and fear, in the name of non-essential surgery for human vanity is certainly irresponsible and not in the best welfare interests of the cat. All animals are beautiful, in whatever shape or size they come in, and their visual imperfections only give them more character. Surgically altering our pets for purely cosmetic reasons is not kind or wise," the director of international media explained to Daily Mail.

Angry social media users heavily criticised the woman's intentions.

"It doesn't even look like the same cat anymore. This is plain torture," one user commented on Chinese microblogging site Weibo.

"I would go as far to say this is animal abuse - complete disregard of the poor cat's feelings," another user commented.