Michael Virtanen | The Associated Press
Body art is not for animals, at least not in New York.
It will soon be a crime to pierce or tattoo your companion animal anywhere in the state.
“It’s simply cruel,” said Assembly member Linda Rosenthal. The Manhattan Democrat sponsored the legislation. While people can choose the pain of tattoos or piercings to satisfy their own “esthetic predilections,” companion animals don’t have that luxury, she said.
The law signed Monday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo takes effect in 120 days.
There’s an exception for markings done under a veterinarian’s supervision for a medical reason or identification.
Rosenthal said that’s intended, for example, for pets like her cat, which was spayed by a vet and given a little green mark to indicate that.
When done specifically for identification, the law says tattoos should include only numbers and letters allotted for a tattoo identification registry.