Stalking Cat
Stalking Cat | |
---|---|
Born | Dennis Avner August 27, 1958 Flint, Michigan, U.S. |
Died | November 5, 2012 Tonopah, Nevada, U.S. | (aged 54)
Known for | Body modifications |
Stalking Cat (born Dennis Avner; August 27, 1958 – November 5, 2012)[1] was an American man known for his extensive body modifications, which were intended to increase his resemblance to a tiger.[2] For his 14 surgical procedures towards that goal, he held a world record for "most permanent transformations to look like an animal".[3][4][5] "Stalking Cat" was his chosen name.
Biography
Avner was born in
In the early 1980s, guided by his personal vision and
While living in San Diego, he met Tess Calhoun at a furry convention. Over several years, he formed a close friendship with Calhoun and her husband, Rick Weiss.[7] In 2005, Weiss' job with Boeing required the couple to move to Washington, and they asked Stalking Cat, then aged 47, to join them. The trio moved to Freeland, Washington, on Whidbey Island, where Stalking Cat helped fix up their house.[8]
Stalking Cat, Calhoun, and Weiss were active in the
Death
On November 5, 2012, he was found dead in his garage, with a gun on the floor.[13][14] He was 54 years old. News of the death became public one week later. In an online post, BMEzine founder Shannon Larratt wrote that his death was a suicide.[2]
Body modifications
Description of modifications
Many of Stalking Cat's
including:- Extensive tattooing, including facial tattooing
- Facial subdermal implants to change the shape of his brow, forehead, and the bridge of his nose
- Flattening his nose, via septum relocation
- Silicone injection in his cheeks, chin, and other parts of his face
- Bifurcating (splitting) his upper lip
- Filing and capping his teeth
- Surgically shaping his ears, making his ears pointed and his earlobes elongated
- Surgical hairline modification
- Piercing his upper lip and transdermal implants on his forehead, to facilitate wearing whiskers
- Wearing green contact lenseswith slit irises
- Wearing a robotic tail
Future modification plans included a plan for implants on top of his head, for mounting tiger-like ears.[16]
Medical ethics concerns
Glenn McGee, director of the Center for Bioethics at Albany Medical College in New York, said: "Cosmetic surgery is a practice based on informed consent that needs to balance the risks with the benefits. It is possible to have a coherent view that is nonetheless detrimental to one's well-being. This is a patient who's being harmed by medicine in the interest of his tradition."[7]
See also
References
- ^ Parry, Laurence "Greenreaper" (2012-11-12). "Stalking Cat confirmed dead at 54". Flayrah. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
- ^ a b c d Larratt, Shannon (2012-11-12). "RIP Stalking Cat". ModBlog. BMEzine. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ^ D'Arminio, Aubry (2008-09-30). "Take the 'Guinness World Records 2009' pop-culture quiz!". Popwatch. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
- ^ Dolan, Mark. "The World's Strangest Plastic Surgery and Me (episode guide)". The World's... and Me. Channel 4. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
- ^ "It's a weird world of world records". The Sunday Mail. Courier Mail. 2008-09-21. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
- ^ a b "Dennis Avner". Surgery Before After. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
- ^ a b Casavant, Vanessa Renée (2005-08-16). "Catman's transformation raises concerns over extreme surgery". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 7 November 2013.[dead link]
- Sound Publishing, Inc. Archived from the originalon 29 October 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- WikiFur. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ^ Calhoun, Tess (2007-07-22). "Told Stalkingcat he must move". Tess the Red Pony. LiveJournal. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ^ Calhoun, Tess (2007-08-13). "LiveJournal comment; "If you want the facts..."". Stalking Cat. LiveJournal. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ^ Calhoun, Tess (2007-09-28). "GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRs". Tess the Red Pony. LiveJournal. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ^ Hastings, LP (2012-11-12). "Dennis Avner aka "Stalking Cat" Found Dead; On his Time in OC". OC Weekly. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ^ "Passages: Dennis Avner, Stalking Cat, dead at 54". East County Magazine. 2012-11-14. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ^ http://westcoastinkmag.com/larry-hanks/
- ^ "The World's Strangest Plastic Surgery and Me". Youtube. Retrieved 21 December 2017.[dead YouTube link]
External links
- Stalking Cat, WikiFur biography
- Livejournal, online journal
- Stalking Cat, official site
- Audio interview with Stalking Cat