# Bonsai Kitten???? What the hell... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 27, 2001, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350 "2001-06-27T18:12:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cleosia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@cleosia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cleosia)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/1 "2001-06-27T18:12:02Z")
Maybe someone out there has heard or seen this and can tell me if this is an elaborate practical joke, or is some scmuck serious. Check out this web site: [http://www.bonsaikitten.com](http://www.bonsaikitten.com) Is this for real? My daughter called me this morning absolutely furious, with this site. The number given is a New York number and I would think that people perpertrating this monstrosity in New York would wind up being torn limb from limb. I’d be pissed if it was a sick joke, but I’d be more pissed if it turned out to be real. Can anybody out there enlighten me about this? ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/2 "2001-06-27T18:13:11Z")
I’ve seen it discussed in other places around the web. Yes, it’s a joke. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/3 "2001-06-27T18:27:55Z")
Don’t get upset. It’s [false](http://www.snopes2.com/inboxer/outrage/bonsai.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/4 "2001-06-27T18:30:11Z")
Yep, it’s a joke. Check this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=65133). ---
**Author:** ![cleosia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@cleosia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cleosia)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/5 "2001-06-27T18:44:43Z")
Thank God. So many people engage in bizarre behavior that things you should just shrug off makes you pause. I did notice you never get a clear shot of the kitten sealed in the bottle, but you never know. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![cleosia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@cleosia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cleosia)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/6 "2001-06-27T18:52:41Z")
To be honest, I have more cats than I want to admit to and there are times when stuffing them into a sealed bottle is rather appealing… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/7 "2001-06-27T21:46:50Z")
I have a couple of black and white postcards on the corkboard by my desk; one is a picture of a little kitten curled up and sleeping in a small glass rosebowl, with another kitten trying to get in, too. Another one is a kitten curled up and sleeping in the hole in the front of an old typewriter; another one is a kitten curled up and sleeping in a tiny little flowerpot. Putting kittens in small spaces doesn’t seem to be quite the torture for them that we would imagine it would be. (Not that I’m advocating sealing cats in small bottles.) ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/8 "2001-06-27T23:59:43Z")
That website scared the hell out of me at first. Damn! ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/9 "2001-06-28T07:44:32Z")
My boss is French and doesn’t speak English (doesn’t want to learn either because of “what they did to Joan of Arc”). Anyhoo, she received an e-mail a couple of weeks ago from a friend in France telling her about a really disgusting site and that “something should be done about that”. When I got in the office that day (I’m the only one there who speaks English), I was immediately told that I should write a letter in English to send to our internet provider, to complain about that site. “What site ?”, I asked. “A disgusting site, they put kittens in bottles.” The light bulb went on in my head and I burst laughing and the proceeded to explain about bonsaikitten. I’m not sure if she believed me but at least she let it drop. ---
**Author:** ![Monocracy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monocracy/32/4493_2.png) [@Monocracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monocracy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/10 "2001-06-28T08:26:20Z")
Does anyone know when [bonsaipuppy.com](http://bonsaipuppy.com) will be up? I try to order from bonsaikitten and they just ignore me. I want cute animals stuffed in jars, dammit! ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/11 "2001-06-28T10:37:53Z")
No no no, you’re all getting the westernised version. Any true connoisseur knows that the real bonsai kitten involves placing large glass bottles _inside_ kittens. I believe it was inspired by an episode of Tom & Jerry. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/12 "2001-06-28T11:02:39Z")
**detop** , you should have demanded that she also write a letter of complaint, but to Marcel Marceau’s mime school. It’s absolutely appalling how they keep that poor man locked in an invisible box like that! –sublight. ---
**Author:** ![dqa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dqa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dqa)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/13 "2001-06-28T12:08:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monocracy \* > \*\*Does anyone know when [bonsaipuppy.com](http://bonsaipuppy.com) will be up? I try to order from bonsaikitten and they just ignore me. I want cute animals stuffed in jars, dammit! \*\* This is addressed on the site. > [@](#): > > **We are sorry to say that, although you may think it is a simple matter to apply the Bonsai kitticulture techniques to other animals, it is almost never successful. Only Kittens (Felinus Domesticus) have the proper bone structure and chemistry to achieve a successful outcome a high percentage of the time. We do not recommend shaping bunnies, puppies, horses, or babies (or boyfriends, silly!). Even a plain rectilinear Bonsai Kitten is just so lovable, it is hard to imagine why you would not be satisfied with one of these!** ---
**Author:** ![jesuslynch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e99b99/32.png) [@jesuslynch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jesuslynch)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/14 "2001-06-28T14:09:33Z")
If you don’t like that site, you’re absolutly going to hate [this](http://www.cat-scan.com) site. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/15 "2001-06-28T23:17:39Z")
I miss Kitty Porn! ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/16 "2001-06-29T00:32:02Z")
Actually, that snopes link is a very, very good way to point-by-point denounce a lot of arguments people use to decry things they don’t like. Well done. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Scene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bob\_Scene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Scene)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/17 "2001-06-29T01:45:07Z")
I’m responsible for a certain satirical website that gets a lot of hate mail and threats from wannabe hackers and law enforcement people and fanatical do-gooders, and I think that Snopes thing about Bonsai Kitten is the greatest thing I’ve ever read. I’ve been thinking a lot of the same things myself, but I could never express them so well. I’m going to start mailing that link to a lot of people. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonsai-kitten-what-the-hell/70350/18 "2001-06-29T02:25:16Z")
Actually I started a Great Debates thread about the page - feel free to stop in. Esprix