Kim Kardashian and the Kitty Incident

It seems the ubiquitous reality TV star Kim Kardashian has ignited a bit of controversy over this photo of her holding a kitty.  A representative for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), told NYDailyNews.com, "Kim Kardashian isn't the only person who mistakenly thinks that because a mother cat picks up her kittens by the scruff of the neck that a supportive hand under the rump isn't needed.  But I'll bet plenty of fans have let her know - nicely, we hope!"  I’m sure they have!

OK, follow this train of thought:

1. Why is it unethical to hold a kitten by the nape of it’s neck if it’s mother can?  Kim assured her fans by twitter that she received instructions from a vet and permission from the kitten’s owner to do so, so what’s the hub-bub?
2. Is carrying a kitten this way mistreatment because its a human doing it and not a cat?
3. Could it be unethical to continue to allow mommy cats to carry their cute and cuddly bundles of kitty joy this way?

Perhaps what we need is PETA to launch another group to deal with animal-on-baby animal cruelty; People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals by Their Parents; or PETATP.  It doesn’t quite role off the tongue like PETA does, but the service it provides could be invaluable.  Not only could they stop a cat’s cruel manner of carrying their babies, but maybe they can end the infanticide perpetrated by hamsters, or even the heinous act of a mommy or daddy bird kicking their hatch-lings out of the nest, only to fall to their deaths.  I'm thinking a lot of baby animals could potentially be saved because Kim raised the awareness of this type of cruelty by posting that picture. Maybe we should thank her for mistreating that poor kitten, much like it's own mother would do.

Pretty silly, isn't it?

Seriously, with all the real evil being perpetrated in the world, do we really need to be incensed by a photo that actually doesn’t depict an animal being mistreated?  Do we think this photo will lead otherwise sane people to start mistreating kittens?  I don't think so. Let’s get a grip.