Frequently asked questions

The RSPCA is aware of websites featuring 'bonsai kittens'.  We are extremely concerned about their contents although the production of 'bonsai kittens' is a hoax, albeit in very bad taste.   To our knowledge, no kittens have actually been treated in this way.  If anyone in the United Kingdom was found to have used the procedure, then they could be prosecuted under animal welfare laws.

The RSPCA wrote to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) of the website www.bonsaikitten.com to express its concern and to ask them to close the account with immediate effect.  The website was eventually closed.  However, we are aware that there are still web pages on the Internet featuring this 'joke'.

Unfortunately, the Internet isn’t controlled or regulated centrally, so there is no central organisation to which you or we can complain about such sites.  One of the main problems is the international nature of the Internet, as well as the fact that it is increasingly easy for individuals to set up websites quickly and cheaply. National authorities are looking at ways of controlling Internet material, and there are many efforts underway to try to create legal and practical ways of regulating it and cleaning it up.

You could write, however, to the ISPs who host websites such as these to express your concerns and ask them to close the accounts. It's not always easy to trace a website's ISP.  Sometimes it can be quite obvious from the URL/site address, although this is rare.