FURRY FRIDAY: Cat Breading...Cruel or Cute?

The other day I was looking for a "cute" YouTube video to share on my Furry Friday series. I'm split on this. Is breading a cat cruel? At the same time you can't deny that the pictures are cute, in a minor degrading kind of way. I'm not sure the Egyptians would appreciate this treatment of deity. 

Are they happy or sad?  Mmm not sure.
(gawker.com)

I decided  much of it depends on how it's done. Do you simply shove some bread on the cats head? Mmm...or perhaps the cat eats its own hole through the piece of bread? 
I was relieved to find directions posted by Gawker:

1) Take a piece of bread (If this is your first time, use a soft white bread. Experienced breaders will use rye or even multigrain.)

2) Cut a hole approximately 1 inch larger than your cat's head. This trips some people up. Remember: the bread has to fit around the not just the cat's head, but it's ears, too.

3) Gently place the bread around your cat's head.

4) Take a picture. Post it to the official in-bread cat Facebook page.
I see some problems with this. It appears the strategy is to make sure the hole is 1 inch larger than your cat's head. How do you measure your cat's head? Ok, so you eyeball it, fine. Shouldn't this step come before "taking a piece of bread" in step one. Also, it may not be possible to start with "soft white bread" (ie. Your cat has an uncommonly big head.) and be forced to move to more dense bread such as sour dough or whole grain. (This reminds me of a fourth grade writing assignment where we had to write the steps of making a peanut butter sandwich. Believe me, there were some interesting looking sandwiches.) 

When I investigated this meme further I found this and was reminded of another issue I hadn't even considered. 

What if you're home is gluten free and...well let's face it, it costs more and there are very limited choices for gluten free bread, this may be a problem. (You only use a slice, unless of course you are the neighborhood cat lady, which is an entirely different issue.) Then I stumbled on this site and realized there's some serious monetary compensation to be had. Fletch and Vaughn's Cat Breading  is offering $500 to the cutest pic submitted. 
This caused me terrible concern. Now that this internet meme has been monetized we could be looking at an exploitive activity with the poor cat as a victim. And as if that wasn't enough this practice has received the Colbert Bump.  I'm just sayin'...


Then I found this:

This just doesn't sit well with me. No...not because I'm afraid of Zombies.(Can't wait until Walking Dead is back on, even though the second season sucked. I don't know about you, but I'm really tired of pouty, sullen Shane, even if he is hot.) 


There is something far sinister going on. After years and years of noble cat heritage, honor, sophistication and elevated status, years of sitting nobly on the back of the couch overlooking the lowly world of humandom, the cat has been knocked off that pedestal of grandeur. (Is this a conspiracy on the part of Fido?) 


So before you run out and grab that loaf of bread intent on breading with the best of them. Anxious , that you're not left behind in the latest internet meme since planking. Stop, and think. If this is okay now, what will it be tomorrow. We've already degraded our animals to traveling in purses and dressing in costumes...what's next?  


And Then I Saw It!

OMG, if that didn't terrify you, it certainly has traumatized me. I will never look at a loaf of bread the same way again...


So what do you think? Is it cruel or is it cute?