Cat Lover’s Tattoo Has Portraits of Her 5 Cats

No Comments

Photo of author

By Karen Harrison Binette

Fran Bailey

A cat lover has memorialized her five cats on her back, with cheery life sized tattoo portraits that celebrate the kitties’ personalities.

Fran Bailey of Newtown, Wales, UK was featured in two segments of the Channel 4 documentary program My Tattoo Addiction, which ran in October, 2012. The 23 year old lives with her parents and has her own tattoo art studio in their home.

Fran adopted the Tinky, Woody, Mr Brush, Mr Spock and Bella, knowing their health was compromised by the FIV virus, so they would be able to live out their last days in comfort. All five died within the space of one year.

Fran’s cat portrait tattoo is getting her some media attention at present. She told The Leader, “When I went to the rescue centre I asked for the most ill and unloved cats they had so that they would have somewhere to go. That meant the ones I had were ones with feline aids so they all died. On average I lost one every two months. It was a little bit traumatic. I got it [the tattoo] when I still had two cats alive and when I was getting it done two more passed away.”

Fran named her own licensed and health registered home body art studio Lucky Kitty Tattoo Arts. The brightly lit room is decorated with a maneki neko painting done by Fran, and several little Japanese lucky cat figurines.

In a later segment in the documentary, Fran covers up a tattoo that Dad Ray Bailey regrets having gotten in his youth. A WASP pride flag is obliterated by the colorful Japanese Hannya mask that replaces it. As Mr. Bailey outgrew the folly of youth he came to appreciate the beauty of Japanese culture. Ray, who has mellowed into a pussycat himself over time, keeps a small zen garden out back where two of his own cats rest in perpetuity.

Fran has five cats now and says that they will be remembered in a less dramatic way than the set who populate her back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dad Ray Bailey’s Hannya mask tattoo, done by Fran.

 

About Author

Leave a Comment