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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonsai Kitten | 1/2 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai_Kitten | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T09:29:46.620421+00:00 | kb-cron |
BonsaiKitten.com was a hoax shock site that claimed to raise kittens in jars, so as to mold the bones of the kitten into the shape of the jar as the cat grows, similarly to a bonsai plant. It was launched in 2000 by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate student under the alias of Dr. Michael Wong Chang. Many people believed that the black comedy website was serious, and filed complaints to animal rights organizations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI and several other organizations, including Snopes.com and the Humane Society of the United States, debunked the concept of a "bonsai kitten". The website's legacy remains as a notable example of a hoax site, and generated much discussion about Internet animal cruelty and the issue of free speech.
== Site overview ==
BonsaiKitten.com is dedicated to the "long lost art" of growing "bonsai kittens". The introduction on its homepage invokes orientalism as it describes how the West has long been captivated by the culture of the Far East, such as tattoos, martial arts, and miniature sculpture. It then claims that the concept of miniature sculpture has been famously applied to bonsai trees, it can also be applied to animals, hence its promotion of the bonsai kitten. From here, the visitor can click on a "Method" page, a "Gallery" page, a "Sales" page, and a "News" page. The "Method" section claims that the skeleton of a week-old kitten is so soft that the kitten will bounce if thrown. It goes on to explain that if one puts the week-old kitten in a glass bottle, it will grow to the same shape as said bottle, and that the bottle can be broken once the cat is the desired size and shape. The "Gallery" page has four images of alleged bonsai kittens in various stages of development. Three of these images supposedly depict the process of creating a bonsai kitten within its first week. The fourth, apparently of a later-stage kitten, warns that, because of "extreme body manipulations" and "the high contrast between bodily fluids and white fur", the image is not for sensitive viewers and thus can only be seen with permission. Those who are still interested are directed to an email, the "Sales" page, to allow for the purchase of live bonsai kittens and the supplies with which to make one's own, with no actual way to purchase either. The site also featured a guestbook. A number of visitors left complaints about the site's content in the guestbook, though many comments were believed to be jokes. Later additions to the site included "research" indicating that cat litter causes brain damage. The website states that this enhances the bonsai kitten art form's practical value.
=== Website analysis === In the book Hippo Eats Dwarf, while discussing infamous hoax sites, author Alex Boese uses the site as an example of what he deemed "the gross-out hoax", a practical joke that is intended to disturb its victim. He writes that the site convinced so many people because disgusting things such as animal cruelty do exist, giving it "built-in credibility". Some critics noted that in hindsight, an obvious sign that Bonsai Kitten was a hoax was that the site claimed to sell goods, namely live bonsai kittens and supplies for "growing" them, yet had no way to actually purchase the product. The page also offered a New York City-based telephone number, which never responded when called, and which a spokesperson for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals confirmed was not legitimate. Snopes also noted that the process would kill a kitten before the "molding" process could begin. The site's creator would later state that he expected the satire to be obvious, adding that "from our incoming mail, it seems far fewer than 1 percent of respondents understand".
== History ==
=== Conception === BonsaiKitten.com was created in December 2000 by a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was originally hosted on the university's server, on the student's on-campus computer. The student went by the alias "Dr. Michael Wong Chang". In addition to running the website, Chang also held satirical in-person events on campus themed around bonsai kittens, such as "converting" people to "Team Bonsai Kitten" or hosting tutorials on stuffing kittens in jars. The name "bonsai kitten" is a reference to the art of bonsai, in which trees are grown in small containers and groomed to be certain shapes. The idea of body modification through binding has real-life precedent as well. Bonsai Kitten's homepage also mentions foot binding, a real Chinese custom in which the feet of women were bound to appear more dainty, as an example of the Far East's tradition of sculpting living things.