The new cattoo craze (+video)

A new trend has taken hold among pet owners in New York.

Cat tattoos - or 'cattoos' as they're affectionately being called - are the latest way to get an indelible memorial of a feline friend on your arm or other body part.

The cattoos are etched in vivid color and attempt to be a life-like representation of your cat.

It's proving particularly popular among pet owners whose pets are deceased and want a way to keep their memory alive.

At Westchester County Tattoo convention enthusiasts opted for cattoos instead of more traditional tribal symbols or Chinese designs.

Chris Wilcock, the organiser of the convention believes the popularity of cat videos on the internet and viral star Grumpy Cat inspired the trend.

Betty Rose, a tattoo artist based in Brooklyn, New York sees hundreds of clients interested in getting one done.

Rose has an etching of her own feline friend on her arm and got it after her pet died.

"I was saving this spot on my arm for her and I got it a couple of months after she passed and it's a stylised portrait which means it's her likeness, it's not exactly her."

She started working at a tattoo parlor in Williamsburg two years ago called Eight of Swords.

It is here that she has made "cattoos" her trademark design.

Betty Rose says the trend for cattoos is on the rise.

David C. Wallin, owner of Eight of Swords tattoo shop said: "Cat tattoos happened, but it was more rare.

"They tended to be serious, in black and grey, Betty is making it more lively."

- Daily Mail