'Stalking Cat' Daniel Avner found dead in 'suicide' after years of transforming

reply to post by JohnnyAnonymous


I remember seeing him on TV. I always thought he must have had something wrong with his image to go thru something like this. I understand it was to be like his totem animal but it's a bit extreme to spend 200k to modify your body to look like an animal.

What is sad is he didn't seem happy. He seems to have wanted fortune from this and he got the fame but not the fortune. I hope he has found peace now.

Just another former Michigander that wanted fame and fortune kinda like that guy that ran for president a while back. What was his name??

Follow your dreams.
dont listen to the sheep.
rest in peace.

Originally posted by Asktheanimals
What? He didn't get run over by a car?
Sorry, I can't stand these people who try to be something else instead of what they are.
Like, hey God! You screwed up giving me this perfect human form!
I want some puss and boots and fresh litter too while I'm complaining.
Attention whores

But you get to decide "what they are"?
That arrogance astounds me. You criticize others for being something you assume they are not supposed to be, but you are no more educated and wise in that regard than anyone else. What gives you the authority to decide that another Human is not who they are supposed to be?

And when it comes to keeping the form God gave him (which is personal belief that not all other Humans are forced to adhere to, thankfully) how do you forgive circumcision? Or parents piercing their children's ears? People dying their hair?

Do you have any tattoos, or piercings? Do you cut your hair?

When it comes to being an attention whore, what makes this guy any worse than Americas Next Top Model, or the people on Jersey Shore, or any actor in the world?

Thankfully I grew up surrounded by a varied group of people (I get the feeling a lot of people here grew up in bubbles in the ass end of nowhere) where diversity and originality was celebrated. He might have gone further than others would have, but to decide he is less worthy of kindness because he doesn't fit the perfect image of what a Human should look like according to predictable and boring people is perhaps the shallowest attitude I have ever seen.

Nothing much to add except this makes me sad.I,too,saw him originally on "Ripley's" and found it fascinating.I hope he is able to find peace in the after-life.

Originally posted by JohnnyAnonymous
I can remember when I first saw Dennis Avner on an episode of "Ripley's Believe It or Not".

I thought "wow, this guy must really like cats!". It wasn't till several years later that I learned that he had an Indian heritage and had been told (supposedly) after a discussion with a Native chief who told him he needed to 'follow the ways of the tiger.'

You have to keep in mind that when Mr. Avner first started to transform his body, Plastic surgery was still for the rich and famous and wasn't readily available (at the time).

Dennis, a native American, part Huron, part Lakota had spent more than $200.000 on plastic surgery to make himself look as a tiger.

He apparently must not have had any money when he died as I found a "GoFundMe" article by his brother asking for donations for the funeral.

www .dailymail.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

edit on 11/15/2012 by JohnnyAnonymous because: (no reason given)

I'm pretty sure "Follow the ways of the tiger" didn't mean to turn your body into some freakish thing. I guess he wasn't too good at grasping metaphors... ;o)

Originally posted by sputniksteve
reply to post by JohnnyAnonymous

 

I think he was attempting to be lizard man before he decided to be cat man. I mean that really, I seem to remember that from years and years ago but it could be someone totally different I am thinking of.

I remember that, he had his tongue split like a snake, OUCH!! Might have been someone else but I do remember this monstrous face!

Originally posted by JohnnyAnonymous

Originally posted by TKDRL
Guys,I think this might be an internet hoax........

@Salem_Kapsaski Update from the same source I learned of the suicide rumor. Someone reached his agent and agent says he is alive.

Ok.. there's something rather confusing here for me.. I did some more research on the funeral request route..

Stalking Cat GoFund page..

According to this article: Dennis Avner: Cat Man found dead in apparent suicide after years of body modification,

According to Wikipedia, that would be a correct assumption, that it is Dennis Avner (it also list him as dying Nov 5th)

edit on 11/15/2012 by JohnnyAnonymous because: (no reason given)

edit on 11/15/2012 by JohnnyAnonymous because: (no reason given)

So is he dead or what? If he is well this song is for him. Some motor city madman

Am I the only one who thinks it strange that a native American shaman told him to 'follow the way of the tiger', when tigers arent a native species to the US and are therefore unlikely to be part of the folklore?

I must say, however, I have been disappointed at the amount of vitriol aimed at this guy, just for his appearence. Arent we taught 'not to judge a book by its cover'. Just because he chose to look this way doesnt make him a bad person, and certainly not someone whose death we should be celebrating. Yes, his appearence is unusual, but it was his body, and entirely his business what he did with it- the guys served his country in the armed forces, so he certainly earned the right. Who says we all have to look the same, and who gets to decide what that should be?

And to the guy who was ripping into him because he might 'effect immpressionable children'- I think if anything, he would be putting kids off doing extreme body modification, not encouraging it.

I had the pleasure of talking with him for about 5 minutes ago at a Chinese buffet in San Marcos Ca. He was very polite and seemed to be a good human being. He will be missed by many.

Originally posted by TKDRL
Yeah, that guy was certifiable. I was told to follow the way of the wolf. I didn't take that to mean making myself look like one.

Sucks he was feeling low enough to off himself.

edit on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:33:49 -0600 by TKDRL because: (no reason given)

Who told you to follow the road of the wolf? RIP cat man, who knows what was in his mind?

I am very surprised by this actually. I never expect someone like this man to kill themselves. Usually people who get extreme body mods are very self confident and have found happiness in the changes they have made to their body.
Many of the hardcore body mod people use it as a far to bring awareness to a certain cause or simply life a lifestyle they have always wanted.

I have a lot of respect for people like this man. When I saw him on TV he always seemed so happy and full of life.

I hope this does not start a trend. Would be sad to see the Vampire women from South America kill herself. She has one hell of a story behind her choice to do an extreme body mod.

reply to post by JohnPhoenix

The Resurrection? As in the Christian dead in Christ will rise and be given new bodies? Somehow, I can't see this freak making it to heaven.

Wow, could you be anymore judgmental and vile.

reply to post by JohnnyAnonymous


He's one kind of those people who claim to be "trapped in the wrong body." They're really a mass hysteria like dysfunction.

It just is what it just is. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with that.

reply to post by QueenofWeird


Spirits did I guess, but not exactly in words. Wolf is what appears to me in my various journeys, sweat ceremonies etc. It is supposed to mean my spirit is that of a wolf.

Originally posted by freedomwv
I am very surprised by this actually. I never expect someone like this man to kill themselves. Usually people who get extreme body mods are very self confident and have found happiness in the changes they have made to their body.
Many of the hardcore body mod people use it as a far to bring awareness to a certain cause or simply life a lifestyle they have always wanted.

I have a lot of respect for people like this man. When I saw him on TV he always seemed so happy and full of life.

I hope this does not start a trend. Would be sad to see the Vampire women from South America kill herself. She has one hell of a story behind her choice to do an extreme body mod.

Conversely, a strong desire for extreme bodily modification also may stem from a deep seated unhappiness with their life and current appearance. Such unhappiness can and does lead to suicide...especially when they realize that, after all of the modifications, they still are not a cat or a vampire or a whatever.

I have always wondered about these guys that do that much modification to their bodies. Out of the ones I have seen he was certainly the one I would say was the least confident and trying way too hard to find a place in the world. I used to hang out with Enigma in Little Five Points in Atlanta when I was younger.



He was a very confident and unusual individual. Always a fun person to talk to and as far as this type of person goes, was and is still pretty successful in his endeavors.

I have quite a few tattoos and working on sleeves but would never dream of doing anything like these guys.

whats with the big boobs?

cats have big boobs?

Woah - just last week, my kids were watching something about this guy on some show called Weird True and Freaky - first time I'd ever seen him. Truly freaky and sad.

reply to post by FissionSurplus

They should have helped him mentally instead they used him
for their own gains ,THE HUMAN CONDITION,