Man who modified his body to look like a tiger was found dead in his home
Stalking Cat man Daniel Avner was found dead in his Nevada home last week in an apparent suicide. Avner had surgically modified his face and body to look like a cat, putting silicone in his cheeks, sharpening his teeth and tattooing almost his entire body. Shannon Larratt, friend of Avner, announced on her blog that the 54-year-old US Navy veteran he had taken his own life.
Larratt described the Stalking Cat man in her recent blog post after he was found dead, saying, “In addition to being almost completely covered in tattoos, he’s also sculpted his face and body with extensive silicone work, had custom teeth built to emulate his inner nature, and regularly wore contact lenses and an artificial robotic tail.” Of Native American descent, Avner assumed the identity after a chief told him to “follow the ways of the tiger.” He took the name Stalking Cat.
In the years before the Stalking Cat man was found dead in his home, he had made appearances on Ripley’s Believe it or Not! and other shows. He also held a job as a computer programmer despite his alarming appearance. Larratt went on to tell of Avner’s life of “fame but never fortune,” writing, “A wonderful and complex person, he was at times as troubled as he was remarkable.”
