cats

By Heather Moore

2011 was tough—when people weren’t bemoaning budget cuts, lining up outside job fairs or fretting over the stagnant housing market, they were listening to worrisome news about the war in Afghanistan, political shootings and natural disasters. But things weren’t all bad. There were signs of progress and reasons to be positive, especially when it comes to issues that impact animals. As we head into the new year, let’s reflect upon some of the things that made 2011 memorable for animals.

Eight of the nation’s largest financial institutions, including MetLife, Goldman Sachs, PNC Financial and U.S. Bank, stopped using glue traps after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) explained that animals who get stuck in them often suffocate and die slowly. The Social Security Administration, Georgia Institute of Technology and Toronto District School Board—the fourth-largest school district in North America—also agreed to use more humane methods of rodent control.

While this is hardly revolutionary, it is indicative of a larger social movement to reform practices that harm animals. Many people are now less likely to accept activities that cause suffering—and it shows in our laws and business practices.

In 2011, West Hollywood became the first city in the U.S. to ban the sale of fur. City council members in Toronto and Irvine, Calif., banned the sale of cats and dogs in pet stores. Rodeos and circuses that feature exotic animals were also prohibited in Irvine, and Fulton County—the most populous municipality in Georgia—banned the use of bullhooks, sharp steel-tipped devices that are commonly used to beat, jab or yank on elephants.

The American Zoological Association (AZA) announced that bullhooks will be forbidden at all AZA-accredited zoos by 2014. The Toronto Zoo decided to close its elephant exhibit and send its remaining elephants to a facility that does not use bullhooks. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture slapped Feld Entertainment, the owner of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which routinely uses bullhooks to “discipline” captive elephants, with a $270,000 fine—the largest settlement of its kind in U.S. history—for repeated violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

Also in 2011, eight top advertising agencies pledged never again to feature great apes—who are often torn away from their mothers shortly after birth and beaten in order to force them to perform on cue—in their advertisements. Capital One pulled an ad featuring a chimpanzee and pledged not to use nonhuman primates in its advertisements again. The blockbuster film Rise of the Planet of the Apes featured CGI animation to create realistic-looking apes without exploiting and abusing animals.

U.S. Army officials announced that monkeys will no longer be used in a cruel chemical nerve-agent attack training course at Aberdeen Proving Ground. The University of Michigan, Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City and Naval Medical Center San Diego began using sophisticated simulators instead of live cats for intubation training. And the world’s largest tea-maker, Unilever—maker of Lipton and PG tips—stopped experimenting on pigs and other animals just so that it could make health claims about its tea.

Aspen, Colo., became the first city in the U.S. to launch a comprehensive Meatless Monday campaign—local restaurants, schools, hospitals and businesses are now promoting plant-based meals on Mondays. The board of commissioners in Durham County, N.C., also signed a “Meatless Mondays” resolution, and several more celebrities, including Russell Brand, Eliza Dushku and Ozzy Osbourne, went vegan in 2011. The Rev. Al Sharpton also ditched meat from his diet.

Many of these developments were brought about, at least in part, by PETA, but everyone can bring about change simply by resolving to be kinder, greener and healthier in the coming year. By taking simple steps such as buying cruelty-free products, choosing meatless meals, wearing animal-friendly fashions and enjoying animal-free entertainment, we can all help make 2012 even better than 2011.

Heather Moore is a staff writer for the PETA Foundation.

By Deb Young

In recent years, a strong connection has been documented linking domestic violence, child abuse and animal abuse.

Nationwide, professionals in such fields as law enforcement, child protection, human and veterinary medicine, domestic violence intervention, education, and animal control — among other fields — are beginning to realize that they need to know more about the many connections between animal cruelty and violence against humans.

In a number of studies , one national and the others statewide, 71% to 83% of the women entering domestic violence shelters reported that their partners also abused or killed the family pet.

Women who do seek safety at shelters are nearly 11 times more likely to report that their partner has hurt or killed their animals than women who have not experienced domestic abuse.

When an abuser threatens, abuses, or kills an animal, several messages are being relayed to the human victim.
The abuse, or even threat to abuse the animal, displays the domination and control the abuser has over the victim.
The abuser often is successful in getting his message across through abuse of the pet. Click to continue »

By Kathy Guillermo

In our work to replace the use of animals for experimentation with superior non-animal methods, we at PETA often say, “If what happens to animals inside a laboratory happened outside the lab, it would be a crime.”

This month, a grand jury agreed with us.

Fourteen felony cruelty-to-animals indictments were returned against four former employees of Professional Laboratory Research Services (PLRS) in North Carolina, which was investigated and exposed by PETA last year. Indictments and charges against those who abuse animals —wherever the cruelty occurs — should happen more often.

For decades, PLRS was hired by big pharmaceutical companies to test the pesticides in flea and tick products on dogs, cats and rabbits. Last year, a PETA investigator worked undercover in the facility and caught these employees on video kicking, throwing and dragging dogs; hoisting rabbits by their ears and puppies by their throats; violently slamming cats into cages; and screaming obscenities and death wishes at terrified animals. One worker can be seen on video trying to rip out a cat’s claws by violently pulling the animal from the chain link fence that the cat clung to.

The indictments follow citations by federal officials for serious violations of animal welfare laws, the laboratory’s closure and the surrender of nearly 200 dogs and more than 50 cats just a week after we released our findings. Laboratory staff reportedly killed all the rabbits, but the dogs and cats have been placed in homes.

I know one of the rescued dogs, a small terrier-hound who looks a little like the beleaguered but hopeful pup in the animated version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” She was known only by the number tattooed in her ear. Bone-thin, terrified and infested with worms, she was pulled from her cage and began a long journey that ended in the home of one of my colleagues.

At first Libby, as she was named, cowered in fear and crawled on her belly rather than standing upright and risk being noticed. I visited her recently. She is a joyful little dog today who loves her person, her canine friends and her happy life. Imprisonment in a laboratory has been replaced by long walks in the mountains, where she darts up and down the trails, her tail wagging.

Some abuse in laboratories has the approval of oversight committees and is funded by the federal government with our tax dollars. They don’t call it abuse of course—it’s “research” when someone gets paid to collect data on suffering animals. But forcing mice to fight with each other until they’re bloody, keeping monkeys constantly thirsty to coerce them to cooperate in brain experiments, torching sheep over two-thirds of their bodies, force-feeding chemicals to dogs, electrically shocking the sensitive feet of rats, cutting off the tops of cats’ skull to insert electrodes in their brains—all this is legal.

Many state anti-cruelty laws exempt experiments on animals. Wisconsin, where the mice-fighting experiments occurred and were in apparent violation of anti-animal fighting laws, just passed such an exemption.

As Libby shows, the animals are the same whether they’re inside a laboratory or outside it. They feel pain when they’re hurt. They want their own lives, even if some humans think these lives are of no value. Thank goodness the grand jury in North Carolina saw the appalling treatment of animals for what it was and refused to give the laboratory a free pass. Let’s hope it’s a trend.

Kathy Guillermo is vice president of Laboratory Investigations for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

By Deb Young
An estimated 37 million households include at least one cat -is yours one of them?

Since June has been set aside as “Adopt a cat” month, this is an ideal time for folks who adore felines to consider opening their hearts and homes and take in a kitty or two, showering them with the love and
affection they so deeply deserve.

Cat adoption not only improves the lives of cats, but also can improve the lives of new owners, providing a faithful & lifelong companion.

Many local shelters have a wide variety of adorable kittens and older cats that can win the heart of anyone who is passionate about them.
Finding loving homes is a challenge in any season, and never more so during the spring and summer. We salute shelters and rescue groups for your tireless efforts on behalf of all cats and kittens.

“There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed home by a cat “~ Tay Hohoff

For more information on available cats & kittens for adoption, please contact your local shelter or rescue. You can also contact me – Deb @ Autocats2010@yahoo.com Click to continue »

By Alisa Mullins

Cat ladies of America, you have some explaining to do. According to a recent Associated Press poll, 55 percent of cat guardians are in favor of declawing, while only 8 percent of dog fanciers agree with debarking, or surgically removing dogs’ vocal chords. As usual, in a battle of cats vs. dogs, the cats get the short end of the stick — or, in this case, the short end of the toe.

I can only hope that most of the people who voted for declawing don’t know exactly what it is. Declawing is like taking a hatchet to a hangnail—literally. It involves 10 separate, painful surgeries, severing not just the nails but the whole joint, including the bones, ligaments and tendons. As veterinarian Louise Murray puts it, “If you look at your fingers, declawing would be like amputating the last section of each finger. If you were declawed, you would have 10 little short fingers. It’s amputation times 10.”

Complications of declawing include chronic pain, nerve damage, hemorrhaging, bone chips, recurrent infections and abnormal regrowth of the nail inside the paw. Because cats have to walk on their shortened “fingers,” declawing can impair their movement and balance and cause chronic leg pain and backaches. Click to continue »

By Deb Young

Winter time can be a fun season for you and your pet. But with the snow and cold weather comes dangers as well.

1. Honk your horn or pound on the hood before starting your car on cold days. To a cat, a warm engine block can seem like a nice escape from cold winter winds.

2. Keep your pet away from antifreeze with ethylene glycol. It’s sweet and extremely lethal, even in small doses.

3. If it is colder than 20 degrees your pet should only go out for short bathroom breaks.

4. Protect your dog from road salt which can become lodged in the paw and cause a painful infection, make sure paws are free from salt after being outdoors.

5. You might think it’s silly but a sweater or coat is necessary for small dogs, old dogs, dogs with short fur or dogs with a combination of these characteristics.

6. Even outdoor cats should be given a break in winter and brought inside Day/night. Felines can freeze, become lost or stolen, injured or killed.

7. Never leave your dog or cat alone in a car during cold weather. A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold and causing the animal to freeze to death.

8. Even out outdoor chained dogs should be brought inside , even in garage or heated basement.

PETA OFFERS WORCESTER RESIDENTS URGENT INFORMATION FOR SAFEGUARDING ANIMALS DURING WINTER WEATHER

Group Warns Against Leaving Animals Outside in Freezing Temperatures

Every year, PETA receives complaints about people who leave dogs outside in the cold. Although they are equipped with fur coats, dogs and other animals can still suffer from frostbite and exposure, and they can become dehydrated when water sources freeze. Cold weather spells extra hardship for “backyard dogs,” who often go without adequate food, water, shelter, or veterinary care. The winter months can also pose challenges for wildlife.

With your area facing snow and extremely low temperatures this week, will you please consider sharing the following information with your audience now and through the winter in order to help protect animals?

· Keep animals inside. This is especially important to remember when it comes to puppies and kittens, elderly animals, small animals, and dogs with short hair, including pointers, beagles, pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Dobermans. Short-haired animals will also benefit from a warm sweater or coat on walks.

· Don’t allow your cat or dog to roam freely outdoors. During winter, cats sometimes climb under the hoods of cars to be near warm engines and are badly injured or killed when the car is started.

· Wipe off your dogs’ or cats’ legs, feet, and stomachs after they come in from the snow. Salt and other chemicals can make your animals sick if they ingest them. You should also increase animals’ food rations during the winter because they are burning more calories to keep warm.

· Keep an eye out for strays. Take unidentified animals inside until you can find their guardians or get them to an animal shelter. If strays are skittish or otherwise unapproachable, provide food and water and call your local humane society for assistance in trapping them and getting them indoors.

· When you see dogs who have been left outdoors, provide them with proper shelter. Details on how to provide housing can be found here.

· When temperatures fall below freezing, birds and other animals may have trouble finding food and water. Hang bird feeders from trees or spread birdseed on the ground. Provide access to liquid water by filling a heavy water bowl and breaking the surface ice twice a day.

As you gather this holiday season to spend time with friends and family and your own beloved furry family members, take just a moment to think of those dogs and cats who sit alone and unwanted, with just the barest of necessities.

Gather up some old blankets and towels, maybe grab an extra bag of treats or food or a few toys when you’re out shopping and take that few extra minutes to drop them at your local animal shelter. You can do this anytime of the year, but at this special time of love and caring and sharing, please, take just those few extra minutes and make this holiday a little more special for a few lonely shelter animals.

Or make a small donation to a wonderful charity such as “ Mel’s Stray Cat Fund.” Based out of Weymouth Landing Cat Clinic and Hotel, phone number 781-337-0400. Money raised gives good Samaritans the option of seeking care for an injured or sick cat, rather then relinquishment to a shelter for euthanasia. The fund was started in memory of Mel who was found many years ago after a house fire, alone and very sick. She was a stray who paid back her rescue with many years of love and loyalty to her rescuers.

And take a minute or two to share this with friends and family, spread the word, spread the message. Every little bit of help counts! Share the love every day but most especially now!

Happy Holidays to humans and their furry family members!

- Deb
Autocats

By Alisa Mullins

National Feral Cat Day is this month, and I am reminded of a feral cat I knew years ago. When the cat first appeared on my front porch, he had long, silky fur. I started feeding him and trying to earn his trust. But as the months passed, he got into fights with other cats and developed enormous abscesses that refused to heal. Finally, after several unsuccessful attempts, I managed to trap the cat and whisk him to a vet. Sadly, the big, once-handsome cat tested positive for FIV, the feline equivalent of AIDS. The disease had ravaged his gums and teeth, most of which had fallen out. Even worse, an infection had spread from his gums to his heart, doing irreparable damage.

It was all over. The injection was painless, making this poor cat’s death more peaceful than much of his life had been.

Deadly infectious diseases such as feline AIDS are just some of the many dangers that feral cats face. These forgotten cats do not die of “old age.” They are attacked by other animals, are hit by cars and die of exposure or starvation. During winter months, automobile engine fans slice through cats who seek shelter under warm car hoods. Click to continue »

By Rosalie Tirella

While driving on Route 20 last week to visit my friend, her husband and four kids, I decided to stop by the Buddy Dog Animal Shelter in Sudbury (right on Rt. 20!). Last March, after my beloved retriever passed away, we drove all over Central Massachusetts in search of a new best friend for me. I ended up getting my peppy, adorable little Siberian Husky-mix, Jett, from the Worcester Animal Rescue League on Holden Street in Worcester. But we spent months driving to all kinds of shelters in Worcester County/Metro West looking for a good canine match.

One of the animal shelters we visited was Buddy Dog – a no kill shelter in the middle of the chi chi Lincoln, Sudbury Concord area. It is sad – these upper middle class folks have a ton of money, big houses with back yards. etc and yet they still dump their dogs and cats, puppies and kittens.

It broke my heart to see all the BEAGLES that were up for adoption when we were at the shelter. Obviously, the good folks of Weston, Concord etc saw the Westminster Dog Show (maybe even in person and not on TV!) and decided to get what they saw in the show ring/on their TV screen – the #1 dog – Best in Show for that year: a BEAGLE! Click to continue »