Written by PETA
You would think that someone with the name Kat would know better, but Kat Von D committed a big Kat Von D, as in "Don't," when she bought a hairless cat from a breeder. Again.
In a recent episode of her reality TV series, L.A. Ink, Von D visits a breeder and plunks down a sizeable chunk of change for a sphinx cat. Oh, how we wish that the show's producers had followed up with a visit to the local animal shelter to show the cat who will have to be euthanized because he or she just lost the chance at a home.
While millions of animals are euthanized in shelters every year and millions more die on the streets, unwanted and abandoned, there is no such thing as "responsible" breeding—only greedy animal pimps who make money at animals' expense.
Here's hoping that Von D starts to L.A. think about what her money is supporting. For robbing yet another cat in a shelter of a chance at a family and contributing to animal homelessness, Ms. D earned herself an "F."
Written by Michelle Sherrow
A panel studying which preventative health services should be free under the Affordable Care Act has recommended that health insurance plans be required to fully cover the cost of birth control for patients. Of course, these same patients could still be dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, if their companion animals aren't spayed and neutered.
Fortunately, many veterinarians and sheltering agencies across the country have recognized the critical importance of low-cost services. PETA's mobile SNIP clinics (Spay and Neuter Immediately, Please), which operate in and around our Norfolk, Virginia, headquarters, have spayed and neutered more than 74,000 animals, preventing the births and inevitable suffering of hundreds of thousands of unwanted animals.
Still, litter after litter of puppies and kittens is born into a world bursting at the seams with unwanted animals. Until healthcare plans start providing free birth control for animals, we'll all have to do our part by offering to set up appointments and provide transportation for friends' and neighbors' animals and by encouraging local animal shelters to offer low-cost "snips" if they don't already.
Via Newsday
Several years ago, I added a Siamese cat to my family. Mochi had been picked up as a stray by a local animal control agency. When no one claimed him, he was turned over to a Siamese cat rescue group. The first time I took him to my veterinarian, a man at the vet's office peeked into Mochi's carrier and then said to his wife, "He's a Siamese." "I just adopted him from a rescue group," I explained. Incredulous, the man responded, "Siamese cats don't need rescuing!"
June is Adopt a Shelter Cat Month, and for people with the energy, resources, patience and love to devote to a feline companion, it's the perfect time to save a life by adopting a cat from an animal shelter or reputable breed-rescue group. Whether you have your heart set on a rambunctious kitten or a more sedate "lap cat," a regal Persian or a sassy tabby, animal shelters are overflowing with cats of every stripe.
I'll never understand why some people still turn to breeders, classified ads or pet stores—all of which contribute to the animal overpopulation crisis—when animal shelters and rescue groups are filled to the brim with lovable, affectionate cats (and dogs) who would make wonderful companions. With so many more animals than there are good homes, shelters have no choice but to euthanize many healthy and friendly cats. Every year, 3 to 4 million cats and dogs are euthanized in animal shelters.
If you're determined to have a specific breed of cat, you can still rescue an animal in need of a loving home. Having a pedigree doesn't protect cats or dogs from being tossed out like old furniture when they're no longer wanted. I recently adopted a second Siamese cat who, like Mochi, was a stray. Romeo had been neutered and declawed, so obviously he was once someone else's companion, but no one had come forward to claim him.
Despite being extraordinarily handsome, Romeo still ended up homeless—until he was rescued.
The rescue group from which I adopted Mochi is currently caring for several Siamese cats who were left to fend for themselves when their owners moved away. One cat was stuffed into a box that was taped shut and left outside an animal shelter.
Another older Siamese was given up because his owner didn't want to spend the money to find out why he was sick. Then there are the Siamese kittens who were born homeless because someone didn't bother to spay or neuter his or her cat and an unwanted litter was the result.
These same sad scenarios are repeated time and time again all over the country, and they affect mutts and purebreds alike.
There are other reasons to visit an animal shelter or rescue group rather than supporting breeders and pet stores. Pre-loved cats are more likely to be litter box-trained, and they're pros at sharpening their claws on a scratching post instead of your favorite sofa. Shelters screen animals for specific temperaments and behaviors, and most have trained adoption counselors available to help you find the perfect fit for your family. Animals in shelters and rescue groups are also checked out by a veterinarian when they arrive, and they leave spayed or neutered, microchipped and vaccinated.
Mochi and Romeo went from life on the street to a loving home where they lounge on windowsills on sunny days, playfully chase each other up and down the hallway and snuggle in bed with me at night. If you're ready to share your home with a feline companion, why not give a homeless cat—or two—a second chance at life? Your new best friend could be as close as your local animal shelter.
Written by Paula Moore
It's so hot in the city, you'd think I'd be making another batch of lemonade—but I've got a hankering for some Internet Soup. It's been a while since the last batch, so dig in!
Oof! I don't know about you, but I'm full after all that soup—and guac. This Special K needs a siesta. Until next time …
Written by Karin Bennett
PETA's spay-or-neuter billboard was erected today, promising to reach not only Nadya Suleman's immediate community in La Habra but also a national one, thanks to a ton of media coverage. Because of our offer to "Octomom," we received a lot of calls, e-mails, and blog comments from people who thought that their yards would be great places to get the word out about spaying or neutering animals. So we're calling on caring animal defenders to reach out to their own communities with the lawn sign pictured below, which is available to the first 100 people who sign up.
We hope that you'll join this effort and send us pictures of the sign on your lawn. No matter where you live, you can be certain that some of your neighbors don't know that spaying and neutering helps save lives. They might have no idea that so many of the more than 6 million dogs and cats who end up in crowded animal shelters every year are only there because some people mistakenly think that "just one litter" doesn't hurt. It does. Maybe they've never read this alarming statistic: One cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 cats in just seven years. And perhaps they don't realize that spaying and neutering is a simple, inexpensive (and in many cases, free) procedure that can also ensure better physical and mental health for their animal companion.
The effort to educate others about the importance of spaying and neutering companion animals begins at home. So come on—sign up to place our spay-or-neuter sign in your lawn or apartment window today!
Whether she's playing a maniacally mean cheerleading coach on Glee, a randy store manager in 40-Year-Old Virgin, or a freakishly fanatical poodle pimp in Best in Show, actor Jane Lynch is a comedic genius. But my new favorite is her recent performance in a new PETA public service announcement.
The Chicago native also penned a letter urging Mayor Richard M. Daley to pass a law requiring city residents to spay and neuter their dogs and cats. Why is Jane so gung ho to support PETA and help tackle the companion animal overpopulation crisis? She tells all in this exclusive interview:
Feeling inspired to help homeless dogs and cats in your own community and beyond? Fantastic! Remember to always adopt and never to buy—and make sure that your friends, neighbors, and coworkers know your reasons why.* Talk to everyone you know to explain how spaying and neutering can help save lives.
*Yes, that rhyme was intentional.
Taxes on your mind with Tax Day approaching? Well, soon you may get a break if you help give a break to the millions of homeless dogs and cats who suffer as a result of the animal overpopulation crisis. We're asking Rep. Sandy Levin, D-Mich., Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, to introduce a bill that would give a tax credit to citizens who spay or neuter their animal companions.
A recent survey reveals that one of the main obstacles to spaying and neutering is the cost. Providing a tax credit to reimburse Americans who fight the taxing reality of animal homelessness would take away that excuse, while stimulating the economy and helping cut cities' and counties' animal control expenses. Will Spay Day soon become Pay Day? We hope so. In the meantime, don't wait another minute to spay or neuter your animal companions if you haven't already—and urge everyone you know to do the same.
Written by Logan Scherer
There was no containing this prophylactic pair yesterday in Shreveport, Louisiana. The "giant condoms" were determined to let passersby know that the only way to save the more than 6 million unwanted cats and dogs who end up in U.S. animal shelters every year—half of whom are euthanized because there simply aren't enough good homes for them—is to spay or neuter their companion animals. Spaying one female dog can prevent 67,000 births in six years, and spaying one female cat can prevent 420,000 births in seven years.
Since cats and dogs can't wear condoms, it's up to their guardians to curb the overpopulation crisis.
Yesterday, Sin City's angelic new law requiring residents to spay or neuter their animal companions went into effect!
Put forth by local animal defenders to help nip the companion animal overpopulation crisis in the bud, the new city ordinance mandates spaying or neutering—and microchipping—of all dogs and cats who are more than 4 months old. Those who violate the new ordinance will face a misdemeanor charge that carries a $225 fine for first-time offenders.
No doubt, the new ordinance means that many Vegas residents will no longer gamble on letting Fluffy have "just one litter," so there will be fewer puppies and kittens flooding area animal shelters or being dropped off on dusty roads to fend for themselves. And mandatory microchipping means that animal shelter employees and veterinarians will be better able to reunite people and their lost dogs and cats.
Surely I won't be the only one singing "Viva Las Vegas" today.
Compassion transcends age. Laura Moll—a 12-year-old vegetarian from New Delhi, India—is a role model to children and adults alike. The aspiring veterinarian volunteers at the Friendicoes Society for the Eradication of Cruelty to Animals, a local animal shelter, and records her efforts to help animals on her moving Web site.
Warning: The beautiful and poignant photographs of the many homeless animals who have touched Laura's heart—photographs that she hopes will encourage people to adopt these animals—just might move you to tears.
For her unwavering dedication to homeless animals, Laura has received PETA India's Hero to Animals Award and a card signed by PETA India staff members.
Whether you live in India or Kentucky—whether you are 9 years old or 86 years old—helping animals in your community is as easy as ABC.
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If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.