Check this out: U.S. Representative Robert E. Andrews of New Jersey has introduced a bill in Congress (H.R. 220) that would designate the first Saturday in October as “National Animal Rescue Day” to encourage adoption, spaying and neutering, and creating a “humane environment” for companion animals.

This is such a wonderful idea and how appropriate that a member of Congress from the Garden State would be instrumental in trying to get us a bit closer to a Garden of Eden for animals in need!

How to Help Make This Bill a Law

Please do your part to make National Animal Rescue Day a reality—encourage your federal representative to support H.R. 220 today, and urge your friends and family to push their members of Congress to do the same!

We don't know what started the feud between a man (we'll call him "George") and his neighbors. We only know that when George fled his home to escape the wrath of his neighbors for a few days, he left the mother cat he had taken in as a stray and her three 7-week-old kittens behind outdoors. 

When he returned home the next day to gather some belongings and feed the cats, he discovered a gruesome scene. Two of the kittens were lying dead on the ground—their heads had been smashed in.

A distraught George called PETA for help, and knowing that every minute mattered, we quickly located an animal shelter that would accept the mother cat and her surviving kitten. As George was without a car, we found a local PETA member who was willing to collect the cats and take them to the animal shelter. Within hours, the mother cat, her kitten, and a third cat who was likely the father were safe. But there was not enough evidence to press charges for the kittens' deaths.

While the mother and her surviving kitten were lucky to have escaped harm, they likely witnessed the horrific scene unfold. Even in friendly neighborhoods, the dangers of cruel passersby, cars, diseases, and other animals are too great to leave cats outdoors unsupervised. Let this be a lesson to us all.

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.

Check out more photos.

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!

Written by Karin Bennett

azcarpetandtilecleaning / CC

Kudos to caring California residents, including the folks at Social Compassion in Legislation, for helping to get SB 250, known as the Pet Responsibility Act, passed by the California Senate.

Introduced by state Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez, SB 250 would require that nearly all dogs and free-roaming cats be spayed or neutered. (Breeders would be required to obtain permits to keep unaltered animals.) California spends $250 million every year to shelter homeless animals, many of whom are eventually euthanized.

If it passes the State Assembly, SB 250 will save lives. After Santa Cruz County enacted similar legislation, the number of euthanized animals dropped by 60 percent, so it's crucial that this legislation becomes law.

Concerned Californians—please don't wait to write a letter (calls and e-mails won't be effective at this time) to your state assemblymember in support of SB 250. Put this quick, simple task on today's "To Do" list and it can lead to a huge victory for animals on tomorrow's "Ta-da!" list.

Written by Karin Bennett