500 animal lovers protest over brutal pet attacks in Hong Kong

Animal lovers in Hong Kong were Monday celebrating the success of a protest march against what they claim is police apathy towards attacks on pets.

Around 500 people holding up banners and giant cardboard cut-out cats and dogs took part in the demonstration Sunday sparked by a case involving a kitten found dumped with its rear legs hacked off.

Read the rest of the article here.

Don’t you wish you can speak up & demonstrate for the rights of animals here too?  I certainly do!

Stray dogs thrown out of moving car

Horrific.

Read the article here.

David Hooi gets arrested again

Read it here.

Surprised?  Well, you shouldn’t.  This is the third time in two years, the serial cat abuser was arrested.  I wonder how thick our Singapore law enforcers are.  What does it take to drill into their heads that jailterm doesn’t work for the likes of Hooi? 

Bag the cat? Might not be good idea …

It might be a felony, animal advocates say By BILL VARIAN
Published February 20, 2007TAMPA – Participating in the latest marketing campaign from the folks at Checkers could get you charged with animal cruelty in the company’s home county.

As part of its “Rap Cat” campaign, the Tampa operators of drive-through restaurants is asking its patrons to do just that – wrap their cats in one of their to-go bags. The company is providing paper bags fashioned after a basketball jersey, with a No. 15, a mock gold dollar-sign necklace and slots to cut out for the legs and tail of the cat. The head would stick out of the bag’s opening.

“Instruxions” on the bag encourage customers to submit “pics/vids of your cat keepin’ it real” to a promotional Web site.

“Caution” the bag reads. “Not all cats will be down with wearing this bag. Do not harm or endanger any cat.”

The disclaimer is hardly good enough, say the folks at Hillsborough County Animal Services.

“We just don’t think that’s an advisable thing,” said Marti Ryan, a spokeswoman for the department that polices for such things as animal cruelty. “Cat scratches can be very injurious. Not to mention having cats perform tricks that they are not prone to do by nature.

“Are they only trying to sell their products to people who don’t like cats?”

Beyond that, Ryan said, forcing a cat into a paper bag could be considered “torment,” meaning it could open people who participate to a felon animal cruelty charge.

“This is not advisable for humans or the animals,” Ryan said. “It’s just not a good thing to do.”

A Checkers executive responded to a news release from the county with a written statement.

“When our Rap Cat commercials began airing last fall, they were an overnight success,” said Richard Turer, senior vice president of marketing for Checkers. “We received dozens of letters from our guests requesting Rap Cat merchandise. Our new Rap Cat Web site, cups and carry out bags are all in response to Rap Cat’s popularity and are intended only as a creative extension of our television campaign.”

Source: St Petersburg Times

In other news …

Tualatin police cite resident for letting dogs loose & kill cat  

By Rick Bella for The Oregon, 20 February 2007

TUALATIN — Police have cited a Tualatin woman, accusing her of failing to control two large dogs that killed a cat while running loose last week.

Julie McCluskey, 32, was cited for two counts of failing to prevent running at large, two counts of failing to prevent acts of nuisance by dogs and keeping a dangerous dog.

Capt. Jeff Groth, Tualatin police spokesman, said McCluskey owns only one of the dogs. However, both dogs were in her custody when the incident occurred.

Groth said police received a report shortly after 12:30 p.m. last Wednesday that two dogs were killing a cat in the 22000 block of Southwest Pinto Drive.

When an officer arrived, the dogs still were with the cat, which already was dead. As the dogs moved though the neighborhood, police remained in their patrol cars in a “rolling containment” maneuver to ensure that the dogs did no other damage.

Police also contacted the department’s school resource officer to make sure no students or school buses would be in the area.

About 45 minutes later, Washington County Animal Services officers were able to capture the dogs.

$5,000 reward for information about cat mutilation

By Lindsey Collom for The Arizona Republic, 20 February 2007

The Arizona Humane Society and Silent Witness are offering up to a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or indictment in the attempted castration of a feline.

An examination revealed the cat’s genitals were wound with rubber bands, inciting inflammation, infection and severe damage to its bladder and kidneys.

The animal was also emaciated and dehydrated, according to a Humane Society statement issued Tuesday.

Humane society officials said the 2-year-old male cat had to be euthanized.

“We believe that someone carried out this depraved act at least two weeks ago then turned the cat loose,” spokeswoman Angela Stringfellow said. “He suffered horribly before we rescued him. . . . And now, we are committed to finding his abuser(s) and bringing them to justice.”

An emergency animal medical technician found the animal near 32nd Street and Greenway Road after someone reported a cat being hit by a vehicle. Humane society officials do not think the cat’s injuries were accidental.

“It’s common sense that dogs and cats should only be spayed and neutered by a veterinary surgeon who will carry out the procedure under general anesthetic and administer appropriate pain relief and antibiotics,” chief veterinarian Nancy Brandley said. “There is absolutely no excuse for anyone to do something this heinous.”

Humane society officials urge anyone with information to call the Silent Witness at (480) WITNESS. Callers can remain anonymous.

Lab Used By Iams Busted – Blog report by PETA

Back in 02/03, PETA conducted a 9-month investigation into a lab used by the Iams pet food company to “test” its food. During the investigation, we uncovered horrible abuse, including dogs gone crazy from intense confinement; dogs left piled on a filthy paint-chipped floor after having chunks of muscle hacked from their thighs; dogs surgically debarked; horribly sick dogs and cats languishing in their cages, neglected and left to suffer with no vet care.Well, we’ve continued to work on the case and have just received very good news in a report from the USDA. The report confirms Animal Welfare Act violations that we found during our investigation, including:

• Untrained personnel performing animal experiments
• Failure to provide veterinary care and observe animals on a daily basis
• Caging facilities for dogs and cats so stifling that staff were unable to endure the ammonia levels
• Failure to provide animals with the minimum required space

The lab can now either admit to its wrongdoing and settle with the government or go through an Administrative Court proceeding.

Source: Blog.Peta.Org

Cat Strangled with Nylon String

The Straits Times Interactive
8 January 2007

THE Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is appealing for witnesses who might have seen the culprits who hanged a cat with a blue nylon string.

Residents at Block 245, Simei Street 5 called the police after they saw the dead cat hanging from the staircase railing between the sixth and seventh floor.

The incident happened on Dec 29, and it was the second time in a week that a cat had been tortured.

On Christmas Eve, a cat was found bleeding from the mouth and nose on the second floor of Block 171, Yishun Ring Road.

The SPCA was informed and the injured cat was taken to a veterinarian to be put to sleep. Said the SPCA’s executive officer, Ms Deirdre Moss: ‘It was in extreme pain and suffering from respiratory distress.’

The SPCA is appealing for witnesses and is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for harming the cats.

Anyone with information can call the SPCA at 6287-5355 during office hours.