Recently in Cruelty to Cats Category

Yep, it's true, cat fur is labeled "Synthetic." They also call it "Wild cat", "Katzenfelle", "Goyangi", "Mountain cat" and sometimes, simply "real" or "genuine" fur. But it’s cat. Pet cats, stray cats, cats at the wrong place at the wrong time. The fur is deliberately mislabeled and disguised by cutting and dying.

An to make matters worse, fur labeling laws are really lax. Garment labels do not have to include the origin of the fur nor which species of animals it comes from. Figurines, toys and other fur trimmed accessories don't have to be labeled at all.

The fur originates in China, is shipped through Europe and then on to the US, so no one really knows where the fur came from or what species it is. China is growing economically and will do anything to keep good relations with other countries so Fur Traders in China revealed to investigators that they are willing to sew any label onto a garment to make a sale.

If you paid less than $150.00 for a coat or boots or sweater with fur on it, you can bet that it's cat fur, well maybe dog fur, but in any case it is cruel and it came from a loving sentient animal that had it's fur ripped from it's body while it was still alive.

Animal Saviors is asking for your signature on a petition that will help to make people aware of the torture these cats endure. Please sign their Petition and read the facts on their website. But I must warn you, the videos are probably the most graphic I have ever seen. But if you don't believe that this is a real issue, or if you still like to wear fur, watch the videos. If anyone can wear fur after seeing these videos, they are some kind of crazy messed-up psycho.

So those fur lined gloves you got last fall might actually have someone's pet cat on them. Donate your fur, leather or wool items to Peta for their Anti-fur campaigns.

Sign these other petitions that we've blogged about cat killings in Beijing, and Japan's Cats and Dogs Massacre, and the feral cats on the site of the 2012 Olympics.

Other posts I think you might be into:

12 cats that will be extinct by 2020

Six diseases caused by dry cat food

See a 400 lbs African Lion hug and kiss his rescuer!

These ringtones will drive your cat crazy...

In the last month, I have seen three dead cats on the road…to me three cats ending up as road kill…. that’s a little disturbing.

Cats are very good at keeping themselves alive in adverse situations, but it’s when they make a little mistake….when they’re frightened or distracted….that’s what ends their lives.

They run out into the road while chasing a squirrel…or fall off the fence while stalking a bird…or make a wrong turn while being chased by a dog. That’s when they become road kill. Three cats in one month in my small community….hmmm… that’s three too many.

Then you see the little kid handing out posters that say, have you seen my cat? and it breaks your heart.

Most of the cats that end up dead haven't learned fear, so they trust that the car will stop or that group of angry people won't hurt him, but it never works out that way. There are so many instances of weirdos hurting cats.

So keep your cat indoors. I don’t think it is cruel to keep Neo indoors. I know he’ll be there when I get home at night and he’ll wake me up in the morning asking for breakfast. I know he's safe.

I've been meaning to write this post for sometime now. As someone that takes an active interest in animals and animal rights, Bowmanville Zoo seems to be an organization that I keep reading about for the wrong reasons. Before you read further, you should know that I'm not an "anti-zoo" person. I believe that zoos can encourage respect of our natural world and improve our understanding of our place within this world. At a time when certain species of animals are disappearing every day, zoos may represent the last hope for many critically endangered species.

While researching another post about animal cruelty, I started to realize a very disturbing pattern with regards to the Bowmanville Zoo. The Bowmanville Zoo has been cited on numerous occasions for animal abuse; these are claims that Bowmanville Zoo officials continually deny. At some point, you have to wonder if there is any truth to the allegations.

Here are six issues I have with the Bowmanville Zoo:

Planning on going to the the Olympic games in Bejing this year? If you're dining in any of the local restaurants in town, you might want to stay away from a dish that is commonly called "The Dragon and the Tiger." Why you ask? Well...the main ingredient of this dish is your common domestic house cat. The dish is also referred to as "Dragon Meets Tiger," "A Scramble of Dragon and Tiger," "Dragon Duels with Tiger" and so on. Needless to say, you might want to stay away from any dish that has the word Tiger in it.

What's even more interesting about the Chinese practice of eating cats is the method by which they prepare the meat. The Chinese place a great importance on the freshness of their meat, therefore many restaurants in Bejing use the "boiling alive" method. Simply put, the chef bludgeons the cat to near incapacity and then places the still live cat in boiling water, some chefs believe in boiling the cat to death and others believe in boiling the cat for a short period of time and then placing the cat in cold water. The cold water is used to stop the cooking process and this allows the chef to remove the fur of the still live cat. Many chefs believe that the more the cat suffers, the better the meat will be. The practice of boiling alive also means that the blood of the cat will still be found within the meat supposedly improving the flavor of the the meat. It should also be noted that most cats remain alive within the boiling water for anywhere from 8 to 15 seconds.

Being a Canadian, I'm accustomed to reading and seeing various protests against the Canadian Seal Fur trade every year. This year is no exception, throughout the blogosphere, print media and tv, images and video are shown of Canadian hunters thumping baby seals on the head and then proceeding to remove the pelt off of the animal.

Do I agree with the killing baby seals? Absolutely not. I think it's a barbaric senseless act and I can truly say it's the one thing about Canada that I'm not proud to be part of. Having said that, the seal hunt in Canada is closely regulated, from the time of year, to the numbers of seals, to the methods of execution and fur removal. All aspects of the hunt have laws and most hunters follow them.

Every year PETA and HSUB get up in arms about the Canadian seal hunt and manage to get millions in dollars in donations from a captive marked fueled by news reports and videos of baby seals being slain.

But there are some countries out there (Russia, Norway and Greenland) where the rules and regulations are not followed as closely. Why aren’t there protests about the conditions surrounding those seal hunts? You can’t protest the Canadian seal hunt where it’s relatively humane and not see a difference between Canada and those countries where in some cases, the seal is still alive when the fur is being torn off of his body.

For centuries cats have been used as science experiments and now…. Cloning scientists in South Korea have manipulated a protein gene in cats that has fluorescent properties. The cloned cats glow in the dark after being exposed to ultraviolet light. No, they don't come in green and red. The cat pictured on the left is being exposed to the ultraviolet light and the cat on the right is what the cats look like when the lights go out.

I have to admit, it would be nice to be able to see Neo in the dark, but creating animals for scientific study? They aren’t going to be loved or cared for…. why would they be treated well… if they die or don’t fulfill a scientific purpose.. they are disposed of and all you have to do is make another one. These cats get to live out there days in a cage being constantly poked and prodded.

Apparently, this scientific manipulation is supposed to help develop treatments for human genetic diseases. And recreate endangered wild cats. I'm not sure how manipulating these cats genes will help humans, but how about this? Call me crazy but... here's an idea, let’s preserve the animals we have left on our planet rather than create new ones in a test-tube!

It’s not too late to help! Sign the online petition or donate toThe Celia Hammond Animal Trust (C.H.A.T.)

CHAT has been trying to set up rescue missions only to be denied access to the site of the 2012 Olympics. The Olympic Delivery Authority (O.D.A) said there were only 5 cats on the site, but CHAT has already rescued 150 cats so far! And there are still more to rescue. Those poor feral cats! Their homes have been destroyed by the demolition so pregnant queens, three litters of newborn kittens and lactating moms have been forced further into hiding.

So let me get this straight. The lion gets kicked in the head for being a lion? Nice. This video shows a playful lion at a photo-shoot that (just outside of Toronto at the Bowmanville Zoo) ultimately tackles the woman practicing martial arts in front of him. The video clearly illustrates why you shouldn't use wild cats in photo-shoots. It's a dumb play and the cat doesn't deserve to get kicked in the head. Quite frankly, the officials from the Bowmanville Zoo deserve the kick in the head. They have a choice of being there, the lion doesn't.

The lady (Gitanjali Kolanad) goes on to whine about the fact that she was tackled by a 400 pound cat. Well of course she was tackled! From the very beginning, you can see that the handlers have no control over this large cat. What did they expect? Did they expect the lion to come and cuddle with her? Sorry, the lion gets my sympathy here.

You can hear one of the people say that he's "playing" when he lunges at them. If the Bowmanville Zoo had quality handlers and staff they would know the cat wants to play and probably won't be controlled if he truly wants to pounce on someone.

Remind me not to take my kids to the Bowmanville Zoo. On the heals of the Tiger incident in San Francisco, they decide to shoot this video? Are the officials at the Bowmvanville zoo that devoid of intelligence? This "back woods" move shows that they have no regard for their wild animals and would rather put them in jeopardy to make a few dollars. Idiots, complete and total idiots. All of them.

Other stories I think you might like:

Bowmanville Zoo, 6 reasons why you stay away from this zoo..

These ringtones will drive your cat crazy...

The Snow Leopard is close to extinction

What are cat lovers ordering at Tokyo’s Café Calico Cat?

“I’ll take my tea with a Tabby”

This is a picture of Harumi Kaneko cuddling with "Choco", one of the cats customers can play with for about $8.00 an hour at the Cat Café Calico.

Housing regulations in Tokyo don’t allow pets. So if you can’t have a cat, the next best thing is going to a place like Café Calico Cat. Where you can curl up with a good book, a warm fire and purring cat. It’s a dream come true for Japanese cat lovers. There are three busy cat cafés in Tokyo. All three are filled with lovely, well-groomed cats for patrons to cuddle with before getting on with their busy days.

Which makes me wonder about the 600,000 cats and dogs gassed in Japan yearly? Where are those cat lovers when the gas chamber fills up with gas and the cats scream for their lives? Or later when they aren't quite dead yet and they burn alive?

These seemingly innocent cafés that are beautifully furnished and attract wealthy Japanese are really contributing to the overpopulation of cats in Japan. The cafés don't take in stray cats, they get their cats from breeders. So while a privileged few are being cuddled by people like Mrs. Kaneko, just outside the comforts of the café - poor, lonely, starved cats are being rounded up and taken to gas chambers where they are mercilessly killed and incinerated by the hundreds every day.

Why do so many cats have to suffer when there are so many people in Japan who supposedly love cats? Please sign the Japan's cats and dogs need our help petition. Maybe together we can put an end to the needless suffering of so many cats in a nation that clearly adores cats.

Other stories I think you might like:

See a 400 lbs African Lion hug and kiss his rescuer!

These ringtones will drive your cat crazy...

The Snow Leopard is close to extinction

He says he jumped out of a plane with his cat because he loves his cat and wanted to share the thrill of parachuting with him. The reality is that the man is a self centered moron that scared the bejesus out of his cat. You can clearly see that the cat isn't happy to be there and is trying to get away just before he jumps.

What I would really like to do is switch the tables on the man and shove him out of the plane without his parachute and see how funny he would find it. You know what they say, there's a moron born every minute; this guy proves it. You can see the video here.