PETA Global 2019 Issue 1

The Kitten Who Had to Save Herself

CREDITS TO COME

Kathy Guillermo: © ashing Photos

Emma Orange Peel

PETA’s Talking Cow Woos Kids With Kindness (and Vegan Ice Cream)

Alicia Silverstone and Carly ⁄

P ETA’s engaging ambassador Carly the Talking Cow is helping children (and adults) see why going vegan means helping animals. Carly, whose voice is that of award-winning actor and vegan of 21 years Alicia Silverstone, has been traveling to schools across the United States to tell the story of her rescue from life on a dairy farm. “Just like human mothers,” she explains, “a cow produces milk for her own baby calf after she gives birth. You’re not a baby calf, are you? Of course not! But on the dairy farm, my babies were taken away from me when they were just a day or two old so that my milk could be sold in stores instead of given to them. I still think about my babies every day, and I miss them soooo much.” Kids Say the Darnedest Things Children are naturally empathetic, and their facial expressions are priceless to watch as Carly talks. One little boy whispered, “Cows want to live,” as he listened, wide-eyed. “Carly felt uncomfortable and sad so she wanted to run away,” said a little girl, her voice full of compassion. “Cows make milk for their babies, like we make milk for our babies, too,” another girl realized. A student murmured that we are the same – we just have different shapes. Children learn howCarly and two friends escaped from the dairy farmandwere rescued by a sanctuary. As she recounted giving birth there to her son, Lucky, and getting to keep him, two little girls hugged each other with delight. Many of the kids told her, “I love you, Carly.” After every presentation, PETA staffers give each child

“[A]s schools around the country face an epidemic of bullying, it’s essential to teach students to have empathy and respect for all living beings.” – Alicia Silverstone

a yummy Tofutti Cutie or So Delicious dairy-free ice cream sandwich. As one group of children concluded, “Foods taste better when they don’t hurt animals.” When asked what they could do to help cows, the students enthusiastically shouted answers like “We can help by not eating dairy products!” and “Eat pizza with dairy-free cheese!” Carly is reaching adults, too. One teacher told PETA staffers, “This was exactly the motivation I needed to go vegan.” A principal thanked them, saying, “That was wonderful. I hope you come see us again soon.” Another teacher decided that she was going to start incorporating more humane education materials into her lesson plans. Numerous educators invited PETA’s team to come back and give more animal rights presentations anytime. PETA’s talking cow has already helped thousands of children – and quite a few adults – see why eating vegan is crucial to ending cruelty to cows and calves. She will continue hoofing it across the US, changing minds with kindness and cruelty free treats.

By Kathy Guillermo PETA’s senior vice president of investigative, legal, and corporate cases

A s I was out walking one evening, a bedraggled, starving kitten ran out of the bushes. Meowing loudly, she followed me all the way home and right into my house. Her “tipped” ear told me that she had been trapped, neutered (i.e., spayed), and reabandoned – TNR’d – to fend for herself. Animal shelters are increasingly doing this to cats – even ones who aren’t feral – as a way to boost their “saved” rate. The average lifespan of a stray or feral cat is less than 3 years, compared to 12 to 15 years for an indoor cat. So when people turn cats loose, they usually aren’t buying them much time. Some worry that those taken to shelters will be euthanized, but the very definition of euthanasia is “good death.” Outdoors, cats’ deaths are inevitably very bad. They die from contagious diseases, dehydration, exposure, attacks by predators (including cruel humans), being hit by cars, and other terrible causes. Shelters are even abandoning tiny kittens to face these hazards. After a Kentucky woman found a malnourished kitten with an upper respiratory But are cats who are turned back out onto the street actually saved? The statistics say otherwise.

infection and a bloody wound on her abdomen and tried to take her to the shelter, staffers admitted that they had TNR’d her and planned to simply dump her back outside, untreated, because “cats do just fine out there.” Appalled, the woman kept the kitten and took her to a veterinarian herself. Aside from the dangers associated with turning cats loose to fend for themselves, there are the dangers that they pose to wildlife, whose welfare can’t simply be ignored or dismissed by defenders of all animals’ rights. Cats are the leading cause of human-related bird and mammal deaths, killing up to 26 billion animals every year just in the US alone. On top of that, TNR doesn’t even reduce homeless cat populations. It can actually encourage more people to abandon their cats under the mistaken assumption that they’ll be cared for. Also, the food set out for cat colonies attracts wildlife, including rats, who, a recent study revealed, are not very affected by cats, as well as coyotes, who tend to eat the cats along with the kibble. Veterinarian, author, and syndicated columnist Dr. Michael W. Fox doesn’t mince words when he says that it is “unconscionable” to abandon cats

and calls TNR a “blight” on the animal sheltering community. “It is time to reevaluate the ‘no-kill’ policies that incentivize these terrible outcomes for cats and wildlife, and it is time to work for responsible solutions,” he says. As my cat naps peacefully on my bed, I shudder to think how close she came to becoming another statistic. Because a shelter was unwilling to face the fact that TNR means a difficult, uncertain, and often miserable life and painful death and would not save her, she had to find a way to save herself. Take Action Now If your local shelter turns away or abandons cats, tell the board that cats’ safety and well-being, not feel-good statistics, should be its top priority.

T H E R E ’ S A P E R S O N I N T H E R E • T H E R E ’ S A P E R S O N I N T H E R E

Take Action Now Help real-life cows escape dairy-farm misery by choosing nondairy milks,

cheeses, ice creams, yogurts, and coffee creamers, which can be found in most major supermarkets. And if you’re an educator, visit PETA’s humane education division at PETA.org/TeachKind for free lesson plans, classroom presentations, and more to promote kindness and compassion for all.

Global 17

16 HOW NOW, MECHANICAL COW?