Purrs 4 Peace Week 44: Stop the Animal Holocaust

'I abhor vivisection. It should at least be curbed. Better, it should be abolished.
I know of no achievement through vivisection, no scientific discovery, that could not have been obtained without such barbarism and cruelty.'
Dr. Charles Mayo, Mayo Clinic

Millions of animals cruelly suffer and die each year in laboratories around the world. Supposedly, this slaughter continues to find cures for cancer, AIDS, Parkinson’s and other diseases. Ignoring that a huge percentage of these animals are tested needlessly for cosmetics and other nonessential purposes. One of the saddest ironies of this animal holocaust is that experimentation on animals is not really indicative of how a medicine or treatment will effect humans. Humans justify experimentation on animals by saying that they are not human yet ignore that their physiological differences make such testing unreliable. For example consider the study by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) wherein 12 anti-cancer drugs that are now being successfully used in humans were tested on mice. The scientists found that 30 out of 48 times the drugs were ineffective in Mice. So 63% of the time the tests on mice were inaccurate in predicting the drugs effect in humans. Stop the slaughter of the innocents. It is time for the animal holocaust to end.

"What I think about vivisection is that if people admit that they have the right to take or endanger the life of living beings for the benefit of many, there will be no limit to their cruelty."
-- Leo Tolstoy

Support World Lab Animal Day on the 24th of April, 2010. See http://www.wdail.org for details. Support cruelty free products with your consumer spending. Support legislation for animal rights with your government representatives......And purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

2:59 p.m. Get ready to Purrrrrrrr.

SET.

3:00 p.m.

Confucius Cat say: GO!

Purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr,

Purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr... See the love, compassion, empathy and peace inside you

grow.

Purrrrr, purrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, Purring.... See that love and compassion touching each and every suffering animal, soothing their pain, comforting their fears.

Purrrrrrrrrrrrrr. See that compassion and empathy invading the hearts and minds of politicians, scientists and other decision makers. See them turning away from cruelty and turning toward humane treatment of animals.

Purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrr,

Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....See an end to the animal holocaust...an end to the barbaric cruelty of animal experimentation.

Purrrrrr.... See the cages open. See the animals freed to live natural lives in safe and loving conditions.

Purrrrrr.purrrrr, purrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr...Imagine the headline: Scientific community declares animal testing obsolete. Governments worldwide ban the antiquated practice.

Purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, ........... purr compassion, purr protection, purr safety, purr love, purr empathy, purr understanding, purr peace for all animals.

Peace * Paix * Frieden * Vrede * Pace * Paz * Shalom * Fred * Salaam * Om Shanti * Heddwch * Siochan

Purrs 4 Peace Week 43: I HAVE A DREAM...

"I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground." (Reply to friends who chided him for delaying them by stopping to return a fledgling to its nest.) ~ Abraham Lincoln, Sixteenth President of the United States

It can be difficult to know what to do if we see an animal locked in a car on a hot day...even if the window is cracked it is torturously hot inside. If you see a dog, cat or other animal in a car and in distress, take down the car’s color, model, make and license-plate number. While keeping an eye on the animal, have the owner paged inside nearby buildings. If you have a camera or cell phone camera, take a picture. Call the police. If the police are unresponsive or too slow and the animal’s life appears to be in imminent danger, take steps to remove the animal from the car and then wait for authorities to arrive. In addition PETA has fliers on the dangers of heatstroke that you can leave on windshields.

Sins of heatstroke include restlessness, excessive thirst, heavy panting, lethargy, dark tongue, rapid pulse, fever, vomiting, glazed eyes, lack of coordination. To lower body temperature gradually, give the animal water to drink, place a cold towel or ice pack on the head, neck and chest, and/or immerse the animal in cool (not cold) water. Call a veterinarian.

I HAVE A DREAM...that there will be no animals will perish in parked cars this year. Let's purr to make my dream a reality

2:59 p.m. Get ready to Purrrrrrrr.

SET.

3:00 p.m.

Confucius Cat say: GO!

Purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr,

Purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrr, See your purrs as a perfect expression of love, compassion and care for all animals. #purrs4peace

See your purrs penetrate every heart and mind. See the love and compassion in you spreading to every human. #purrs4peace

Purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrrr, See the light of understanding, knowledge, insight and common sense grow inside each person. #purrs4peace.

See every human realizing the cruelty of leaving animals, who love and trust them, to suffer heatstroke in parked cars. #purrs4peace

Purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrrr, See neglect turn to caring, see selfishness turn to empathy, see ignorance turn to understanding. #purrs4peace

Purrrrrrr....See every animal blessed with a loving, safe, and nurturing home. #purrs4peace

Peace * Paix * Frieden * Vrede * Pace * Fred* Paz * Shalom * Salaam * Om Shanti * Heddwch * Síochán * 和平 #purrs4peace

Purrs 4 Peace Week 42 Announcement: So-called "Exotic" animals need Protection.

God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages. ~Jacques Deval, Afin de vivre bel et bien

Each year thousands of animals are captured and tortured in transport and captivity as part of a global trade in so-called exotic pets. I became aware of this issue from reports by the Huffington Post and PETA about the raid on facilities operated by USGE (U.S. Global Exotics, Inc) which is one of the biggest importers of exotic pets for resale to pet stores around the world including PETCO and PetSmart. During this raid just some of the types of animals rescued included “kinkajous, wallabies, sloths, ringtail lemurs, coatimundis, agoutis, hedgehogs, chinchillas, hamsters, gerbils, rats, mice, flying squirrels, guinea pigs, sugar gliders, prairie dogs, ferrets, snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, spiders, crabs, and scorpions.”

An undercover investigator spent months working in the warehouse carefully recording evidence of horrifically cruel conditions. These animals were routinely crammed into bins, feeding troughs, cardboard boxes, bags and even soda bottles. As if the cramped, dark conditions did not cause enough psychological and physical distress, they were deprived of food, water, and medical treatment. Starved, dehydrated and often suffering from injuries that left bone and tissue exposed, these 26,000 were discovered alive in just this one facility in Texas. Bu the investigator found evidence that employees threw animals they believed unsaleable into freezers to die. The animals rescued were taken in by the Detroit Zoo and other prescreened owners. But as the PETA alert stated “even though the animals rescued from USGE are safe, right now countless other animals are being packed into sweltering crates and are beginning the impossibly stressful journey to facilities that are every bit as cruel as USGE's.”

It makes my heart hurt to think about it.

Please, please, PLEASE! Do not buy such animals as pets. PLEASE do not buy ANY animal from a pet store or online. If you feel ready to bring a furry family member into your home, please adopt from a shelter or from other organization or individuals engaged in animal rescue. BUYING animals costs a lot more than your money. It has an incalculable cost in suffering and death.

Please support, with donations, organizations such as PETA that fight this cruelty: https://secure.peta.org/site/Donation2?df_id=3400&3400.donation=form1&set.custom.Campaign_Code=C10CECBLBBG&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=qdktxfiyu5.app334a

Please be an advocate in your own community to fight the sale of such pets at stores near you.

And this week, on Easter, Sunday....when I hope no well meaning parent will give a bunny to their child that came from a pet store....we will purrrrrrrr.

Week 42 of Purrs 4 Peace details are as follows:

• Week forty-two’s appointed time is Sunday, April 4, 2010.
• Participants should purr for three minutes commencing at 12 p.m. Eastern (U.S.) which is 5:00 p.m. (17:00 hrs.) in the U.K..
• The cat’s human staff should assist their cats with the project by stroking and nuzzling the cat at the appointed time.
• Please post your cat name and the country you purr in at www.confuciuscat.blogspot.com as a COMMENT if you are participating in this historic project. (posting a link to your own website-if you have one-is encouraged.) Or let me know by message on twitter or facebook.
• Posting purrs on facebook ( Acolytes of Confucius Cat or as friend to Alley Mason) and twitter (@ConfuciusCat) is encouraged, since it inspires purring in others, but not required. On twitter please use #purrs4peace in your tweets.

Peace * Paix * Frieden * Vrede * Pace * Paz * Shalom * Fred * Salaam * Om Shanti * Heddwch * Siochan

Purrs 4 Peace Week 41 Announcement: All you need is LOVE...it's not just a Beatles song

All you need is love...it’s not just a Beatles song.

"All you need is love, all you need is love,

All you need is love, love, love is all you need. " - Lennon/McCartney-

Really. If you think about it. all you need...all we as a world needs...is love. Every problem. Every impediment to PEACE in the world comes from one root cause: Lack of love in the human heart. If we can but love our fellow beings - animal and human - we would be at Peace and so would the world.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." - Jimi Hendrix

All decisions should come from a place of love not a place of fear. Those decisions coming from fear, not love, always lead to chaos and unrest. From the largest example to the smallest. Take for instance the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If we as a country had acted on love and not fear we would not be fighting those wars today. Perhaps we would have put our funds into protecting ourselves through internal security and education and not into aggression against others. What about cruelty toward animals. If the abuser could but act with love in his or her heart how could that person harm an animal....couldn’t happen.

“Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

~1 John 3:18

Let us purr this week for love to grow in every heart. Let us purr that love replace hate, ignorance and fear. Let us purr for LOVE so that we may have PEACE.

Week 41 of Purrs 4 Peace details are as follows:

• Week forty-one’s appointed time is Sunday, March 28, 2010.
• Participants should purr for three minutes commencing at 3 p.m. Eastern (U.S.) which is 8:00 p.m. (20:00 hrs.) in the U.K. (ANOTHER TIME CHANGE- THIS TIME IN THE U.K.)
• The cat’s human staff should assist their cats with the project by stroking and nuzzling the cat at the appointed time.
• Please post your cat name and the country you purr in at www.confuciuscat.blogspot.com as a COMMENT if you are participating in this historic project. (posting a link to your own website-if you have one-is encouraged.) Or let me know by message on twitter or facebook.
• Posting purrs on facebook ( Acolytes of Confucius Cat or as friend to Alley Mason) and twitter (@ConfuciusCat) is encouraged, since it inspires purring in others, but not required. On twitter please use #purrs4peace in your tweets.

Peace * Paix * Frieden * Vrede * Pace * Paz * Shalom * Fred * Salaam * Om Shanti * Heddwch * Siochan

Purrs 4 Peace Week 40: Healing the World

The squirrel that you kill in jest, dies in earnest. ~Henry David Thoreau

This week I have raged against the incomprehensible injustices of illness. First, when a beloved friend was struck down without warning by illness. Without warning. Fast. Undeserved. Why would god...the universe...allow such a good person to be lost from the world so soon? I do not understand it. But over this tragedy, no one had control.

Then I became enraged by the story of Alfie Cummings. Alfie is a 14 month old cat, a member of the Cummings family in Dorset, United Kingdom, who was savagely attacked by stranger(s) and left for dead. This was deliberate infliction of tragedy. This pain and suffering was within someone's control. Still the question is why? Why would someone intentionally harm this beautiful little sweet creature? Clearly, this abuser needs healing for his soul. Someone who could perpetrate such cruelty is not whole.

Alfie lost an eye and suffered multiple fractures. After emergency surgery he is slowly progressing to recovery, but may need further surgeries. Not only has Alfie’s family provided loving support to this sweet baby, but also his surrounding community. Support for Alfie has rallied around the world as evidenced by the Facebook page created for this brave feline called Mission: Help Alfie. (Bravo to our friend Chunks Mather for spearheading the Facebook support.) This outpouring of compassion shows that most humans are wonderful and giving. Alfie’s continued recovery is testament to his strength of will and to the overwhelming power of love.

2:59 p.m. Get ready to Purrrrrrrr to heal bodies and heal the world.

SET.

3:00 p.m.

Confucius Cat say: GO!

Purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, Feel your purrs as a warm, healing glow within you.

Purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr... Purrrrrrrrrrrrr.... See that glow increase to a purifying fire, burning away any sickness, disease, injury or imperfection in your body. #purrs4peace

Purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrr, purr

Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Imagine the healing power of your purrs spreading first to one body then to another; All who are sick or injured, human and animal, are miraculously healed as the power of your purrs touches them. #purrs4peace

Purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr,...... Imagine the healing fire spreading through the world, burning away sickness, disease, injury, imperfection. #purrs4peace

Those who are grieving for the loss of their friends or family members - They are comforted as compassion flows over them, they are soothed as caring surrounds them, they are at peace as love envelops them. #purrspeace

Purring to turn transform the hearts of any abuser of animal from cruelty to compassion. Enlighten the minds of any abuser from violence to tranquility. #purrs4peace

Special purrs to Alfie Cummings for his healing and recovery from violent attack for the justice he deserves. #purrs4peace.

For abundance to Alfie’s family to pay for his treatment and overwhelming love to soothe their distress. #purrs4peace

Special purrs for Jody Nelson, Angel Bubba Burden and Fluffbum Schickert. Peace and love envelops them in a universal hug. #purrs4peace.

And purrs of comfort to their friends and family. May tender compassion flow over them, easing their pain.

Peace * Paix * Frieden * Vrede * Pace * Fred* Paz * Shalom * Salaam * Om Shanti * Heddwch * Síochán * 和平

3:03 p.m. You can stop purring.

Purrs 4 Peace Week 31 Announcement: Fur is for Animals not for Fashion

Photo credit: Ryan Hagerty/US Fish and Wildlife Services


No one in the world needs a mink coat but a mink. ~Murray Banks

Fur farms around the world subject, raccoons, dogs, rabbits, foxes, mink and other animals to cruel lives spent in wire cages only to die of inhumane neck-breaking or electrocution. Some video from china shows animals, including dogs, being skinned alive.

Each year over 50 million animals each year are slaughtered for their fur…for the sake of some person somewhere to feel they “look” good. There can be nothing more infuriatingly narcissistic. Can you imagine believing that your appearance gives you the right to inflict unimaginable suffering on another being?

Buying fur and fur trimmed items also results in the killing of dogs and cats. Most dog and cat victims are killed in Asia and their fur exported worldwide. While the U.S. bans the sale of dog and cat fur, it still slips into this country on unlabled or falsely labled items.
However, many dogs and cats- along with wild animals- are killed accidentally in indiscriminately placed traps.

Again…as with many of the issues on which we have purred…the sources of this cruelty is ultimately greed. Therefore, we must appeal to that greed…if nothing else… and refuse to buy products from Asia, most critically those with fur or fur trim.

Week 31 of Purrs 4 Peace details are as follows:
• Week thirty-one’s appointed time is Sunday, January 10, 2010.
• Participants should purr for three minutes commencing at 3 p.m. EST (U.S.) which is 8:00 p.m. (20:00 hrs.) GMT in the U.K.
• The cat’s human staff should assist their cats with the project by stroking and nuzzling the cat at the appointed time.
• Please post your cat name and the country you purr in at www.confuciuscat.blogspot.com as a COMMENT if you are participating in this historic project. (posting a link to your own website-if you have one-is encouraged.) Or let me know by message on twitter or facebook.
• Posting purrs on facebook ( Acolytes of Confucius Cat or as friend to Alley Mason) and twitter (@ConfuciusCat) is encouraged, since it inspires purring in others, but not required. On twitter please use #purrs4peace in your tweets.

This week we purr to end the slaughter. We purr for life happily and safely lived for all animals. We purr for the spread of compassion. We purr for the triumph of PEACE.

Purrs 4 Peace Week 26: Who cares about the "rain in Spain"? It's the dogs who matter.

When a man wantonly destroys one of the works of man we call him a vandal. When he destroys one of the works of god we call him a sportsman. ~Joseph Wood Krutch

Many of you along with me have been shocked and disturbed by the information on the suffering of the Spanish Greyhounds aka Galgos. And it should not be forgotten that the Ibizan Hound (aka Podencos are also used in Spain for hunting and meet the same barbaric fates as the Greyhounds unless rescued.

Heaven is by favor; if it were by merit your dog would go in and you would stay out. Of all the creatures ever made [man] is the most detestable. Of the entire brood, he is the only one... that possesses malice. He is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain. ~Mark Twain

What can we do to help?

First, Some humans understand only greed. Therefore, I urge everyone to go to the following link and send a message to Spanish politicians that your tourists dollars will not be spent in their country while these barbaric practices are allowed to continue.

URGENT: Tortured Spanish Greyhounds Need Your Voice | PETA.org

Second, support the organizations that advocate against this cruelty, and those that seek to place these gentle dogs in loving homes such as the following:

www.peta.org.

www.Galgorescue.org (Galgo Rescue International Network aka GRIN)

Ibizan hound rescue www.ibizanhoundrescue.com

Third, we can purrrrrr.

2:59 p.m. Get ready to Purrrrrrrr.

SET.

3:00 P.M.

Confucius Cat say: GO!

Purrrrringgggggggg....Feel the power of purrs, compassion, love and peace building inside you.

Purrrrrrr.....Feel the power of love and compassion and peace expode into the universe.

Purrrrrrrring....See that power soothing the pain, easing the suffering of the Galgos (Spanish Greyhounds) and Podencos

Purrrrrr...Direct your purrs into every human, inspiring love and respect for dogs and for all animals on the planet.

Purrrrrrrrr....Imagine the headlines: Spanish government bans use of dogs in hunting.

Purrrrrrrrrr.... See every Galgo and Podenco adopted by compassionate humans.

Purrrrrrrrrrr, purrrrrrrrrrrr, purrrrrr See every dog on the planet nurtured in a loving and safe home.

Purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr, purrrr, purrrrr,

Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.......

Peace * Paix * Frieden * Vrede * Pace * Paz * Shalom * Salaam * Om Shanti * Heddwch * Síochán

Purrs 4 Peace Week 26 Announcement: Save the Spanish Greyhounds

Hard to believe but we have reached week 26 of the Purrs 4 Peace Project. The half-way point. For this auspicious week I am very pleased to introduce you to a dear friend: Sir Fudge Esq. Cat. Some of you may already know him from twitter as @SirFudgeEsq where his entertaining and acerbic wit brings a smile to our faces and hearts. Not only is it apparent from his tweets that Sir Fudge and his Mam are intelligent with excellent taste in movies and music, but that they are also very aware of important social issues.

I have long known of the cruelties suffered by racing Greyhounds in the U.S., but until a couple of weeks ago, when Sir Fudge posted information on his blog, I was completely in the dark about the torment endured by the Spanish Greyhounds.

Sir Fudge has generously agreed to allow me to make this issue the subject of this week’s purrs. Even more generously, he has provided the following contribution to this post. I know you will find this as eye opening and disturbing as I did.

Hello to the readers of Confucius Cat's blog,

Confucius has kindly taken an interest in a post I submitted to my blog several days ago which discussed the plight of Spanish Greyhounds. Generously, he has allowed me some 'air time' on his blog to briefly outline the treatment of these dogs with a view to raising awareness of their suffering and hopefully, as a consequence encourage people to provide some kind of material assistance to these intelligent, gentle and physically stunning animals.

Greyhounds are used for the biennial hunting season in Spain. After each season, it is customary in certain parts of that country to hang the dogs from trees till they die. The attitude (generally speaking) toward these dogs is that they are legitimately disposable once their usefulness is exhausted. In other words, they are simply working animals of no further consequence than the extent of their usefulness

Because of this attitude, very little care is given to the conditions these dogs are kept in. They are often poorly housed (kept in underground darkness or left out in the Spanish sun) with inadequate food, water and zero comfort. These dogs have nothing.

Aside form hanging, other methods of disposing of Spanish Greyhounds include torture, starvation or abandonment. In the case of abandonment, there are not infrequent reports of limbs being deliberately broken or cut off to deter the dog from following its 'owner' home.

Unfortunately, for greyhounds which make it to, what I guess could be (in token sense only) termed a 'pound', the conditions are not much better and essentially, these poor dogs are simply waiting miserably, without the medical attention or basic comfort they need, to take their turn to die.

The methods of killing these harmless, gentle dogs in these pounds run by the Spanish government vary from the insanely cruel to the simply uncaring and heartless. I won't repeat here what I have heard (reported by the BBC World Service a few years ago) about the some of the methods of killing these dogs.

If you can stomach it, you will find further details of this sad story on my blog under "Charities, Pick Your Victim" I do want to warn you though, the language and photos you will find on my blog are altogether more confronting than you will be used to on this and many other blogs. I'm rather free with expletives.

I want to conclude by expressing my sincere thanks and admiration to Mr Confucius Cat for allowing me to publish to his blog a story that I've been following for years, and most of all, I'd like to thank you, for taking the time to read this post.

Sincerely and With Love,

Sir Fudge Esq

The following links will provide you further information.

Sir Fudge Esq


Galgo News: Meet the Podencos - Ibizan Hounds - with SARA Lanzarote and Pro-Galgo Spain

Facebook | Protest the Torture and Murder of Spanish Greyhounds

URGENT: Tortured Spanish Greyhounds Need Your Voice | PETA.org

Scooby Medina shelters hundreds of Spanish greyhounds and needs

Far from Fear

Week 26 of Purrs 4 Peace details are as follows:

• Week twenty-six’s appointed time is Sunday, December 6, 2009.
• Participants should purr for three minutes commencing at 3 p.m. EST (U.S.) which is 8:00 p.m. (20:00 hrs.) BST in the U.K.
• The cat’s human staff should assist their cats with the project by stroking and nuzzling the cat at the appointed time.
• Please post your cat name and the country you purr in at www.confuciuscat.blogspot.com as a COMMENT if you are participating in this historic project. (posting a link to your own website-if you have one-is encouraged.) Or let me know by message on twitter or facebook.
• Posting purrs on facebook ( Acolytes of Confucius Cat or as friend to Alley Mason) and twitter (@ConfuciusCat) is encouraged, since it inspires purring in others, but not required. On twitter please use #purrs4peace in your tweets.

Let us purr with for our Spanish Greyhound brethren....that they may be respected and treated with the love and care they deserve. Let us purr for understanding, purr for compassion, purr for peace.