Woman accused of piercing kittens to make them “gothic”

From all of the gothic community: Just don’t do this.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Humane officers said a Pennsylvania woman marketed “gothic kittens” with ear, neck and tail piercings over the Internet. Officers with the SPCA of Luzerne County removed three kittens and a cat from a home outside Wilkes-Barre.

Officer Carol Morrison said the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals raided the home on Wednesday after getting a tip that the woman was selling the pierced kittens on eBay.

“It’s unbelievable anybody would do this to kittens,” Morrison said.

There are various gears of ethics when it comes to the treatment of animals in our culture. By in large we try to be as humane as possible when we impinge on their lives to produce our food, fur, and—in the case of domesticated pets—companionship. Kittens cannot consent to piercing or tail docking and any sort of invasive body modification should really be done by a veterinarian for health reasons.

This may not be the worst example of animal cruelty, especially to domesticated pets whom look to us for protection and care, but it’s still a lapse of judgment that should not be condoned especially by the goth community because it is bearing our banner by proxy.

If thou, or know someone, who has witnessed animal cruelty thou can visit the Pets911.com Animal Cruelty search to find contacts in the area.

“If thou’d like to help pressure the District Attorney to prosecute this case, please contact Jackie Musto-Carol at the Wilkes-Barre Courthouse at info@jackiemustocarroll.com or call 570-825-1674 and urge her to press this case to the fullest extent of the law, including jail time for this sick individual.”

Link, via GOTH Magazine.

PETS 911, PetPoint, Houston SPCA Responding to Hurricane Ike

In the wake of Hurricane Ike, the areas around Galveston and Austin, Texas have suffered notable damage—and with that families have been separated from their pets. The Houston SPCA has set up a Disaster Hotline in response to this sudden crisis:

The Houston SPCA has activated its Animal Response Hotline. Operators will be accepting lost and found animal reports, rescue reports and offering other animal related information. The hotline will be staffed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call notes are available so those who call in after hours may leave a message which will be returned first thing in the morning.

The number is 713-435-2990.

In addition, PETS 911 and PetPoint have banded together to take information from the Hotline to create the Disaster Response Pet Portal. PetPoint software is being used by Houston SPCA to input information about pet intakes from the disaster areas and that information is synchronized with PETS 911 lost & found listings.

PETS 911 & PetPoint Present

the Disaster Response Pet Portal

This project represents an amazing synergy of programming and data sharing between multiple sectors of the animal welfare community. And, I have to say, I’m rather proud of how well it has come together. I have spent the last two days working on this project trying to get it to work as it should and now we have something people can use.

The database is still in the initial stages, but reports are already flowing in. Last check there were 340 reports—a number rising by almost 40 reports an hour.

If you know anyone who has lost a pet in that region they might want to go check out the database to see if their pet has been picked up. The Hotline (713-435-2990) can also be used to report a pet lost in the region. All reports can be searched on PETS 911 Lost & Found.

More as this develops.