Animal Cruelty

The holiday season is upon us, and the busiest shopping time of the year is in full swing. As you browse for gifts for your friends and family members, you can help animals at the same time!

When you use the shopping portal We-Care.com to shop at more than 2,500 participating online stores, the ASPCA automatically receives a donation at no cost to you.

From age to color to personality, there are a lot of factors that might go into a choosing a new pet. And though we try to find the best animal for every adopter, we can’t always guarantee an exact match. So when Wendy and Jamie A. came to the ASPCA Adoption Center with not one, but two, certain types of kitties in mind, we never dreamed that they would get quite this lucky! Here is the story of how this happy couple created two Happy Tails for cats named Bronte and Macaroni.

The ASPCA’s annual Humane Awards Luncheon is one of the most exciting events of the year. It is our chance to honor and recognize the heroes—both animal and human—who have made a positive and lasting impact on the world of animal welfare, and this year’s winners are certainly worth celebrating!

The 2014 Humane Awards winners include:

ASPCA Cat of the Year

The United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama concluded sentencing today for eight individuals arrested during the second largest dog fighting raid in U.S. history in August 2013. The case was led by the United States Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who requested assistance from the ASPCA and HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) in the removal, transport, sheltering, medical and daily care of the animals seized during the raid.

Chicken Scratch is an ASPCA Blog feature that highlights interesting news about farm animals and farm animal welfare.

For a one-year-old Shih Tzu named Cosita, life wasn’t always easy. Purchased from a pet store and then neglected for nearly a year, Cosita was suffering from a number of physical and emotional ailments by the time she was rescued by the ASPCA. But despite it all, this petite pup had a lot of love to give—and fortunately, she found the perfect person to give it to. Here is Cosita’s Happy Tail.

It may be just the start of November, but a group of kittens is getting out of school early this year! On November 4, the ASPCA hosted a ceremony for a class of felines who recently graduated from our kitten nursery. These kittens—many of whom came in as neonates and were in jeopardy from the moment they were born—have received extensive medical and behavioral rehabilitation and will be available for adoption at the ASPCA Adoption Center.

It is well known that pets can bring joy and enrichment to an adopter’s life, but did you know that animals can also make a major impact on the lives of strangers? Through Animal Assisted Therapy, your pet’s paws and purrs can provide health, healing and comfort to people in need.

With so many critical issues facing our country, making sure your voice is heard at the ballot box tomorrow is more important than ever. On November 4, Americans will be electing all 435 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 36 U.S. Senators, as well as many governors, state senators and representatives, and local elected officials. These individuals will be making policy that will have tremendous impact—for better or worse—on the lives of our nation’s animals for the next two to six years.

Halloween, the spookiest, kookiest day of the year, is finally here! It’s time to bust out the glitter and fake blood, and dress up your pets in the cutest, cleverest costumes you can find. But wait—is trick-or-treat apparel really a good idea for your furry friends?