U.S Residents, Cats need your help!

[AnimalLover]

Every year, thousands of pets and wildlife die agonizing deaths after drinking spilled antifreeze, attracted by its sweet taste. I have even heard stories of people purposely leaving out antifreeze to kill animals.

There is a pending Congressional bill, H.R. 1563, that would require antifreeze to contain a bittering agent so as to render it unpalatable to animals. The bill needs co-sponsors, so please contact your federal representative and ask him or her to cosponsor it. This will only take a few minutes of your time.

Here is a link to a pre-composed letter on the Doris Day Animal League (DDAL) website: Action letter (http://cw2k.capweb.net/ddal/letterstate.cfm?letter_id=2655).
All you have to do is fill in your name & address and it will be sent to your representative. (DDAL's Privcy Statement (http://www.ddal.org/privacystatement.html) says that they will not share, sell, or trade any of your information.)

Or, if you prefer, you can go to www.congress.org (http://www.congress.org), enter your zip code, and you will be provided with the names, addresses, and email links to your elected officials. You can copy the action letter from the DDAL website and send it whichever way you choose.

Here is the paltry list of current co-sponsors, so you can see if your rep. is already on board:
Ackerman [D-NY]
Bartlett [MD]
Berkley [NV]
Capps [CA]
Carson [IN]
Davis [IL]
Farr [CA]
Frank [MA]
Israel [NY]
Kildee [MI]
Kucinich [OH]
Lee [CA]
Lewis [CA]
Lofgren [CA]
Maloney [NY]
McNulty [NY]
Moran [VA]
Rohrabacher [CA]
Sabo [MN]
Schiff [CA]
Watson [CA]
Wexler [FL]
Wu [OR]

People, I am trying to make this as easy for you as possible.
Please take a few minutes of your time to help save the lives of innocent animals.
Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the oil! The more people who write, the better chance the bill has of becoming a law.

Please keep this thread in the forefront by replying to it after you've sent your letter.

Thank you

P.S. See my next post for more info and safety tips regarding antifreeze.

[AnimalLover]

Antifreeze is one of the most dangerous household hazards to pets, wildlife, and children. One teaspoon of antifreeze can kill an eight pound cat, and as little as two ounces can kill a twenty pound dog.

Antifreeze works quickly. Within 30-60 minutes, the animal shows signs of depression, has a look of fear, and loses coordination. Then vomiting is soon followed by paralysis, and within 6 to 12 hours, coma, then death. At the first sign of distress -- or when you have the slightest suspicion that the animal has ingested antifreeze -- rush it to the veterinarian's office or an animal emergency hospital. The quicker the animal is treated, the more likely it is to recover.

Some Safety Tips

When changing antifreeze keep your pets indoors and make sure any spills are washed away.

Avoid spilling antifreeze on the ground and don't drain radiators into ditches or storm drains.

Keep new antifreeze in its original container.

To store used antifreeze before disposal, put it into a clearly labelled, sealed container.

Recycle or dispose of it at a garage with appropriate facilities for disposing of antifreeze. It can
also be disposed of on Household Hazardous Waste Collection Days.

Keep antifreeze off the floor and away from pets.

Wipe up and wash away any spills.

Don't let your pet drink from or walk in puddles in streets or driveways.

If your pet returns home covered with an unknown substance, wash it off immediately.

Winter auto window washing fluids and products to prevent freezing in plumbing can also contain ethylene glycol (EG), the poisonous ingredient in antifreeze,. Check the ingredients, and if it contains EG, treat it the same as antifreeze.

Switch to non-toxic Propylene Glycol formulated antifreeze.

[RedHedd]

Thank you -- I've sent this info on to my "list" of politically active people -- every letter helps!

[Candy]

AnimalLover,

My husband and I had already sent letters to our representatives at the behest of the HSUS. One would think that this message board would be a good place to find people who would be sympathetic to this cause but, sadly, that doesn't appear to be the case as I see your message is a couple of days old with only 1 reply! I'm really surprised.

I first became aware of the problem with antifreeze a few years ago when I found an escaped dog. The dog was a beautiful, young red husky but seemed kind of sickly. I tracked down the owner and when she came over to pick up her dog she said that he probably drank some antifreeze because people leave it out to kill coyotes. It appalls me to think that people around here would do that. These people aren't trying to protect their livestock or their livelihood, but they don't want coyotes around for whatever reason. I wonder how they'll like it when their places are overrun with rats because there are no coyotes around to keep the rat population down. And don't they care that their actions are causing pain & suffering in innocent animals, both wild and domestic? Obviously not.

Well, keep up the good fight with the few soldiers you're able to recruit. And, hopefully, someday, those of us who care will prevail.

Candy

[lbaker]

It would be such an easy thing for the makers of anti-freeze to do. Wouldn't even cost much at all. To create such good will by such a small detail, it seems amazing that this has not been acted upon before. write, write write... get involved people. Sometimes no action is as bad as some actions.

[Davis Family]

I'll ask my parents about this, although I don't know if they'll be able to get around to doing it...It doesn't cost any money, does it? I know you shouldn't care about money when it comes to saving animals, but we're not exactly that rich right now I guess...

[AnimalLover]

Originally posted by Davis Family
It doesn't cost any money, does it?

No, it's free! And easy, too!

[emily_the_spoiled]

I had one of my outside kitties die from antifreeze poisoning this past winter. So I have definitely sent my letter in!!!