‘Outdoor Cats’? Not on Tricia Helfer’s Watch

Actor’s PETA Campaign Warns Against Letting Cats Outside Unattended to Die Horribly—and Kill Wildlife—on the Streets

For Immediate Release:
April 10, 2014

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

With the debate over “outdoor cats” at a fever pitch—with New York Times editorials and people across the country weighing in—PETA has teamed up with Authors Anonymous star Tricia Helfer for a brand-new video and print campaign that urges everyone to keep their cats indoors, for the safety of the cats and the wildlife “outdoor cats” kill.

“Every day, tens of thousands of people open their doors and let their cats out to roam unattended,” the Battlestar Galactica actor says in the video. “And every day, thousands of those cats are injured or killed in horrible ways. … These same people would never dream of opening their front door and letting their dogs dash out onto the street, so why don’t we protect our cats in the same way?”

Helfer highlights the dangers of diseases, poisons such as antifreeze, traffic, and cruel people, and she also stresses that “as sweet as they are to us, ‘outdoor cats’ are little neighborhood terrorists, killing wildlife everywhere they go.” As she points out, cats “aren’t bobcats or cougars.” She says, “They’re vulnerable, and they depend on us to keep them safe, healthy, and happy.” And that means providing them with healthy food, fresh water, plenty of affection, a clean litterbox, and veterinary care, including spaying and neutering.

And Helfer, who also shot an exclusive interview for PETA, knows a thing or two about being a good cat guardian: She has lived with rescued cats for years, and her feline friend Abaddon costars with her in her print ad. Available here, the ad proclaims, “An Indoor Cat Is a Healthy Cat.”

Helfer is part of a long list of celebrities—including Jane Lynch, Krysten Ritter, Patricia Arquette, and Yvonne Strahovski—who have teamed up with PETA to promote responsible dog and cat guardianship.

For more information and to view the ad and video, please visit PETA.org.