San Pedro Cat Killings Prompt New PETA Video Featuring Jaeden Martell: ‘Cats Don’t Go Missing by Themselves!’

For Immediate Release:
September 3, 2024

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Shocking reports of people attacking cats have recently grabbed headlines across the U.S., prompting a new PETA video series that will air nationwide, including in Los Angeles, where a man is accused of shooting multiple homeless cats with a crossbow in the San Pedro neighborhood. The spot, which features It actor Jaeden Martell and will air locally on CBS, Fox, and NBC this week, shows a young man holding a can of gasoline, a man grabbing a golf club from a shed, and a woman mixing a bowl of cat food—before their sinister intentions become clear. The video ends with a message urging people to keep cats safe by keeping them indoors.

“The great outdoors is simply not great for cats, who can be perceived as a nuisance and harmed in heartbreaking and horrific ways,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA encourages all guardians to provide their cats with a happy and interesting indoor life safe from predators, speeding cars, and the many other dangers of the outdoor world.”

In addition to enduring violence and abuse at the hands of cruel and intolerant people, cats allowed to roam outdoors—as well as homeless ones fed regularly by people who somehow believe that the animals don’t need other care—are at risk of contracting parasites or potentially fatal diseases, being attacked by predators or run over by cars, and encountering other hazards. PETA notes that cats kept indoors need to be physically and mentally stimulated with a view, toys, climbing structures, scratching posts, cat TV, and other enrichment. The group offers a catio-building guide as well as a “cat guardian’s bible” written by PETA President Ingrid Newkirk that’s full of tips and available for purchase here.

PETA’s video series, which depicts other examples of cat-killing cases, is also running in Blaine, Minnesota, where alandlord allegedly poisoned cats who were being fed by a tenant on his property; Dayton, Ohio, where a kitten was intentionally set on fire; El Paso, Texas, where a man reportedly stomped on a cat and stabbed her with a screwdriver; Lebanon, Oregon, where a cat was shot multiple times after being allowed to roam outdoors unsupervised; and Pequea Township, Pennsylvania, where a cat was shot in the head with a metal arrow. Many more cases are detailed on PETA’s website.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.