Urgent From PETA: Cruel—and Criminal—to Leave Animals in Hot Cars

For Immediate Release:
June 12, 2019

Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382

Following recent reports that seven cats died and several others had to be rescued after being left in a hot car in Guyandotte, PETA is issuing an urgent warning about the importance of never leaving animals in hot vehicles. Since last year, there have been at least 71 hot weather–related animal deaths—and these are just the ones that have been reported. Most aren’t.

On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to 100 degrees in just minutes, and on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 109 degrees in less than 10 minutes. Cats and dogs—who can’t cool themselves by sweating—can rapidly succumb to heatstroke, even if a vehicle is parked in the shade with the windows slightly open, which has little to no effect on lowering the temperature inside.

Anyone who leaves an animal to bake to death in a vehicle could face felony cruelty charges.

If you see an animal left alone in a hot car, call local humane authorities or the police. Don’t leave the scene until the situation has been resolved. If the authorities are unresponsive or too slow and the animal’s life appears to be in imminent danger, find a witness (or several) who will back up your assessment. Then remove him or her from the car and wait for authorities to arrive. PETA offers an emergency window-breaking hammer for help intervening in these life-or-death situations.

PETA has released a hot-car public service announcement featuring Mckenna Grace. For more information, visit PETA.org.