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IAMS IN SHOCK PULL-OUT FROM CAT SHOW AFTER UNCAGED CAMPAIGN

IAMS have pulled out of the Supreme Cat Show - the 'Crufts' of the cat world. IAMS' shock decision to cancel their booking for the first time follows a persistent, peaceful campaign by Uncaged, in protest at IAMS' cruelty to animals in lab tests.

Following our revelations of IAMS experiments on cats and dogs in 2001 (1), which made front page news in the national press, Uncaged have organised an international campaign and held information stalls at the annual Show calling for a boycott of IAMS pet food. Every year, the enormous and lavish IAMS stand has struggled to sell their tainted goods, as showgoers harangued the firm over the suffering they have inflicted on cats and other animals. Now, IAMS have thrown in the towel!

This development represents another David v Goliath victory for Uncaged. IAMS are part of the US-based multibillion dollar firm Procter & Gamble, who spend more on advertising in the UK than any other company.

Uncaged will press on with the boycott IAMS campaign with an educational stall (stand G19) at this year's show, which is held on Saturday 19th November at the Birmingham NEC. The grounds for the boycott remain: for example, it has recently emerged that IAMS are funding a university laboratory to breed cats for disease experiments. (2)

Dan Lyons, Uncaged Campaigns Director, comments:

"We've persisted with a compelling ethical case, backed up with documentary evidence of IAMS' cruelty, to persuade cat guardians to shun IAMS. The bottom line is that IAMS mutilate, disease and kill animals for the sake of selling their pet foods. For years, IAMS has tried to cultivate this market as a key way of promoting its products. Now, despite their increasingly desperate attempts to whitewash their cruel research practices, they seem to have admitted defeat in the face of a growing boycott and with their reputation in tatters. This is a heart-warming victory for conscientious ethical campaigning over ruthless greed."

The pressure now increases on Crufts organisers, the Kennel Club, to dump IAMS. Despite IAMS' cruel experiments on dogs, the Kennel Club continues to allow the company to sponsor Crufts, which takes place in early March.

FOOTNOTES:

1. For example, IAMS researchers cut open the stomachs of 28 cats to analyse the effects of feeding them fibre. The animals were operated on for at least two hours and then killed. (Bueno A. R. et al, "Feline colonic microbes and fatty acid transport: effects of feeding cellulose, beet pulp and pectin/gum arabic fibers", Nutrition Research, Vol. 20, No. 9, pp. 1319-1328, 2000.)
2. See p18 of document at:
   www.research.msstate.edu/Centers&Institutes/AnnualReport03-04.pdf

RELATED LINKS

• IAMS index
• IAMS exposé
• Global Boycott P&G
• Support for the campaign
• Pet food information sheet

Uncaged Campaigns 18.11.05

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