Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Other Animal welfare issues & petitons => Other Animal Petitions & Welfare & News => Topic started by: MrsR on August 05, 2008, 18:18:58 PM
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I've been sent this information from Nottingham Animal rights group:-
Asda are selling cat toys made from real fur (made by Hartz). These are in the shape of little mice and are made from rabbit fur. Please contact Adsa and complain. I found them today in Bromborough , Wirral store so they are probably in other stores around the country.
call 0845 300 1111.
or e mail them on the following link: http://www.asda.co.uk/corp/customer_service/contact_us.html
Info from CAFT about this subject below:
Rabbit fur comes from two sources - rabbits raised specifically for their fur, and rabbits raised primarily for their meat. The conditions in which the animals are raised (usually factory farming where they are crammed into bare wire cages and denied the ability to perform natural behaviours such as jump, run or dig) are similar, as is their death. Death is usually by neck-breaking or the throat being slit. The rabbits will also suffer when being transported between farm and market and / or slaughter, and are often roughly handled.
In Britain it is illegal to breed animals solely or primarily for their fur. Therefore most fur, including some rabbit fur, sold in Britain is produced in a way that would be illegal in this country.
Some people may think that if the fur is a 'by-product' of the meat trade then its use is acceptable. But one must consider the suffering of the animals whatever the purpose of that suffering. We don't need toys made from real fur so how can the use of rabbit fur be justified? The use of real fur financially supports the ways in which the animals are raised and killed. It also promotes the general use of real fur - the fur trade kills 40 million animals a year worldwide, breeding them in barren cages where they go mad and mutilate themselves, or trapping them in vicious leg hold traps where many try to escape by gnawing off their own limbs. The use of rabbit fur for these toys is no different. By buying any real fur these are the acts that you are paying for.
With such an abundance of high quality synthetic materials there is no need to use real animal fur The Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade opposes the use of all animal fur. We believe that the suffering and death of animals cannot be justified to supply such a trade.
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Email sent - I'm sure Asda isn't the only shop. Lots of small pet shops sell Hartz products. Another even more worrying thing iis these things are likely to be made in China. They often label things as made from Rabbit fur when they are often made from Cat fur! >:(
I have seen videos that haunt me showing what a sick and barbaric country it is.
This is my email below.
"Hartz Cat Toys made from Rabbit fur
I have been made aware via a cat forum that Asda are selling Hartz cat toys made from real rabbit fur. I will not buy toys for my cats made from real fur, nor will I shop at places that sell products like this. This information is being passed to as many animal welfare and pet related websites as possible. I will not shop at Asda until I hear this item has been withdrawn."
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I shall drop a note to my contact at The Grocer (the trade magazine) tomorrow.
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Brilliant thanks guys x
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The Da furry attachment and fur balls in the purrs shop are rabbit fur. I got the fur balls thinking they were synthetic but theres no mistaking the feel of bunny hair.
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One of the animal sites says fake fur can be really convincing but do the match test to be sure.
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The Da furry attachment and fur balls in the purrs shop are rabbit fur. I got the fur balls thinking they were synthetic but theres no mistaking the feel of bunny hair.
Send Tan a PM, Den, and see what she says.
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They are real, initially they werent stocked because of that but they are now.
Please note this toy as with all the Da bird range is made in USA. Products use materials from byproducts of the USA catering industry. This fur is from rabbit fur and is your choice to purchase this product
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I know the Da furry is labelled as rabbit fur, but the fur balls aren't. Will let Tan know.
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Email through from Notts AR to all members:-
The Adsa customer services manager who I spoke to yesterday about the real fur cat toys phoned to tell me they have spoken to the distributors of this product, distributors are called Deeset, who have spoken to Hartz, Hartz have denied it is real fur. I KNOW this is real fur. I have spoken to Respect for Animals who are going to test it for me to verify it, so went back to Asda to purchase one and have sent the toy today to Respect for Animals If Hartz are lying, which they are, we can go to Trading Standards about it and expose it. I will await the report from Respect for Animals and let everyone know the results. I know real fur when I see it! If anyone sees this cat toy anywhere else can you let me know. It is called Swipe & Sway and is attached to a cardboard card and usually hung up around the cat food aisle, it has the fur mouse attached to a ball.
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bad enough to do it but too gutless to admit it - nice operators ... >:(
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If they are made in China, they are likely to be made from any available fur :scared:
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Hopefully Notts AR will go to Trading Standards once comfirmed - I am sur ethey will - will keep you updated.
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Done x
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[nar] FW: ASDA FUR CAT TOYS - RESULT!!
From: nar-owner@lists.riseup.net on behalf of Angie Wright (angie@angiewright.co.uk)
Subject: ASDA FUR CAT TOYS - RESULT!!
Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2008 2:49 PM
Subject: ASDA FUR CAT TOYS - RESULT!!
Dear All,
Have had a call first thing this morning from a Mr Dowle, General Manager of Hartz UK , to tell me he was very sorry to have given wrong information to the distributors of this toy yesterday re the toys not being real fur as he has subsequently found out that the cat toys I cited were indeed real fur!!!
He has told me that he has instructed the buyers at Asda to remove them all from sale. He told me his suppliers (in China) had been told that Hartz would not take any real fur toys only synthetic and this product had been a mistake. I advised him to get some more ethical suppliers as the suppliers are obviously dealing in fur products as well as synthetic and he said he would look at that.
He was most apologetic and he stated Hartz would not sell any fur toys in the UK. I asked him to e mail me confirming all this but he has not done this so far.
I also got a confirmation from Respect for Animals that the toys are definitely real fur.
If anyone does see any Hartz real fur toys please let me know.
Many thanks to everyone for reacting to this.
Kathy
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Did they say what kind of fur or just that it was real? In china cat and dog fur is actually cheaper than rabbit so they label it wrong on purpose :sick:
A good result ;D
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Did they say what kind of fur or just that it was real? In china cat and dog fur is actually cheaper than rabbit so they label it wrong on purpose :sick:
A good result ;D
Just real but I have emailed them to double check
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Great result,
It's a shame they say they won'y supply real fur toys "In the UK" - which probably means they will sell them elsewhere :tired:
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Email just received from Asda
Thank you for your message.
Thanks for taking the time to contact ASDA in relation to the cat toy that contained real fur.
We have a very clear policy only to sell synthetic fur products in our stores, and would never knowingly sell any product made from real fur.
As soon as we discovered this branded pet toy contained real rather than synthetic fur, it was immediately withdrawn from sale.
We're taking this matter up with our supplier to ensure this can never happen again and I would like to sincerely apologise for any upset this has caused you.
I hope this response proves how much we care about animal welfare and restores your faith in ASDA.
Thanks again for contacting ASDA and if there is anything else I can help with, please let me know.
Regards
Phil Richardson
ASDA Service Team
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Yes, I'm not surprised by that swift response from Asda. Good for them! Please keep us posted re Hartz.
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Although I believe Walmart/Asda still hold the title of least ethical supermarket?
http://www.ciwf.org.uk/supermarkets/index.asp
I think they should get it up to date as if our local Sainsbury's is anything to go by, their free-range choice is much smaller lately and they keep selling factory farmed at silly low prices.
Anyway, one small step. The market for fur has to be taken away from China. Evil place! >:(
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I only just read this. I was shopping at Asda yesterday and didn't see any of these cat toys but then again, i wasn't looking. I'm disgusted that real fur was being sold in Asda but at least it's being resolved.