Group files complaint against Nestle/Purina after cat killed in cleaning device
Media Coverage About SAEN Stop Animal Exploitation Now

ACTION ALERT:

Contact:

Dr. Elizabeth Goldentyer
Director, USDA, Eastern Region
(919) 855-7100
[email protected]
[email protected]

SAMPLE MESSAGE:

Please LEVY a MAXIMUM FINE against Nestle-Purina for their blatant disregard of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) when their negligence boiled a cat alive. This behavior must NOT be tolerated and MUST be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

 

Group files complaint against Nestle/Purina after cat killed in cleaning device
By Stephanie Baumer, KMOV.com, September 6, 2017

A watchdog group is calling for the maximum penalty to be sought against Nestle/Purina after a cat died while inside an enclosure, saying the car was “horrifically boiled alive” at the laboratory.

According to the Ohio-based national watchdog dog “Stop Animal Exploitation Now!” (SAEN), in a federal report from the Department of Agriculture inspection of Aug. 8, 2017, a large gray cat was negligently killed when it went through a boiling hot cage washer.

“The cat, which was dark gray, went unnoticed by the staff when the cats were placed back in the open room,” read a portion of the inspection report cited by SAEN. “The large, dark gray holding/transport device was then sent to the enclosure wash. Upon completion of the cleaning cycle, the cat was found deceased in the enclosure.”

SAEN filed an official complaint with the USDA in which they called for the maximum penalty of $10,000 per infraction/per animal.

The inspection report from the USDA states that after the incident, the facility "acted promptly and appropriately" and "conducted an immediate investigation and implemented immediate changes to their animal enclosure and room cleaning procedures." The report also states that certain standard operating procedures were modified to ensure it would not happen again.

On Wednesday, Nestle Purina released the following statement:

We are deeply saddened that this unfortunate accident occurred. We are pet owners too and we care for all our pets. Their welfare is our top priority.

We self-reported the situation to the United States Department of Agriculture and took immediate steps to ensure our procedures eliminated future potential for this type of accident. This included updating our process and re-training all employees.

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