Spread the Word: CATBOX Linden

Ok so i got sent this e-mail from Fur Free South Africa saying that someone went to Catbox in Linden and found a real fur toy for cats and that it was made out of a rabbit.

DISGUSTING RIGHT!?

So apparently a woman named Mrs Barbra Lotter...ah damn wait let me just show you:

Dear Fur Free members and caring South Africans everywhere,

Please note that Fur Free SA has placed another retail outlet on the Wall of Shame on our website: the Catbox in Linden, Johannesburg.

I was in the shop this past Saturday to buy cat and dog food, and noticed a toy mouse made of real fur. When I told the manager, Mrs Barbara Lotter, that the mouse was made of real fur, she said "I know, I know," and waved me away from her. "It is rabbit," she said, "and rabbits are vermin." When I tried to hand her our Fur Free flier, she kept saying "No, no," waving me off her.

I then told her politely that, if the product has been imported from the East (as most of these products are), there is a good chance that the animals had been skinned alive. Her answer was: "So what? They do it to snakes too." I then told her that we would have to blacklist the shop, and she made it clear that she didn't care. I had several witnesses to this exchange.

This person was not only unwilling to remove the real-fur product from her shelves, but she was completely unwilling to listen to the true facts behind the cruel fur trade or even to accept our Fur Free flier. However every day, this shop is making a living from selling products to animal lovers, many of whom would be horrified to know that their pet cat is playing with a toy probably made from real rabbit or cat or dog fur.

So our plea to you, the animal lover reading this, is firstly to let Catbox head-office know (politely) how you feel about this. Their e-mail address is arleco@mweb.co.za or catbox@mweb.co.za Also tell everyone on your database about the products sold by the Catbox in Linden, and visit every other Catbox in the region (see list below), to see whether they are perhaps also selling similar products. If you find other Catbox outlets selling real fur, please give the owner/manager a copy of our flier (attached). Ask them politely to remove the real fur from their shelves, and to ask their suppliers not to supply them with real fur in future.

If they refuse, please inform us regarding which Catbox you visited, and we will add that outlet to our Wall of Shame immediately. Members of Fur Free have been requesting various branches of Catbox to remove real fur from their shops for well over a year now, so they have had ample opportunity to do so.

We will also supply our entire database with the information as we receive it from you. As you know, we have around 500 animal lovers on this database, and I know that each of you have your own databases, so hopefully we will be able to reach a very large number of animal lovers within a very short time. Next year we will also begin to hold legal, official awareness events (flier-distribution days and protests) at various Catbox outlets, to inform the customers of Catbox of the products sold at the outlets.

Once we have a complete list of Catbox outlets selling real fur, we will also be contacting the manufacturers of products sold at the Catbox, and informing them that Fur Free will unfortunately not be able to buy their products from Catbox outlets selling real fur.

Of course if we are informed by Catbox head-office that their outlets will no longer be supplying real-fur items in future, we would be happy to move the Catbox to our Wall of Fame.

Until then, however, we will speak loudly and clearly for the voiceless!

Anneke Brits
Chairperson, Fur Free (South Africa)

Catbox outlets:

Randburg
140 Maria Str. c/o Catherine
011 793 4263

Edenvale
39 Third Str. c/o 7th Ave
011 454 3738

Fourways

Unit 7 Valleyview Centre

Campbell Rd

011 465 3684

Alberton

Brackengardens Shop. Centre

Hennie Alberts Str.

011 900 4390

Centurion

Gateway plaza, Old JHB Rd

012 661 4759

Montana

Calliandra Place, Calliandra Str

012 548 4586

Head Office & Warehouse

Tel: 011 793 1918

Fax: 011 792 3689

E-mail: arleco@rnweb.co.za

Now what i have done is sent an e-mail out to the WTF people of Catbox -

From: Kelly-Leigh Blignaut

To: arleco@mweb.co.za
Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2010 8:41 AM
Subject: Re: Complaint

Hi

My name is Kelly-Leigh and I was told that your store Catbox in Linden has a few questionable toys.

I am absolutely disappointed at Catbox Linden.

I lived in the Linden area and have now moved, majority of my friends are still in the same area. I was absolutely shocked to know that this was happening in my home town.

I was told that you have a toy mouse made of real fur from a rabbit, I'm not to sure if you are aware of this or if you even understand the seriousness of this toy. But I've attached some video footage of the skinning of animals and also a site that tells you all the information that you need.

http://www.peta.org/issues/Animals-Used-for-Clothing/inside-the-fur-industry-factory-farms.aspx - these are the facts

http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/video.asp?video=china_cruel_fur_industry_peta&Player=wm - and this is the video.

I have always loved going into your fully stocked shop where it was a pleasure to come to, however to find out that you support the fur industry, i was disgusted.

My question to you is -

HOW CAN YOU RUN A STORE WHERE ANIMAL LOVERS SHOP YET SELL THEM THE LIVES OF LIVING CREATURES THEY CARE ABOUT?

You see the funny thing is if those animal lovers found out that you are ok with supporting animal abuse, the pleasant shopping to the regular Catbox will now be discriminated against due to your abstract views and your clients wont be your clients anymore.

I have a group that is in fact posing naked for a anti fur shoot on the 30 October 2010 and the photo's will be sent over sea's, they are going to PETA the non-profit organisation. They are done professionally and this event is a very serious day for us.

Fur Free South Africa has already blacklisted your store after a very rude lady named Mrs Barbara Lotter gave them full reason as to why your shop doesn't care if its rabbit skins as according to her " ....they are just vermin"

I on the other hand am hoping to come to a decent conclusion of this matter as i feel that you deserve a chance.

You see the funny thing about animal lovers is that we all stick together, even when it comes to our NPO's ( non-profit organisations). We take living beings lives very seriously...I received an e-mail about this situation that I'm sure has been spread far and wide.

I'm not threatening you at all, I'm asking you desperately not to stock any forms of fur, please.

I decided to send you an e-mail first as i don't feel i need to concern my 273 animal loving members about your Catbox in Linden until we can sort something out ourselves.

Please can you take my request to heart.

Kind Regards and Thanks
Kelly-Leigh Blignaut.

Yup so that's the deal -

I received a reply however i didn't feel very happy with it...yes it did say that he would look into it thoroughly and that they didn't support the fur industry, however i just don't feel happy with it.....they should do more...and plus I'm angry that they had it in there in the first place...he said that they discontinued it a year ago......

Ok so correct me if I'm wrong...WHY WOULD YOU SELL FUR ITEMS IN A PET STORE?

Are they nuts...cant people see that if you own a dog you are an animal lover so therefore you cant be discriminatory about it...and therefore you shouldn't support skinning animals alive!

ARG it makes me so mad!

So i decided to tell you all on my blog about it and then if i don't get an updated response by tomorrow i will let everyone know on facebook about this and i will tell all the other society's i know...

YOU CANNOT RATIONALLY SELL DEAD ANIMAL SKIN TO PEOPLE WHO LOVE ANIMALS?

So in the meantime can all of you please send a 'sort of polite' e-mail to them - arleco@mweb.co.za or catbox@mweb.co.za