Lennox the kitty wants to live – write and email to save Lennox

Empty Cages Collective

Thank you very much for your email regarding Lenox. We are happy to report that the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) authorized Animal Care & Control of NYC’s (AC&C) to release Lenox from our care recently. She has been placed with one of our New Hope partners. The group will provide the care Lenox needs until she is eventually placed into a loving and permanent home through their own adoption process.

About the New Hope Program

The New Hope program is AC&C’s proactive community initiative aimed at finding homes for New York City’s unwanted pet population. To accomplish this, AC&C establishes and cultivates mutually-beneficial and productive relationships with cat, dog and exotic animal placement organizations that assist and partner with AC&C in placing animals, many of which may require specialized medical care or behavior training. New Hope partners take ownership of AC&C animals and care for them in shelters, foster homes, boarding facilities, and/or their own private facilities prior to placing them in permanent homes through their own adoption processes. For more information about the New Hope program please go to http://nycacc.org/newhope.htm .

For more information about AC&C and the work we do, please visit our website at http://www.nycacc.org

Thank you again for contacting us.

Sincerely,

Richard Gentles


Please write to save Lennox; you may use the sample letter, but your own words is preferable.


BACKGROUND | SOURCE EMPTY CAGES COLLECTIVE

Lennox (A0924675 to NYCACC) is a nice cat.  He, like many nice cats, enjoys being scratched, pet and rubbing up against a human friend. Lennox does not like being treated like a disposable object, instead of the individual sentient being he is.

Lennox was surrendered to NYC Animal Care & Control after he allegedly “attacked” someone.  There is no information (or investigation) into what happened in the moments leading up to the supposed attack (was their mishandling? a stepped on tail? was the cat cornered by a stranger?)–yet Lennox is now scheduled to be killed by NYC Animal Care & Control and NYC Department of Health for no good reason.  No rescue organization or adopter is currently permitted to save Lennox due to this archaic ruling by Department of Health and NYC Animal Care & Control.

Lennox was never neutered so its no surprise that he may have acted “aggressively” in a moment of stress or mishandling.  North Shore Animal League America writes: “Neutering decreases aggressive behavior.” American Humane Association reports, “Neutering of male cats can prevent certain undesirable sexual behaviors, such as urine marking, male aggression…”  So while its common knowledge that neutering reduces aggression and would be behaviorally beneficial for Lennox… DOH and NYC ACC plan on killing him instead of neutering him.

According to NYC Animal Care & Control own records Lennox is a “beginner cat”: a cat so friendly, outgoing and sweet that NYC ACC believes he would be a good match for a new cat guardian rather than an experienced cat guardian.  Furthermore, according to NYC ACC’s own documents Lennox behavior includes: “”headbutting, sniffs, soft+relaxed, front of cage, NO AGGRESSION”.  Yet NYC ACC is not advocating for Lennox.  They are just passively accepting this unjust death sentence and willingly to act out this abuse against poor Lennox.

Lennox is scheduled to be killed any day now.  Maybe even tomorrow.

Please write and email ASAP to save Lennox.  Lennox can be killed at NYC ACC at anytime.


WHOM TO CONTACT

Email block

TFarley@health.nyc.gov , MMerlino@health.nyc.gov , ntorres3@health.nyc.gov , jbank@nycacc.or

Individual

Thomas Farley, M.D.
Commissioner, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
125 Worth Street, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10013
Tel: (212) 788-5261,
Fax: (212) 964-0472
 TFarley@health.nyc.gov

Mario Merlino Assistant Commissioner,
Veterinary and Pest Control Services
 MMerlino@health.nyc.gov

 Norma S. Torres
Director, Veterinary Public Health Services
 ntorres3@health.nyc.gov
Julie Bank
Executive Director,Animal Care and Control, Inc.
11 Park Place, 8th floor, New York, NY 10007
jbank@nycacc.or


SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Commissioner Farley, Assistant Commissioner Merlino, Director Torres, and Executive Director Bank:

I am writing to ask that you do not kill Lennox (A0924675 to NYCACC), a cat who has an received unfair and irresponsible label of being dangerous. There is no solid evidence linking Lennox to an injury, but which could be as the result of his tail being stepped on or other understandable occurrence. Lennox also has not been neutered, but once he is, his attitude will be considerably more gentle and proven less aggressive.

Lennox, like other cats, enjoys attention and is quite a lovely adoption to even a new cat guardian. I beg that you save his life, Lennox is deserving of a fair and just response, which can only be by preserving his life rather than destroying it.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

NAME

Lennox (A092467)
is just a small cat
not a puma or tiger
so what was this
“attack”?
this not neutered
probably frightened
little guy
reacted out of fear
you want to kill him
but why???
as his behaviors have shown
he is loving, soft and sweet
yet ACC does not think
their standards he meets
for being rehomed
LEAVE THIS INNOCENT CAT
ALONE

Karen Lyons Kalmenson