People for Animal Rights posts the note below from the Humane Society of the U.S. as a response to the many concerned people who have e-mailed us about the Bonsai Kitten web site. One of the problems with this hoax is that it takes time away from real situations in which animals are treated cruelly. We encourage people to spend their time and energy on many of the real life situations in which animals suffer and die needlessly because they are used for food, clothing, experimentation or entertainment. Thank you.

BONSAI KITTEN IS A HOAX: In recent months, we have been deluged with emails from concerned citizens regarding the “Bonsai Kitten” website, a prank website created to incite anger among animal lovers. The Bonsai Kitten website has been very successful in doing exactly what its creator intended: to provoke millions and millions of animal lovers into publicizing its existence across the globe. While the website has successfully shocked and upset throngs of animal lovers, it is important to make clear to the public that no animals were actually harmed in the creation of this website. Any continued attention on website is actually more harmful than it is helpful, feeding directly into the prankster’s game.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: If you receive an email about the Bonsai Kitten website, please do NOT pass it along, as publicizing its existence will only further fuel its creator’s sick intentions. For more information on this topic, see: http://www.hsus.org/programs/companion/bonsai_kitten.html