A new twist on the popular Facebook Ice Bucket Challenge, which raises money for Lou Gehrig’s Disease, has animal rights activists up in arms, legs and paws alike.
The trend, which started amongst celebrities and athletes and spread to Facebook, involves the participants dumping a bucket of ice or ice water over their heads and posting a video of it online to openly challenge their friends and foes to do the same.
If challenged and you don’t do it, you’re supposed to donate to charity. The campaign has raised over $13 million dollars for the ALS Association in the last two months.
The newest twist to the challenge is only three days old, and so far it’s raised an additional $64.75. It involves getting your cat in on the action, or your neighbor’s cat, or the neighborhood stray, or just any old cat in general.
Originated by 14-year-old Sam Teeter of Omaha, Nebraska after he got in a fight with his sister, the newest challenge is similar to the old challenge. Dump a bucket of water or ice over the head of a cat, video tape it, post it on social media, and proclaim yourself a philanthrophist on Facebook.
Those who do not play along are supposed to donate to the ALS. The young Sam Teeter volunteered his sister’s cat, Mittens for the game and his video has been viewed over 400,000 times on Youtube. But many have objected to the new challenge, insisting that it’s a form of animal cruelty since the cats can’t consent to the act. Not to mention the fact that cats usually hate water.
The ASPCA has issued the following statement in response: “The Ice Bucket Challenge for Cats is cruel and inhumane. While donating to the ALS Association is a good cause, we do not condone the improper treatment of animals for any cause.”
“I don’t see what the big deal is,” said Charlie Sanford of Williamsburg, Iowa. “My dog did it and he loved it.”
But others pet owners disagree. “I would like to contribute to the cause but my cat Sparkles clawed me so bad when I poured water over her head, I can barely afford the gauze and triple anti-biotic,” commented Michigan resident Sandra Moore.
“I am boycotting it,” said Carrie Froehlich of Illinois, owner of 6 cats and 2 birds. “No way could I bring myself to harm my pets for some disease only baseball players get.
“If my cat liked cold water poured on his head, he would go out in the rain,” added Tony Greyson of Seattle, Washington, as he pulled a ten dollar bill out of his pocket to donate anyway.
There has yet to be any formal charges come against those who perform the Ice Bucket Challenge on their cats, and there are likely to be none as long as the game stays relatively harmless and videos posted online don’t go to extremes. But the animal activist community is keeping a watchful eye out for those who cross the line. After all, it’s like George W. Bush said, shortly after former First Lady Laura dumped cold water over his head.
“It’s no big deal. It’s not like being water boarded or anything.”
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How did these three $%&#* Hari Rama ads get on here?
PLEASE DONT DUMP THE COLD WATER OVER YOUR HEADS I HAVE A MUCH BETTER IDEA. BEFORE YOU DUMP THE WATER OVER THE CAT YOU MUST FIRST USE THE SAME WATER FOR YOURSELF. JUST HOLD YOUR HEAD UNDER THE WATER FOR SIX OR SEVEN MINUTES. EIGHT IF YOU ARE SUPERIOR. THEN USE THE SAME WATER FOR THE CAT. HECK YOU CAN USE IT ON ANY OF MY CATS OR MY DISABLED MOTHER. IF YOU BY CHANCE SUFFER FROM BRAIN DAMAGE FROM HOLDING YOUR HEAD UNDER WATER, DONT WORRY. i DOUBT IF ANYONE WILL EVER NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE. THE ONLY THING I DUMP ON MY CATS HEAD IS A BUCKET OF LOVE. HOWEVER DOGS ARE DOGS AND MINE ARE MANIACS. HALF WOULD LOVE WARM WATER, BUT THEY ALL WOULD LOVE IT IF I DROP A TOFURKY ON THEIR HEADS. COMMENTS WELCOME CUZ IN MY MIND THERE IS ONLY BLACK AND WHITE, RIGHT AND WRONG.
“Many have objected to the new challenge, insisting that it’s a form of animal cruelty since the cats can’t consent to the act.”
I’m sceptical about this unproven assertion; a lot of people claim without the merest shred of evidence that farm animals supposedly can’t consent to zoophilia. Most people who bandy about such ludicrous accusations are not in the position of ever testing their speculative hypotheses; or so one might be led to believe.
I Seriously think whomever thinks it is funny to dump water or anything else on an animal is an idiot. I wish all people and animals to be healthy and happy but not at the expense of God’s beautiful creatures. I do Not believe in research on animals or babies and certainly do not think it is funny to throw ice water on unsuspecting animals that you susposedly have brought in to your home as members of your family to love, or strays that people have tossed out like they don’t matter any more. Any one who harms a person or an animal deserves to be punished not rewarded. Please do not give their videos “hits” or acknowledge them in any positive way. God Bless all who stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.
This is the most stupid thing I have ever heard! What a childish and immature “competition”! I would expect something like this from badly brought up teenagers, but certainly not from adults in their right mind. I don’t care whether people say their pet “took it like a champ”, it’s animal abuse! Do it to yourself if you feel like it, but don’t subject your pets to this, they cannot object and they certainly don’t appreciate it!!! What utter stupidity!!!
My cat did it and took it like a champ!
Cruelty? You're a pussy! Pussy!
Animal cruelty?!?! More like Pussification of America!
Some retrograde clockworks orange wannabe shot my dog. Wish I could dump ice water on his head right now. He was a good dog.
Anyone who would do that to an animal isn't fit to have a pet & shouldn't be allowed to keep animals.
OK,OK!
We threw ice buckets over the writer of this SATIRICAL (!!!!!!!) article until they repented and joined Islam and promised they wouldn’t throw ice buckets over harmless little kitties anymore even though the photo for the article is really funny.
P.S. did you notice the word SATIRICAL? (!!!!!!!!!)
Absolutely Brian! Finally a voice of reason amid all this animal rights chatter and gnashing of teeth. Pets are purchased, right? OK sometimes adopted but so were street urchins turned pick pockets in the 1800’s. It is the natural order for humans to do whatever they want with animals. And orphans. They can’t vote.
Baseball players dying of a disease that dumping ice on the heads of animals could prevent is an exercise in stupidity. And that just hacks me off.
I agree! So stupid! Now I hear pet owners are doing the animal ice bucket challenge, but NOT uploading videos to YouTube! Baseball players are DYING of this disease people, do you even CARE about that?
God gave us dominion over the animals. They are ours to ice-bucket challenge, but if we don’t do it to raise awareness, we’re just nipping them out for no reason.
Won’t you think about the baseball fans? Seriously people, it’s not rocket surgery.
There is no excuse for cruelty to animals & you wouldn't like to see what I'd do to anyone who did that to my fur baby. What a bunch of morons.
It is just like MDA telethons. I am 68 years old and I remember them going on when I was just a little kid. They have killed lots of animals and have not found a cure for any disease. No animal should be tortured by research and testing for any human disease. ST. Judes, March of Dimes, Shriners, all of them fund testing on animals and hundreds of thousands of animals have died for nothing. They have not found cures for anything.
You are so right Julie McCoy. ALS is a terrible disease but testing on animals is not going to cure it and all of these ALS and other disease charities do fund animal research and testing. I will not give a red cent to any disease organization. And that stupid kid ought to be charged with animal cruelty for what he did.
This actually makes a lot of sense to me. All the ice bucket challenge haters are mad because their fb feed is full of ibc videos instead of cat videos, so this kinda kills two birds with one stone, so to speak.
WTF????
Lets all follow the lead of some pimple faced pubescent punk. If any “adult” does this they should have their brain examined next time they go for in for a colonoscopy.
I'll support animal's before anything else they never get the help they SO much deserve!!!
Someone needs to educate that kid on what is cruelty to animals.
i hope the little sh*thead, sam teeter, gets buckets of ice dumped on him everywhere he goes! now THAT would b funny
You can't fix stupid
No one said the writer of the article said that. I personally mentioned the individual responsible for that idiotic statement in my comment.
Please don't let the actions a few idiots prevent you from contributing to a very worthy cause.
This is getting out of hand. Please dump the cold water and ice over your own head! Not a innocent and helpless/voiceless cat or dog! With that being said, don't change up the challenge cause its going to a great cause for charity. This is the work of evil for getting cats and/or dogs involved. Don't let a good cause for charity get a bad wrap because of some ignorant asshole that would rather dump a bucket of ice and water on an animal instead of him or herself.
Starting to?
I am starting to question the people who read this site……..
The writer of the article did not say that only baseball players get the disease, Carrie Froehlich, of Illinois did. The article is not against donating to the cause, it is against unwitting animals getting doused with icy cold water, especially cats. That is the point. What Carrie F believes or does not believe about ALS is sad, but off the point.
Its not a big deal ?! Animal cruelty is a big deal… says a lot about you as a person ! Besides, people are wasting ice and water… do u know how far some people and even children walk to get water in some parts of the world ? If its about donations, just sign a check without all this craziness. You can spread awareness about Lou gehrig's disease in other ways…. my cousin passed away last year due to this illness.
This is simply too stupid for words. If people want to pour icy water over their heads- so be it- do not do this to any animal, it is shocking to them, it is freezing and it is cruel. Please stop the madness.
Disease only baseball players get?? What an effing idiot! A man I helped take care of for the past 3 years recently passed away after battling ALS for almost 20 years. He was not a baseball player. He was a US veteran. He helped fight so people like this vapid woman could have the freedom to be so damn stupid. I certainly don't condone animal cruelty; I help fight against it. But I also do not condone human ignorance and stupidity. Carrie Froehlich, educate yourself you dumb ass.
This is Cruelty to cats and dogs. Stupid Kids Adopt a Shelter
There are so many things wrong with this. In the first place,cats don't like water at the best of times and they don't understand that its for a "good cause". Freezing water is shocking and painful to me so I am guessing that my cat would think so too. I think the people are just too cowardly to do it themselves so they get their pets to take the "challenge" and pat themselves on the back for being good people. Yeah. Great job.
Only baseball players get? How absolutely lame !!!!
I’ve got an ice bucket challenge, but it involves politicians and shoving it where the sun don’t shine.
I won’t spend a Cent as Long as idiots are involved. Keep helpless animals out of this ! Or maybe it is funny if I put ice water on your human baby’s head? Again – I won’t spend a single Cent as Long as idiots are involved!
I won’t spend a Cent as Long as idiots are involved. Keep helpless animals out of this ! Or maybe it is funny if I put ice water on your human baby’s head? Again – I won’t spend a single Cent as Long as idiots are involved!