Press Releases

December 27, 2005
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Michelle Pintar
Phone: (414) 431-6104
E-mail: mpintar@wihumane.org

MEDIA ADVISORY

Smoking and Animals Don't Mix

MILWAUKEE – Many people will resolve to quit smoking in 2006. The Wisconsin Humane Society would like to remind people that second-hand cigarette smoke is not only a danger to smokers' two-legged family members, but also a threat to their furry animals as well.

For some time, veterinarians have known that second-hand cigarette smoke increases the risk of respiratory problems and cancer in companion animals. More scientific studies have come out supporting this point of view.

> A study done at Tufts University found that cats who lived in a home with a smoker were more than twice as likely to develop feline lymphoma cancer.

> The University of Massachusetts reports that dogs who live with a smoker have a 60 percent chance of developing lung cancer.

> While cigarette smoke affects furniture, rugs and curtains, it can also affect a companion animal's living quarters and get into his or her fur and skin. A cat's hair continuously traps large quantities of smoke particles. According to the University of Massachusetts, the cat sniffs and inhales these concentrated particles from his fur while grooming which leads to lymphoma in the nasal passages and intestines as well as the chest.

The Wisconsin Humane Society would like to encourage companion animal guardians to please consider the effects that their smoking may be having on all loved ones the next time they reach for a cigarette. Even if a smoker isn't ready to quit, the Wisconsin Humane Society urges them to consider limiting the areas where they smoke so that animals are not impacted.

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Note: To schedule an interview with a Wisconsin Humane Society veterinarian, contact Dezarae Jones Hartwig at (414) 431-6159
(Dec. 27) or Michele Tegen at (414) 431-6221 (Dec. 28-30).