Charles Jannuzi, who currently lives in Japan shared that the Doritos commercial brings back bad memories for him and his cat Sebastian who was rescued from an abusive situation.
“First, he was a kept cat who was abandoned. Then some people in the neighborhood where he had to live threw rocks at him and injured him. Someone was trying to poison him when I brought him inside. That was because he had been living in an abandoned house near campus and the real estate people had decided to get rid of the cats and knock down the building,” said Jannuzi.
The Doritos commercial especially struck a raw cord with Steve Hendrickson and his girlfriend from Missouri after they saw the ad.
“My girlfriend recently lost her cat. She cried for over a week. She’s just now starting to get over it and then she sees that commercial. What started out as a fun evening quickly turned into a very depressing night. She became very quiet and barely said a word,” Your commercial reminded her of her cat and brought back all of the painful memories of it’s death,” said Hendrickson.
One signer of the petition also mentioned their painful memory of losing a cat to a dog attack and found the Doritos ad very horrifying.
“It hit me hard. I just had two pit bulls come up on my porch last week and killed one of my rescue ferals. She had a broken leg for 2 years,and was laying on my heated blanket. In 7 years I could never touch her. I caught her after 5 years, and about 25 batches of kittens I rescued and found homes for. She didn’t stand a chance to get away from these dogs.I live in a subdivision.The owners are responsible. But seeing this commercial was hard to swallow,” said J. Skinner from South Carolina.
Sandra Steinberg of Virginia also shared a similar story with that of Mr. Skinner’s.
“I lost a cat to 2 dogs who were owned but allowed to roam freely through the neighborhood in the early morning hours. They also killed my neighbor’s cat. It wasn’t funny. It was heartbreaking and unnecessary. That owner should have had his fictive dog under control. The ad is cruel and insensitive,” she added.
The ad didn’t just affect cat lovers but those who have a fondness for all animals.
“This commercial really upset me. Several years ago we lost a ferret, posted signs,and started receiving crank calls (use your imagination). The Doritos commercial brought back those ugly memories,” said Sandy Kay who lives in Arizona.
Some of those that signed the petition were quick to point out how the Doritos commercial could impact our youth and seems to give them the affirmation that killing a cat or abusing an animal is acceptable. Dr. Elizabeth Flum a mental health councilor in Ohio who works with delinquent youth says children could get a very negative message from the Doritos ad.
“Many of these young men have little feeling for animals, particularly cats. Over many years I have seen a link between cruelty to animals and violence toward other humans. I find the Doritos commercial offensive because it trivializes the suffering and death of a cat,” she said.
Barbara Roe who lives in Kansas says the Doritos ad not only advocates that killing a cat is ok but also can put dogs in a bad light and that it perpetuates the stereotype that all dogs are bad.
“In the past I had both a cat and a dog who adored each other and played happily together. The dog was a 60 pound German Shepherd Dog/Australian Cattle Dog and the cat was a 15 pound domestic shorthair she could have killed with one bite, but she didn’t because they regarded each other as brother and sister. She was his baby sister and if someone accidentally stepped on her toe and she yelped the cat came running to see if she were alright. In his last illness the cat watched over the dog because she had hurt her leg, until he was so ill he had to be euthanized. She mourned her big brother so badly that it contributed to her own last illness and euthanasia less than five months later. Dogs and cats can live in harmony and love. The idea of a dog killing a cat in a commercial is repulsive,” Roe said strongly.
Though critics of the boycott have stated that the Doritos ad is funny and suggested that those that support it are crazy or just plain being ridiculous, Nohl Rosen of Cat Galaxy which started the boycott had a different view.
“There’s nothing funny about killing a cat or animal abuse. The commercial clearly sent a message that it’s acceptable. That’s just plain wrong and it’s a shame that some have become so desensitized to the issue of animal cruelty,” Rosen said.
The petition to have the Doritos commercial removed from the airwaves has reached over 1,800 signatures.
You can find the petition to have the Doritos commercial removed at the following address: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/doritos-commercial-is-offensive-to-cats-cat-lovers/
Cat Galaxy is an internet radio and TV station for cats based in Phoenix, AZ. You can find them online at www.catgalaxymedia.com.
Cat lovers will certainly have something to meow and purr about as Cat Galaxy airs its newest series this Summer called The Street Cats Of Phoenix: The Cats Of Safe Haven. The show which will air on the station’s internet TV for cats will give an inside look at 
The commercials during the Super Bowl are always in plentiful supply, but one in particular has cat lovers hissing and spitting, and rightfully so. One commercial that aired during this year’s Super Bowl shows a dog bribing its owner about a missing and now presumed killed cat. The dog then continues to bury the cat’s collar into the ground where the cat’s body is now presumed to be. The owner then looks at a sign that shows a picture of the missing cat. The dog then hands the human a note with a bag of Doritos that says “YOU DIDN’T SEE NUTHIN.” The human smiles and accepts the bribe. No doubt this type of commercial is indeed offensive especially to those that not only love cats but also that feel animal abuse or the killing of a cat is no laughing matter.