Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month: Shop for Animal Rights

April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month and I know you have been meaning to celebrate. Don't feel bad, this month is flying by for all of us.

It's not over yet, though, which means you still have time to act. Not sure what to do? Not to worry, I anticipated this dilemma and have taken care of the problem for you.

You don't have to go out in public and spray neon paint on people wearing leather in order to contest animal cruelty. There is no need to freak out little kids at McDonalds with gruesome stories about where the Chicken Nuggets they are ingesting came from. Nobody said you had to sneak into a science lab at 4am and free all the monkeys, though that would undoubtedly evoke quite an awesome rush.

You can support animals' rights in little ways and still make a difference toward the cause. That's not to say you cannot participate in the more radical types of animal rights activism. In fact if that is more your style, go for it, stand up for what you believe in and perhaps the article titled, "Controversial Clothing for Animal Rights" may be more appropriate for you. The point is that there are less aggressive ways to promote your beliefs too.

One simple way to show your respect and friendship toward animals is to express your opinions through clothing. Many organizations sell cruelty free merchandise to promote animal rights themes and many of these vendors use the profits to benefit the cause.

If you support animal rights in any capacity, why not devote at least a portion of your shopping to support stores with related values?

Whether you decide to support animal rights through your shopping habits regularly, or just once a year to honor Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, you will note there are quite a few merchants to choose from.

In honor of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, here are some examples of cool related clothing products to help you pledge your animal rights support. (Note that the below cruelty product listings are limited to more subtle expressions of animal rights activism. If you prefer to engage in a more edgy or controversial expression of this cause, read "Controversial Clothing for Animal Rights" at Associated Content.)

In Defense of Animals Black Hoodies
In Defense of Animals offers two styles of black hoodies to show your support for the organization and the causes they stand behind. Hoodies are unisex in style/size, come in black with white lettering and cost $39. Opt for the Anti-Fur theme or the general IDA logo. Both look equally as cool. Get it here

Food is to Eat, Animals Are to Love T Shirt
Natural Nirvana sells a women's T-Shirt for supporters of animal rights that gets the point across in a fun, less politically aggressive way. The fitted shirt comes in white with colorful images of food and animals on the front. $16.95 each

Listen to Your Heart. Go Vegetarian
Spread the word about vegetarianism with a 2 in 1 slogan. This item by Pangea Vegan Products features the above phrase framing a big red heart with a lifeline through its center on your choice of multiple shirt styles. Prices start at $14.95 and vary according to style, size and color. Pangea promises all products are sweatshop free and cruelty free. Get it here

Vegetarian Kid Onesie
Pangea also offers a white child's onesie reading "Another happy, healthy vegetarian kid" with a colorful drawing to represent humans and animals sharing the planet in peace. This item is offered in a variety of sizes and both short sleeved or long sleeved styles; currently priced at $17.95. See product

I Heart Tofu T-Shirt
Herbivore Clothing makes a hip brown T-Shirt proclaiming "I (Heart) Tofu" with cool block letters and an image of a human heart. This items I currently on sale for $28 at mooshoes.com.

If these cruelty free products are too peaceful for your taste, you might find some you like better in the article titled "Controversial Cruelty Free Clothing for Animal Rights".