May 4 to 10 is Be Kind to Animals Week. Look to our five-part daily instalments for helpful ways to join the compassion movement and improve welfare for our furry and feathered friends. Day 5: Go cruelty-free Despite bans in the EU, India and Israel, the Canadian and U.S. governments still allow companies to poison and kill animals during cruel product testing. But according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), more than 1,400 companies have banned product tests on animals, and almost 18,000 Canadians have signed PETA’s petition calling on the Personal Care Products Council to support a similar ban on cosmetic testing on animals. If you’re one of the thousands of Canadians who don’t want their shampoo tested on bunnies, opt for cruelty-free products from companies like LUSH Cosmetics, The Body Shop and FACE Atelier. To find out if your brand of choice is cruelty-free, search PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies database. For more ideas on how to take part in Be Kind to Animals Week, see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of the series. (Photo courtesy Cruelty-Free International)