PETA May Curb Catty Anti-Clay Campaign

By Stephen M. Silverman

Tuesday November 18, 2003 01:00 AM EST

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The zealous animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals had a brand new ad campaign planned to promote the spaying and neutering of cats and dogs -- only it wasn't very nice.

"Get Neutered -- It Didn't Hurt Clay Aiken," says Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, who is featured in the ad.

According to the PETA Web site, Aiken, 24, was targeted for such treatment because the "American Idol" runner-up recently said in a Rolling stone profile: "I think cats are Satan. There's nothing worse to me than a house cat. When I was about 16, I had a kitten and ran over it."

(In fact, Aiken went on to say, though the rest of his comments were overlooked by PETA: "Seeing that cat die, I actually think that its spirit has haunted me. I wasn't afraid of cats before. But now they scare me to death.")

Triumph, of course, is best known as a regular guest on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," and the trash-talking puppet (created by comic writer Robert Smigel) has released his first album, "Come Poop with Me."

"Triumph's big mouth may rub some people the wrong way, but his message in our new spay/neuter ad is right on the money," PETA director Daphna Nachminovitch declares on the Web site. "It's a case where a 'stitch in time saves nine' -- or 90 -- unwanted animals from a life of misery."

But now that PETA's attack on popular Clay has surfaced, the group now appears to be backtracking.

A spokeswoman for the group, Ingrid Newkirk, tells New York's Daily News that her organization is delaying and possibly killing the ad, which was to begin running this week. Newkirk cited a flood of protests from rabid Aiken fans, to say nothing of a call from his attorney.

"We're in a slight holding pattern," she tells the Daily News. "We're always flexible. We got a lawyer calling, and our lawyers said maybe we can work something out, make the ad evaporate, and put a leash on the insult dog."

Aiken has yet to comment on the ad. On Saturday, he's due to go home to Raleigh, N.C., to serve as grand marshal of the 59th Annual Raleigh Christmas Parade.

No word on whether he also fears reindeer.