Paws off these cats: Bill seeks to stop gov't 'slaughter' of kittens

NBC ^ | March 7, 2019 | Dareh Gregorian

[yesthatjallen]

A bipartisan group of lawmakers will introduce legislation Thursday to prevent the Department of Agriculture from continuing deadly experiments on kittens.

"The USDA's decision to slaughter kittens after they are used in research is an archaic practice and horrific treatment, and we need to end it," Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., the Senate bill's lead sponsor, said in a statement to NBC News.

The agency has been breeding kittens in Beltsville, Maryland, and infecting them with a parasite that can cause toxoplasmosis, a food-borne illness. Scientists harvest the parasites from their stool for two to three weeks, and then euthanize and incinerate the cats.

The agency has said animal rights advocates' claim that it has been experimenting on 100 cats annually is overblown, but a USDA administrator told Congress last year that "2,988 cats have been used in these research efforts that began in 1982."

The bills are being championed by the watchdog group White Coat Waste Project, which has run an advertisement campaign against the experiments in Maryland. The group's vice president of advocacy and public policy, Justin Goodman, said its members "want this horrific program relegated to the litter box of history."

"Three-thousand healthy kittens killed and $22 million wasted on decades of cruel and unproductive government experiments should alarm budget hawks and advocates alike," Goodman said.

The USDA did not respond to requests for comment.

[ifinnegan]

What year was that?

Such a protocol would not pass IACUC review.

[yesthatjallen]

I worked at a university medical complex.

I never went into the animal labs but there was talk of Mengele-like cruelty to animals.

Sadists are real. They get their jollies from being cruel. Total lack of empathy for any living thing; the trait of serial killers.

[Zirondelle]

Sign the petition to stop this:
https://www.whitecoatwaste.org/contact-congress/kittenact/

Absolutely no need -

[Governor Dinwiddie]

#6: "We are the masters of the planet. If animals need to be sacrificed for our health so be it."

Amen, brother. We can't let science grind to a halt because of the sentiments of some crazy old cat ladies.

I honestly believe that many (most?) crazy cat ladies are infected with toxoplasmosis themselves. Toxoplasmosis is a brain disease caused by a parasite which compels rats and humans to be unnaturally attracted to cats.
 

[trebb]

You are one sick puppy - made me laugh.......