USDA Ends Deadly Kitten Experiments Following Political and Public Pressure
Facing pressure from the public and lawmakers, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it will put an end to the practice of deadly kitten experiments.
The kittens were used to research toxoplasmosis, a disease brought on by infection from Toxoplasma gondii parasite. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls it the leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the U.S.
The watchdog group that exposed this, White Coat Waste Project, says the USDA fed the cats parasite-infected cat and dog meat, sourced from Asian meat markets, for two to three weeks before the animals were killed by "incineration" at a Prince George's County, Maryland lab.
Speaking to Fox 5 last year, Justin Goodman, the vice president of White Coat Waste Project said: "It's a very vile process that should shock the conscience of anybody who reads the report and these are U.S. taxpayer dollars that pay for this experimental process."
"There has got to be a better way and it can't involve doing this to cats."
"Taxpayers are footing the bill even though veterinary authorities believe these experiments are difficult, expensive and unethical and there's more modern ways to be doing research."
These revelations led to last month's announcement of the bipartisan KITTEN Act, or the Kittens in Traumatic Testing Ends Now Act of 2019, created to end the UDSA's experiments.
According the bill, The USDA bred as many as 100 kittens each year since 1970 and would start infecting them at 2 months old, which some lawmakers estimate costs taxpayers $650,000 per year.
"I commend the USDA for their decision to end this type of testing on kittens," saidRep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., author of the House version of the bipartisan KITTEN Act.
"They listened to the people and responded appropriately to our concerns. This is how our institutions, our government, and our democracy should and must work."
The USDA told ABC it did not attempt to find homes for the cats that were previously experimented on because of potential risk of disease to families, despite the fact that the CDC says the disease is treatable.
The 14 cats that have not been infected with the Toxoplasma gondii parasite will be adopted by USDA workers, according to the announcement.
"Use of cats as part of any research protocol in any laboratory in ARS has been discontinued and will not be reinstated," said the USDA statement.
"USDA remains committed to its mission of finding scientific solutions for the nation's most critical agricultural problems with the strictest adherence to ethical standards."