Kitten Act - Please Help

[weebeasties]

Some lawmakers in the US have introduced the Kittens in Traumatic Testing Ends Now - or KITTEN - Act this month.
For years the USDA has been breeding kittens and forcing them to eat tainted meat in order to perform testing on them. The kittens are then euthanized by three months of age.

A few lawmakers are trying to stop this, but they could use our help. Would you be willing to sign a petition or call your congressman to support the KITTEN Act?
www.whitecoatwaste.org and Care2 both have more information about this horrific USDA program and ways to help get the KITTEN Act passed.
Please take a moment to read it for yourself. If you are then willing to sign a petition, write an email, or make a phone call, it could help end needless suffering. Perhaps if you are active on Facebook, you could help spread the word?
Thanks

 

[Tobermory]

Yes, absolutely. Thank you for posting about this.

 

[Jcatbird]

Yes! I am already aware and yelling out. Cats/kittens should not be used at all. I consider that animal abuse and it should be a felony on any level. There are other ways to learn.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Went there, did that! Thank you for sharing this!

 

[catsknowme]

I know that I am preaching to the choir here, but if we can make people who support Soi Dog Foundation and other anti-meat dogs group realize that dogs are imported and slaughtered for these experiments, we could gain more support for Kitten ACT.

 

[catsknowme]

I was unaware that some of meat fed to the kitties is DOG (and cat) meat purchased from overseas suppliers. Dogs and cats are rounded up, just as they are for the Soi Dogmeat festival, but are slaughtered for these experiments here in the U.S.A.!!
Kitten cannibalism: USDA scientists fed cat hearts and brains to other cats, then euthanized them—report

 

[weebeasties]

This program is horrific beyond words. I think if more people were aware of it and spoke out, it could be stopped. I realize it is an upsetting topic, but if we all could spread the word - tell coworkers, the staff at your vet clinic, mention it on social media - it could help end this. I found two different petitions online about it and the number of people who had signed was quite small. I don't think it's from people not caring, I think it's just that they don't know about it. Please help end the suffering and speak out.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I've been sharing this stuff all over FB and Twitter. HOPE people are reading!

 

[lutece]

This is the text of the "KITTEN Act":
Text - H.R.5780 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): KITTEN Act of 2018
The essential part is here:

“(b) Beginning not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, in carrying out research, the Secretary may not purchase, breed, transport, house, feed, maintain, dispose of, or conduct experiments on cats as part of the conduct of any study that would subject cats to potentially painful or stressful procedures, including pain or stress that may be mitigated by anesthetics, analgesics, or tranquilizer drugs, except when such pain or stress is a result of a physical exam or training program.”
​

As it is written, I am not comfortable with the text of this bill. Of course I don't want to see cats or kittens in pain, under stress, or needlessly killed! However, I think the text of the bill is too broad and if enforced, could be a problem for legitimate research on feline health issues.

For example, imagine a researcher studying the effects of early spay/neuter in cats. Neuter and spay surgery is a "potentially painful procedure" that is "mitigated by anesthetics" and therefore would be included in the list of procedures banned as part of this bill, even though the surgery is ultimately beneficial to the cat.

Or what about research on devastating feline diseases, such as FIP? I donate to FIP research and I want to see a cure for this terrible disease!

There must be a better way to address the ethical issues involved here.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I see your issues. I agree, some things have to be done, but HUMANELY! And NEVER ending with wholesale euthanization of adoptable cats and kittens!

 

[weebeasties]

I am more uncomfortable with the torture and killing of cats and kittens than the wording of the document. No one is going to look for/practice an alternative form of testing if what they are currently doing is cheaper/easier and legal. Ignoring the problem and hoping researchers will do the right thing is not the answer. The USDA has been doing this same experiment for 35 years and aren't planning on making any changes. Right now the KITTEN ACT has bipartisan support and if enough people speak out it could pass. It is sad that we need to legislate ethical treatment of animals but we do. Otherwise, things will just continue in the monstrous way they have been. These are living, feeling creatures that are suffering. Is the pain they feel less important because it's not YOUR cat? I don't think so.

 

[catapault]

Program has ended after public outcry: US ends 'kitten slaughter' research

 

[lutece]

The USDA experiment is not running any more; it sounds like it actually ended 7 months ago. According to this statement, they have not had any cats on their premises infected with toxoplasmosis or euthanized since September 2018, and are in the process of adopting out the 14 remaining cats to USDA employees.
ARS Announces Toxoplasmosis Research Review, Discontinues Research with Cats

 

[weebeasties]

I am overjoyed to read that THIS particular testing is being stopped. I am concerned about what other painful experiments could be happening elsewhere that we are unaware of. The articles mention that the USDA decided to review the project after public outcry. If no one had questioned their methods, would they have stopped or would they have continued for another 35 years? I'm really curious about the timing of this review. Did it coincide with the time that a few lawmakers started asking questions and when a watchdog group filed a request under the freedom of information act?

Without legislation to end cruel and painful experiments it leaves the door open for it to continue. Researchers need to find more humane ways to do their jobs. The KITTEN ACT could be that incentive. There must be other ways to collect needed data that doesn't involve tortuous conditions.

I find the statement that lutece posted troubling. They state that the kittens were dangerous and unadoptable, and yet the CDC itself states that there is no danger after the parasites have left the fecal matter. Also, the 14 remaining cats will be adopted by USDA employees. What? The same people who were doing these cruel experiments for years? Really? Not very comforting.

Just because the spotlight has stopped one program doesn't mean that other cats aren't being abused in similar research projects. Please support the KITTEN ACT to force researchers to find more humane ways to treat cats.

 

[lutece]

It's a good thing the USDA program has ended, but I don't think any sources were claiming that the researchers were torturing cats and causing them to suffer. The biggest problem with this program, as I understand it, was that they were euthanizing the cats and not making them available for adoption.

Ending all scientific research involving cats would also mean ending feline health research. That would not be a good thing for cats. Taking FIP as an example... here is an article about FIP research. Researchers are finally getting close to finding a cure for this devastating and fatal disease.
https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/171215a.aspx

 

[sarajeremy]

bill has been passed

 

[Mamanyt1953]

One small step for man, one giant leap for catkind!

 

[Leomc123]

I am glad the news in america are reporting against this. In Australia they hardly report anything about their medical labs or science labs. I still cant believe that there are organisations who still choose to test on animals when they know the result will never be the same for humans. And the way they test them is horrific and they way the animals are treated for crying out in pain is horrific as well. If i worked in these labs and was told you must test on these animals with a toxic substance and make them suffer i would quit that job, i dont know how anyone could go to work and do this repeatedly to an animal and go home to their family and pets and act like nothing happened. Its so evil, and so sickening that there are people getting paid for this.

 

[Leomc123]

The issue is they shouldn't be testing on any animals, end of story. If they want to test a toxic substance, they can test it on themselves or find those serial killers in jail and test on them they are human, why should an animal be bred, and abused in a horrific way only to be killed off again with more toxic chemicals. I wish god would commence his judgement day on this earth , cause evil people exists in this society and around the world , and this evil of abuse keeps happening every minute of the day.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Leomc123 , here's something that you can do. Do a bit of research, then go to one of the MANY petition sites, Animal Petitions, Force Change, Care 2 are just a few. START A PETITION, and when you have collected your signatures, send it to the appropriate people (that's where your research comes in). A LOT of signatures were collected in getting this bill passed. I signed at least four petitions from different sources about this. WE ARE NOT HELPLESS!