As if the world couldn’t get any crueler, the USDA finally confirmed they did deadly experiments on kitten and wowed to put an end to them. In the past decade or more, the USDA was using cats and kittens to study deadly parasites from foodborne illnesses in a program that was recently exposed. After admitting to it, the deadly cat program will now be put to rest. We applaud USDA’s decision to do it, yet we mourn for the tragic loss of cat lives that went on for God knows how long.
With pressure mounting, the US Department of Agriculture said that it will stop the controversial experiments immediately. The program used cats and kittens to study parasites that can kill humans. The practice included feeding cats with meat obtained from Asian meat markets, which surely can’t be any good. After it all went public, a legislation was introduced in Congress to stop the experiments.
The USDA has promised to stop using cats in any research protocol in any laboratory for the purpose of testing toxoplasmosis. Although it was previously claimed that dogs were used in the research as well, the USDA didn’t mention anything about it.
Rep. Jimmy Panetta who authorized the KITTEN Act said that the research will be stopped immediately. He applauded the USDA for hearing the voice of the people. Before the KITTEN Act was introduced, reports leaked about the USDA breeding kittens, feeding them infected meat, and killing thousands of them annually.
Republican Will Hurd from Texas wowed to put an end to the cruel experiment which cost taxpayers more than half a million per year. As soon as the awful reports were leaked to the public, dozens of prominent figures called for the bipartisan legislation. The USDA listened and decided to stop the project at once.
According to USDA representatives, the research did yield results. The prevalence of the Toxoplasma gondii parasites was cut by 50% in the USA. This parasite is especially dangerous for people with a weakened immune system. The USDA also hired an independent panel which will be in charge of reviewing the safety of the animals that weren’t infected during the research. The 14 cats will be adopted by USDA employees with regulatory guidelines, of course.
