Yahoo News ‘Kitten slaughterhouse' where cats are killed after being tested on is closed after public outcry
A research programme that resulted in cats and kittens being killed after they were tested on has been shut down following a wave of criticism.
The animals were being used to research a potentially deadly parasitic illness caught from cats or tainted food known as toxoplasmosis.
Research saw the cats fed infected meat, with the parasite’s eggs harvested for use in other experiments.
Once the research was completed, the animals were euthanised – an act that provoked public fury.
Now, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has said that it will end the practice after veterinary groups said the cats, who could have been treated for toxoplasmosis, should have been adopted.
The department said in a statement that “toxoplasmosis research has been redirected and the use of cats… has been discontinued and will not be reinstated”.
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Over 3,000 kittens have been killed since the £17m research programme was first launched in 1982.
A bill known as the Kitten Act was introduced in Congress in March, that described the programme as “taxpayer-funded kitten slaughter”.
Following the USDA’s announcement, Democrat Representative Jimmy Panetta, who backed the bill, said: “I commend the USDA for their decision to end this type of testing on kittens.
“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 remaining 14 cats on the programme will be adopted by USDA employees.
