UNITED STATES – The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) says it will stop killing cats in a research program, following strong public criticism. Cats and kittens have been used to research toxoplasmosis – a potentially deadly parasitic illness usually caught from cats or tainted food. The animals were fed infected meat, and the parasite’s eggs harvested for use in other experiments. After the research the animals were euthanized.
Veterinary groups say that the disease is treatable and the cats should have been adopted. White Coat Waste Project (WCWP) say more than 3,000 kittens have been put down since the program was launched in 1982 costing more than $22m (£17m).
In March, bipartisan legislation, known as the Kitten Act, was introduced in Congress to end the practice, describing it as “taxpayer-funded kitten slaughter.”
In a statement, the USDA said that “toxoplasmosis research has been redirected and the use of cats has been discontinued and will not be reinstated.”
The 14 remaining cats on the program are to be adopted by USDA employees. The department has said its research helped halve the rate of toxoplasmosis infections, which is particularly dangerous for unborn children and people with compromised immune systems. (BBC)
