Cats In Medical Research
by Juli
(Louisiana)
Photo by Brian Gunn with his permission.
To me it is disgusting the use of animals in medical research. It reached a point in which vivisectors always talk with the word "may lead" to a cure/vaccine, etc.
I am completely against it. I do not see any more animals saved from keep doing this than 50 yrs ago, except for the "help" of technology.
Vivisection is a morbid "way" of doing research. Not real Science.
Changing this subject, I LOVE this website, and the pictures here deserve a prize. Thank you!!!
Juli
Hi Juli... thanks for visiting and sharing a sentiment that most if not all of the regular visitors, including myself, share.
Cats in medical research or indeed any animals in medical research appalls me. I know it is a contentious issue but I agree with you. It is just business for the labs who do it and it is all dressed up in euphemisms that indicate a denial of the truth. The language helps to make what the scientists do more acceptable to them.
There is a similar language of denial in the veterinary world with the declawing of cats.
There are people called class b dealers who "acquire" cats any way possible it seems to me and who then sell them to the labs for research. For me (and I know there are people who support the whole thing and I respect their views) this is horrible.
Interestingly one of the original Asian leopard cats ("ASL" - a small wild cat) was being used in animal research before it became the parent of one of the first Bengal cats. The ASL was bought by the founder of the breed, Jean Mill. I have always found that hard to swallow.
And another fantastic wild cat hybrid is connected with animal testing. This time the Safari cat. A number of Safari cats (a very rare and actually valuable cat if we are talking in monetary terms) were killed in medical research. The euphemistic language used for killing an animal during medical research is "sacrificed" as if the poor cat gave its life in the cause of saving the lives of humans. Baloney...balderdash....
Apparently a good number of experiments on cats is for "fundamental research". This is just scientists experimenting on cats to see what happens - a kind of curiosity.
Favorite experiments used on cats in medical research have been1:
1. Being deliberately infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) - this causes acute suffering for the cat. The cats are killed...er sorry "sacrificed" to try and find out how to cure human AIDS.
2. Experiments on visual systems. This often results in blinded cats.
3. Experiments on the brain and nervous systems. Cats are killed afterward.
4. Research into strokes.
Reference:
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