Programs & Campaigns
A Message to People Who Care about Cats
It’s
a crying shame. . .
what’s being done to cats in New England
 If
you care about cats, here
are some things you need to know.
Did you know that hundreds of cats are
imprisoned in laboratory cages around New England — and thousands
more throughout the country?
The following information may be shocking.
But please, read on — the kittens and cats held in laboratories
right now need your help.
Behind the Laboratory Door
NEAVS’ investigations recently found that
Boston University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Eye & Ear
Infirmary, MIT, the University of Massachusetts Medical School,
University of Connecticut, Rhode Island Hospital, Yale University
and many others use cats in experiments paid for with YOUR tax dollars.
Here are just a few examples of
what is going on behind closed doors:
- At Boston University,
Bertram Payne damages fetal, newborn, and older kittens’ and cats’
brains. Often, he makes them perform "tasks" to see
how his inflicted brain damage affects them. He drills holes and
breaks cats’ skulls open so he can manipulate their brains. Payne
has received $3.6 million of YOUR tax dollars since 1986.
- At Harvard University,
J. Allan Hobson injects substances into the brains of awake and
unanesthetized cats. He breaks cats’ skulls and implants electrodes
in their brains and muscles to study sleep. Wires are tunneled
under cats’ skin and run through their bodies. He has received
approximately $3.5 million in tax money since 1992.
- At Harvard University,
Richard Clay Reid, who received approximately one million dollars
between 1998-2000, places cats in restraining devices, paralyzes
them and inserts electrodes in their eyes.
- At Rhode Island Hospital,
Piero Biancani has received over $2 million in tax money during
the last five years to experiment on cats’ digestive tracts and
gallbladders. Biancani puts catheters down cats’ throats and then
pours acid into their esophagus to cause inflammation.
- At the University of Massachusetts
Medical School, David Paydarfar has received approximately
one million dollars since 1999 to experiment on the breathing
patterns of cats. Paydarfar’s experiments include placing cats
on their backs with their heads in vises; threading instruments
into their groins, windpipes and rectums; and cutting their necks
open and crushing their carotid sinus nerves.
"Animal experimentation is not necessary. It is expensive.
It is inaccurate. It is misleading. It consumes limited resources.
And further, it is detrimental to the very species it professes
to be working to help — humankind."
— Ray Greek, MD, and Jean Swingle Greek, DVM
But Aren’t These Animals Anesthetized?
Surgeries are typically done while animals
are under anesthesia. But animals who are not intentionally killed
when the surgery is over must endure a recovery period, as well
as other post-surgical procedures.
Animals often have to live for years with
injuries inflicted by experimenters.
These injuries can include brain damage;
surgical alterations, such as having their eyes sewn shut; esophageal
inflammation; and the implantation of electrodes in their brains
and muscles.
Furthermore, in some experiments, the forms
of anesthetics used are horribly outmoded, such as inhaled ether,
rarely used in veterinary or in human medicine. Anesthetics must
be expertly administered or they can result in animals "going
light" and experiencing pain or awareness.
But Aren’t These Experiments Necessary to Save Human Lives?
No, absolutely not. There are better ways
to study human physiology, disease, and injury than inducing disease
or injury in a different species.
Clinical human studies, autopsies, epidemiology,
human tissue studies, and imaging technology are only some of the
better ways to study human health and disease. One doctor has remarked:
… due to known differences in neuroanatomy between humans
and cats…animal models cannot prove hypotheses about humans."
— Stephen R. Kaufman, MD
Besides the Cats, Who Pays for These Deadly Experiments?
You, the taxpayer. In the
past three years, approximately $15 million taxpayer dollars went
into federally-funded cat experiments in the state of Massachusetts
alone!
Dedicated to
Margaret Sarandrea and faithful compansion Emma
© 2002. Provided as a public service.
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