USDA fed dead cats and dogs to lab cats.

[Satanica]

Hat tip to Sugar Cookie.

Hundreds of dead dogs and cats from Asia were purchased by the U.S. government then fed to healthy lab cats in a series of disturbing experiments, according to a breaking watchdog report.
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The experiments included feeding dog remains to cats and injecting cat remains into mice and took place at the USDA's Agricultural Research Service's Animal Parasitic Disease Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland.

The agency claimed that the tests - conducted from 2003 through 2015 - were aimed at studying different forms of a parasite called toxoplasmosis, one of the leading causes food borne illness-related death in the U.S.
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'Some of these cats and dogs were purchased by the government from the same Asian meat markets that the U.S. Congress roundly condemned in a House Resolution,' the report said, referring to resolution from last year.

'It's crazy. Cannibal cats, cats eating dogs — I don't see the logic,' former USDA scientist Jim Keen said to NBC.

The watchdog group gathered its findings from the USDA's research publications and sent the report entitled USDA Kitten Cannibalism to Congress.

The facility where the bizarre experiments took place has already come under fire for killing cats intentionally infected with T. Gondii, the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis.

'The details of these kitten experiments keep getting worse and they need to end now,' Republican Rep. Brian Mast said. He's the lead republican co-sponsor of legislation seeking to stop lab cat killings.
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Democratic Send. Jeff Merkley said the revelations are 'deeply disturbing'.

'We can advance scientific discovery while treating animals humanely, and American taxpayers have every right to expect our government will meet that standard,' he said.

For the Department of Agriculture, the testing of toxoplasmosis and T. Gondii is a major task. Toxoplasmosis is one of the leading causes of death from foodborne illnesses in the U.S.

Exposure to the parasite can have 'severe consequences' for people who are pregnant or have a compromised immune system.

Still, over 40million Americans are believed to carry it without major issue.

The agency has been breeding kittens in the lab since 1982 and feeding them raw meat to infect them with T. Gondii. Then scientists harvest the parasites from their stool and euthanize and incinerate the cats.

Cats are used at the lab because they're the only host animal that produces parasite eggs.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-healthy-lab-cats-disturbing-experiments.html

 

[Satanica]

Update brought to you by Sugar Cookie.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its termination of a controversial experiment that has resulted in the death of thousands of cats over a 37 year period.

USDA’s Agricultural Research Services (ARS) lab has been intentionally infecting cats with the disease toxoplasmosis since 1982, and then euthanizing them as part of an effort to eradicate the food-borne illness.

The announcement comes just days after a report conducted by NBC News revealed that one study carried out at the ARS lab in Maryland saw scientists purchase hundreds of cats and dogs from ‘Asian meat markets’, put them down and then fed them to healthy cats.

‘Toxoplasmosis research has been redirected and the use of cats as part of any research protocol in any ARS laboratory has been discontinued and will not be reinstated,’ the USDA said in a statement.
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The non-profit, White Coat Waste Project – who authored the book ‘USDA Kitten Cannibalism’ – said the sinister nature of the experiment was an indication the agency had gone too far in protecting the US’ food supply.

‘Some of these cats and dogs were purchased by the government from the same Asian meat markets that the U.S. Congress roundly condemned in a House Resolution,’ the organisation said.

Cats were being used by USDA because they're the only host animal that produces the parasite eggs that cause toxoplasmosis.

The USDA didn’t address ‘cat cannibalism’ in its statement. However, they did say the research in toxoplasmosis had reached its end, and fulfilled its primary function.

‘While there is still additional research needed in this area regarding human health, this research area is outside of USDA’s stated mission,’ the department said.

They also added that no cats have been euthanized or infected with the disease since September 2018, and the 14 healthy cats currently at the facility are in the process of being adopted.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...e-experiments-included-feeding-cats-cats.html