US NIH Fund New Cat Experiments Despite Pledge to Phase Out, Watchdog Reports
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has continued to fund new laboratory experiments on cats, despite stating that it is working to phase out such projects. In July this year, the NIH's acting deputy director, Dr Nicole Kleinstreuer, announced in a podcast that she did not think the NIH should do research on dogs or cats, calling it "unconscionable." However, documents uncovered by White Coat Waste (WCW), a watchdog campaigning to end taxpayer-funded animal experiments, reveal that since the July podcast, the NIH has awarded over $1.7 million in new and extended grants for experiments using cats.
The new grants include funding for studies on blood flow in the brain after stroke, gene therapy for human glaucoma, and limb coordination after injury. In each of these studies, cats are subjected to painful and distressing procedures, including having portions of their skulls removed, being injected with viruses, and undergoing strokes induced by paralysis.
WCW claims that the allocation of new funds contradicts the NIH's claim that it opposes the use of cats in experiments and argues that the NIH is misusing its policy to continue funding these projects. The watchdog also suggests that the NIH is not being transparent about its research activities and is misleading the public about its commitment to ending animal testing.
The NIH has extended seven cat studies since July with grants totaling almost $572,000, bringing the total lifetime funding for these experiments to over $38 million. Despite this, the NIH claims that it is conducting a comprehensive review of its dog and cat research portfolio to identify areas where it can responsibly transition away from animal models.
However, WCW is calling on the NIH to cancel all existing grants for cat testing and prohibit new ones. The watchdog's senior vice-president, Justin Goodman, has expressed frustration with the NIH's actions, saying that the agency has been "doubling down" on animal testing despite the availability of better alternatives.
The issue highlights the ongoing debate about the use of animals in biomedical research and the need for alternative methods to reduce the number of animals used in scientific studies. As the federal government continues to prioritize human-based research and reduce reliance on animal models, the NIH's actions are being closely scrutinized by animal welfare advocates and lawmakers.
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has continued to fund new laboratory experiments on cats, despite stating that it is working to phase out such projects. In July this year, the NIH's acting deputy director, Dr Nicole Kleinstreuer, announced in a podcast that she did not think the NIH should do research on dogs or cats, calling it "unconscionable." However, documents uncovered by White Coat Waste (WCW), a watchdog campaigning to end taxpayer-funded animal experiments, reveal that since the July podcast, the NIH has awarded over $1.7 million in new and extended grants for experiments using cats.
The new grants include funding for studies on blood flow in the brain after stroke, gene therapy for human glaucoma, and limb coordination after injury. In each of these studies, cats are subjected to painful and distressing procedures, including having portions of their skulls removed, being injected with viruses, and undergoing strokes induced by paralysis.
WCW claims that the allocation of new funds contradicts the NIH's claim that it opposes the use of cats in experiments and argues that the NIH is misusing its policy to continue funding these projects. The watchdog also suggests that the NIH is not being transparent about its research activities and is misleading the public about its commitment to ending animal testing.
The NIH has extended seven cat studies since July with grants totaling almost $572,000, bringing the total lifetime funding for these experiments to over $38 million. Despite this, the NIH claims that it is conducting a comprehensive review of its dog and cat research portfolio to identify areas where it can responsibly transition away from animal models.
However, WCW is calling on the NIH to cancel all existing grants for cat testing and prohibit new ones. The watchdog's senior vice-president, Justin Goodman, has expressed frustration with the NIH's actions, saying that the agency has been "doubling down" on animal testing despite the availability of better alternatives.
The issue highlights the ongoing debate about the use of animals in biomedical research and the need for alternative methods to reduce the number of animals used in scientific studies. As the federal government continues to prioritize human-based research and reduce reliance on animal models, the NIH's actions are being closely scrutinized by animal welfare advocates and lawmakers.
NIH is still experimenting with cats despite promising to phase out cat experiments 
. Can't they just stick to what they say? 
Over $38 million in funding for these tests, that's crazy! 
What's next, dogs? Shouldn't we focus on finding alternative methods to reduce animal testing? 
... like literally, did we really think the NIH was gonna actually phase out cat experiments? 
. They claim to be working on a comprehensive review, but I'm calling BS 
. These studies are super painful and distressing for the poor kitties 
... we should be pushing for better alternatives, not just reorganizing our research portfolio 
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. It's time to get real about our priorities – can we really justify harming innocent creatures just to advance human knowledge? 
. The US NIH should really know better than to promise one thing (phasing out cat experiments) but then do another (fund new ones). It's just not cool, you know? I mean, they say they're trying to end animal testing, but it looks like they're just messing around with our trust. And those poor cats... I don't think it's okay that they're being subjected to all that pain and distress just for science 
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. We need more people like you holding these powerful institutions accountable!
that's insane for cat "research" 
what's wrong with being transparent and honest about their actions? 
like, whats next? dogs? rabbits? its just not right... and now they're saying they're reviewing their portfolio but still awarding millions of dollars to cat studies? thats just a bunch of hooey... the watchdog group wcw is totally on point here, we need more transparency and less animal cruelty in our scientific research 
it's wild that the NIH is still funding cat experiments despite saying they're gonna phase them out 
no wonder WCW is calling for them to cancel all existing grants for cat testing 
. Can't we just find alternative methods for biomedical research? 
to the beach and i saw a cat playing with a seagull 
, like it was trying to outsmart it or something... anyway back to this news 
. I mean, what's up with the NIH being so inconsistent? They're always talking about phasing out cat experiments but still finding a way to fund them 
. We need to hold these organizations accountable for their actions and make sure they're doing what's best for animal welfare 
... The NIH just can't seem to make up its mind about ending these experiments. They're like, "We don't want to use animals anymore", but then they go out and give millions of dollars to fund new cat studies. It's like, what's the point? 
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interesting that the NIH is still funding cat experiments despite claiming to phase out such projects... like how do they expect us to believe that? 
like what even is this?!? Dr Nicole Kleinstreuer just said on a podcast that they dont think it should be doing research on dogs or cats, but then they go ahead & award MILLIONS of dollars to continue these experiments 
its like they're having a major identity crisis.
Like whats the point of having a fancy university if u cant even be bothered 2 think about animals?
like cmon NIH, get ur act together! Cancel all existing grants 4 cat testing & stop wasting taxpayer money on it 
... but at the same time, I guess we gotta consider all the other factors too 
And what about all those new grants that just got approved? 
Like, could it be the key to curing glaucoma or something? 
Ugh, my brain hurts from all these conflicting thoughts 
. cats r innocent creatures who dont need 2 be used as test subjects 
. we should b focusin on human-based research that doesnt involve animals 
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. It just doesn't add up. I think it's safe to say that the NIH is being a bit...honesty-challenged 
. What does that even mean? Are they going to find some magic alternative to using cats in experiments that nobody has thought of yet? I'm skeptical 
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