Fur flies over cat tests
By Xiao Wang |
May 11, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE medical school of Peking University has been using stray cats for educational experiments for years, a Beijing newspaper reported.
These cats were not specially bred for medical use in a sterile environment. Rather, they were bought from cat dealers who round up feral felines and strays in the city.
An animal rights activist in Beijing said there were few feral cats in Beijing now, thus the cats sold by dealers must be mostly lost domestic cats, Beijing News reported yesterday.
Students said they have complained about these smelly cats but teachers said they were lucky to have them as no company offers lab cats in the capital.
The cats were mostly used in an educational experiment to test antihypertensive drugs, said a teacher who declined to be named. The cats can't be replaced by other animals.
Animal rights activists were furious, especially after details of the experiments were reported.
Students slice the cats' throat open, connecting an electrode to their eyelids to get data. The cats were kept alive during the 2.5 hour experiment. After completion, the cats have air injected into their veins to kill them.
A Peking University official said the school would investigate the issue.
These cats were not specially bred for medical use in a sterile environment. Rather, they were bought from cat dealers who round up feral felines and strays in the city.
An animal rights activist in Beijing said there were few feral cats in Beijing now, thus the cats sold by dealers must be mostly lost domestic cats, Beijing News reported yesterday.
Students said they have complained about these smelly cats but teachers said they were lucky to have them as no company offers lab cats in the capital.
The cats were mostly used in an educational experiment to test antihypertensive drugs, said a teacher who declined to be named. The cats can't be replaced by other animals.
Animal rights activists were furious, especially after details of the experiments were reported.
Students slice the cats' throat open, connecting an electrode to their eyelids to get data. The cats were kept alive during the 2.5 hour experiment. After completion, the cats have air injected into their veins to kill them.
A Peking University official said the school would investigate the issue.
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