WASHINGTON, D.C. — After more than 35 years of controversial experiments, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has terminated a taxpayer-funded research program that infected thousands of cats and kittens with a parasitic disease before euthanizing them. The move follows intense public backlash and bipartisan legislative efforts to halt what critics called “cruel and wasteful” government-funded animal testing.
The Experiments
Since 1982, the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) conducted studies on domestic cats infected with Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that causes toxoplasmosis—a disease often linked to undercooked meat. According to NPR, researchers fed infected feline tissues to healthy cats, collected parasites from their feces, and then euthanized and incinerated the animals. Approximately 3,000 cats were killed over the program’s lifetime.
The USDA defended the research, stating it helped reduce the spread of toxoplasmosis in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 40 million Americans carry the parasite, which can be dangerous for immunocompromised individuals. However, critics argue the experiments were unnecessary and inhumane.
How the Program Was Exposed
Last May, the watchdog group White Coat Waste Project (WCW) uncovered details of the program through a Freedom of Information Act request. Justin Goodman, WCW’s Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy, told PEOPLE that taxpayers unwittingly funded nearly $22 million for the research.
“This was mad science run amok,” Goodman said. “It had nothing to do with public health, animal health, or food safety.”
Bipartisan Backlash and the KITTEN Act
Public outrage grew after NBC News reported on the experiments, prompting lawmakers to take action. In 2018, Rep. Mike Bishop (R-Mich.) introduced the Kittens in Traumatic Testing Ends Now (KITTEN) Act, later championed in the Senate by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). The bill gained 58 bipartisan cosponsors, pressuring the USDA to end the program.
“This is a decisive victory against government animal abuse and wasteful spending,” said Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), a KITTEN Act co-lead, in a statement to PEOPLE. “No more kittens should ever be used in research.”
A Second Chance for Surviving Cats
The USDA confirmed that no new cats have been infected since September 2024, and the 14 remaining cats—never exposed to the parasite—will be adopted by USDA staff. An independent panel deemed previously infected cats a public health risk, barring them from adoption.
A Push for Broader Reform
While the USDA’s program is now shuttered, WCW warns that $15 billion in taxpayer money still funds animal testing annually across other agencies. Goodman urges the public to demand transparency from Congress and support alternatives like organs-on-a-chip technology, which the FDA has begun adopting.
“Most animal-tested drugs fail in humans,” Goodman noted. “We need to shift to methods that actually help people.”
WCW has successfully campaigned to retire other lab animals, including securing sanctuary placement for FDA nicotine-testing monkeys. Their current efforts target dog experiments at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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