Cat Dissection Fact Sheet ~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.

"The brute animals have all the same sensations of pain as human beings, and consequently endure as much pain when their body is hurt; but in their case the cruelty of torment is greater, because they have no mind to bear them up against their sufferings, and no hope to look forward to when enduring the last extreme pain..." ~ Thomas Chalmers, Scottish Religious Leader (b. 1780, d. 1847)

Cat Dissection in America
1. How many cats are used for dissection each year?

More than 100,000 cats are dissected in classrooms across the country annually.

2. Who dissects cats?

Hundreds of thousands of young adults in junior and senior high schools and colleges dissect cats in their Advanced Placement Biology, Anatomy and Physiology courses every year. This continues, even though statistics show that out of every 1,000 students entering the fifth grade, only 220 will graduate from college and only 40 will obtain science degrees. Of those 40, very few will enter a field where dissection experience is even remotely related. But almost all of these 1,000 students will dissect an animal before they leave high school. For students in junior high, high school and college, the dissection of a once-living being is not only unethical but unnecessary!

3. Why are cats used for dissection?

Because cats are mid-sized mammals with anatomy that is similar to other mammals, including humans, they are often used as dissection "specimens." Other animals also have a similar anatomy, but in the 1960s, the Association for Biomedical Research advertised the "sophistication" of dissecting higher animals. So cats began being widely used, due to their easy availability and uniform size.

4. How are cats obtained for dissection?

Investigations have shown that Class B dealers (licensed animal brokers) obtain cats from a variety of legal and illegal sources including animal shelters, strays and "free to good home" ads. Some may even prey on pets that are left unattended. An operation in Mexico was exposed for snatching cats off the street and paying children $1 for each cat caught. They would then drown them and ship them to the U.S. for dissection in classrooms and labs. In order to get the cats to classrooms, Class B dealers sell the cats to biological supply companies.

5. Can't we trust biological supply companies?

An investigation of a large biological supply company revealed gross negligence. The company assured the public that they obtained only euthanized cats from shelters, but an undercover investigation revealed that they were obtaining live cats and embalming them. Gas chambers at the supply house designed to kill three to four cats at a time were filled with 25 to 30 cats. The cats were removed and forcibly injected with formaldehyde - often while still alive.

6. What are the alternatives to cat dissection?

Schools choose to dissect because they view dissection as the only way to learn about anatomy. Yet there are a multitude of alternatives to cat dissection which include using human or cat anatomy models, books, charts, videos and CD-ROMs. Another way to learn anatomy is to observe a veterinary or medical surgery.

7. What do other countries do?

The United Kingdom prohibits the use of cats in school dissection classes. Switzerland, Norway, India, Argentina, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Denmark all prohibit dissection below the university level.

8. Is there a psychological cost to dissecting cats?

Yes; students have a close bond with cats because most are cared for as companion animals, and many are valued family members. Emotional conflict and opposition to dissection is greatest when cats are used. Education should foster compassion and respect for life, rather than promote the idea that animals are expendable.

9. What are the fiscal costs of dissecting cats?

Cats are advertised in the biological supply company catalogs from $27.50 for a 12 pound cat to $58.50 for a pregnant 15 pound cat; a skinned cat is $39.50 and a pregnant skinned cat is $49.00. The yearly cost of buying cats and dissection equipment for a classroom of 30 students is substantial, especially when you consider the reasonable cost of alternatives that can be used from year to year. Not only are alternatives less costly, research shows that they are better education tools. Alternatives help students learn about life while saving thousand of cats' lives every year!

Reference Resource:
1. American Anti-Vivisection Society, Jenkintown, PA USA, "Cat Dissection Fact Sheet"