US Government's NIH Awards Millions to Continue Funding Feline Experiments Despite Promises to Phase Out, Watchdog Says
In a stunning contradiction, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has continued to fund new laboratory experiments on cats, despite announcing earlier this year that it would "phase out" such projects. Documents obtained by White Coat Waste, a watchdog campaigning to end taxpayer-funded animal experiments, reveal that the NIH has awarded over $1.7 million in new and extended grants for experiments using cats since July.
The NIH's assertion that it is constrained under the law from ending existing grants is disputed by the organization itself, which states there is "no legal obligation to provide funding beyond the ending date of the current budget period". The NIH has also emphasized its commitment to prioritizing human-based research and reducing reliance on animal models. However, recent funding decisions appear to contradict these claims.
One such example is a $486,000 grant for a study investigating blood flow in the brain after stroke, which involves removing portions of kittens' skulls, injecting viruses into their brains, paralyzing them, and inducing strokes before killing them. Another grant of $439,000 was awarded for a study examining gene therapy for human glaucoma, which includes injecting viruses into the eyes of three-month-old "mutant" kittens bred with glaucoma.
The watchdog group White Coat Waste is calling on the NIH to cancel all existing grants for cat testing and prohibit new ones. Senior vice-president Justin Goodman said that the organization has exposed how the NIH is "doubling down" on funding animal experiments, despite being misled by the Director's Desk podcast where Dr Nicole Kleinstreuer announced a shift towards phasing out such projects.
The issue highlights the growing federal effort to reduce animal use in US laboratories. This April, the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 removed the requirement for animal testing before human trials, and this year, Congress directed veteran affairs to end research on dogs, cats, and primates by 2026.
However, despite these efforts, many critics argue that animal studies remain essential in biomedical research and drug development. The National Association for Biomedical Research has stated that "there is currently no full replacement for animal models" and called for legislative and agency actions to accelerate the trend of reducing animal use.
In a related development, Democratic congresswoman Dina Titus co-sponsored the PAAW Act, which would prohibit NIH-funded research that causes "significant pain or distress" to dogs or cats. If passed, it would be a significant step towards curbing animal testing in US laboratories.
In a stunning contradiction, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has continued to fund new laboratory experiments on cats, despite announcing earlier this year that it would "phase out" such projects. Documents obtained by White Coat Waste, a watchdog campaigning to end taxpayer-funded animal experiments, reveal that the NIH has awarded over $1.7 million in new and extended grants for experiments using cats since July.
The NIH's assertion that it is constrained under the law from ending existing grants is disputed by the organization itself, which states there is "no legal obligation to provide funding beyond the ending date of the current budget period". The NIH has also emphasized its commitment to prioritizing human-based research and reducing reliance on animal models. However, recent funding decisions appear to contradict these claims.
One such example is a $486,000 grant for a study investigating blood flow in the brain after stroke, which involves removing portions of kittens' skulls, injecting viruses into their brains, paralyzing them, and inducing strokes before killing them. Another grant of $439,000 was awarded for a study examining gene therapy for human glaucoma, which includes injecting viruses into the eyes of three-month-old "mutant" kittens bred with glaucoma.
The watchdog group White Coat Waste is calling on the NIH to cancel all existing grants for cat testing and prohibit new ones. Senior vice-president Justin Goodman said that the organization has exposed how the NIH is "doubling down" on funding animal experiments, despite being misled by the Director's Desk podcast where Dr Nicole Kleinstreuer announced a shift towards phasing out such projects.
The issue highlights the growing federal effort to reduce animal use in US laboratories. This April, the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 removed the requirement for animal testing before human trials, and this year, Congress directed veteran affairs to end research on dogs, cats, and primates by 2026.
However, despite these efforts, many critics argue that animal studies remain essential in biomedical research and drug development. The National Association for Biomedical Research has stated that "there is currently no full replacement for animal models" and called for legislative and agency actions to accelerate the trend of reducing animal use.
In a related development, Democratic congresswoman Dina Titus co-sponsored the PAAW Act, which would prohibit NIH-funded research that causes "significant pain or distress" to dogs or cats. If passed, it would be a significant step towards curbing animal testing in US laboratories.
I'm not surprised at all by this news, but still kinda disappointed 
. It's like they're making promises and then just going through the motions. All that talk about phasing out animal experiments and prioritizing human-based research is just that - talk 
. Meanwhile, we've got kittens being used for virus testing and gene therapy development... what's up with that? 
The more I think about it, the angrier I get 
. Can't they see how much harm this causes to innocent animals? 
It's time to put their money where their mouth is! 
. I mean, can't we just move on from using poor kitties for science? It's like, we're supposed to be more advanced now and have better ways of doing research without harming animals. The NIH is just stalling, saying there's no law that says they can't end the grants, but it seems pretty clear they're trying to save some cash 
That's just animal cruelty in my book. And for what? To help human glaucoma patients? It just doesn't add up. We need to be doing better than this, using technology and other alternatives to test our meds and treatments.
. If that's really true, why are they still doling out millions in grants for animal experiments? And what about all these new laws and regulations that say we can't use animals in research anymore? It just seems like a bunch of lip service to me. We need real action, not just empty promises 
... I mean, I get it, science and all that, but come on NIH! You can't just promise to phase out cat experiments and then keep funding them anyway? 
It's like you're playing with our emotions, folks. The fact that they're using kittens in those awful studies is just... *shudders*... I don't even want to think about it 
. And now, a group of watchdogs is trying to hold you accountable for your promises? Good on 'em! 
It's time for some transparency and accountability. We should be able to trust the people in charge of funding research, right? 
I just can't help but feel like we're taking two steps forward and one step back when it comes to animal testing in labs. On the one hand, I get why animal studies are still necessary for certain research - they can be super valuable in understanding complex diseases and developing new treatments. But on the other hand, I'm really disappointed that the NIH is continuing to fund these experiments despite their own promises to phase them out.
And what really gets me is that they're still using cute kittens in some of these studies - it's just heartbreaking! 
. from what i've read, it sounds like the NIH is trying to phase out animal experiments, but then they just keep giving more money to certain projects 
... that doesn't sound very transparent or honest to me 
... yeah, it's not ideal, but sometimes you gotta take the good with the bad 
. It's like they're trying to pull the wool over our eyes and are completely disregarding the public's trust. I mean, come on, who exactly do they think these cats are benefiting from all this pain and distress? The scientific community can't even agree if animal testing is necessary anymore! And now we find out that it's still being funded like there's no tomorrow 
. This is why I support the PAAW Act - we need to take a stand for animal welfare and make sure our tax dollars aren't going towards causing suffering. It's time for some accountability, NIH! 
the us gov is literally funding cat experiments again 
we need more ppl like congresswoman dina titus who's actually doing something to help 
and btw has anyone else heard of the paw act? 
. And let's be real, who needs a PAAW Act when we can just do better by our furry friends in the first place? 
Fingers crossed! 