Cambridge involved in horrific experiments on kittens

The kittens have been subject to brutal experiments, which include cracking open their skulls and inserting electrodes into their brain, ribs and spine.

Some of the kittens have had their lungs deliberately collapsed and were injected with drugs to restrict moving or breathing.

Others were raised in darkness and one had its eye stitched together to investigate ‘lazy eye.’

A similar procedure is seen here at the University of Wisconsin. Credit: Mail Online

Ten universities have been listed as having performed the controversial tests. These include Bristol, Edinburgh, UCL, Cardiff and the Royal Veterinary College.

A total of 31 kittens and their mothers in some cases were used in the research which took place in 2010, but has only recently come to light.

The shocking treatment was outlined in a report by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV). CEO of the BUAV, Michelle Thew, said:

“Much of the research is fundamental and the BUAV believes that sophisticated alternative techniques, which do not involve animal suffering, should be used instead. We are calling on the Government to end the cruel use of cats in UK laboratories.”

Scientists placed the kittens under anaesthetic, but most were killed following the experiments.

Animal activist groups have reacted furiously. A spokesman for PETA UK said:

“Experimenting on cats and dogs who would normally share our homes can never be justified, and we fully support the proposed ban that would end their use in laboratories.

“In 2012, more than four million animals were used in experiments in the UK, the largest number for a generation. Three-quarters of these animals were mice, who, like cats, feel pain and suffer in hideously cruel experiments.”

A cat, with a screw in its head, pops its head up. Credit: Mail Online

A spokesman from Cambridge added:

“This research was part of the development of a potential new treatment for amblyopia (lazy eye), a common disorder of vision which affects one in 50 children.

“As it would be unethical to carry out such research using humans, initial studies were carried out using mice and rats; in order to further understand whether the treatment was effective, it was then necessary to carry out further work in a higher order animal – in this case a small number of cats.”

Should universities stop experimenting on animals? Are these kinds of tests necessary for medical developments? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.