White Coat Waste Ends Los Angeles VA's Kitten Experiments
From All-Creatures.org Animal Rights/Vegan Activist Strategies Articles Archive

FROM Arin Greenwood, White Coat Waste Project
March 2021

After years of WCW pressure—and just days after WCW’s lawsuit exposed the VA’s wasteful and painful asphyxiation and de-braining experiments—CBS News has confirmed that we ENDED all taxpayer-funded kitten experiments at the Los Angeles Veterans Affairs lab!

There’s been an earthquake in Los Angeles. And it’s the BIG ONE.

After years of WCW pressure—and just days after WCW’s lawsuit exposed the VA’s wasteful and painful asphyxiation and de-braining experiments—CBS News has confirmed that we ENDED all taxpayer-funded kitten experiments at the Los Angeles Veterans Affairs lab!

This announcement follows years of WCW campaigning (and a previous victory shutting down the same lab’s dog experiments) including:

• Passing legislation to drastically restrict the VA’s $10 million kitten experiments.
• Enacting a phase-out of all its cat, dog, and primate testing by 2025, too.
• Rallying 30 members of Congress to hold the VA’s feet to the fire.
• Suing VA white coats when they refused to hand over spending receipts and government records.
• Advocacy from experts.
• Ameowzing grassroots support.
• A big boost from celebrity cat advocate & great WCW friend Kitten Lady.
• Introduction of the bipartisan CATS ACT to permanently defund the wasteful spending.

We did this for taxpayers everywhere. And we did it for victims like Artemis, a “friendly + curious” kitten who was secretly killed at the LA VA on your dime.

In addition to confirming the end of the wasteful testing, CBS LA investigative reporter David Goldstein exposed never-before-seen photos and videos from an LA VA lab whistleblower.

The whistleblower identified this cat as Artemis. Records obtained by WCW through our Freedom of Information Act lawsuit reveal Artemis was killed by taxpayer-funded white coats at the LA VA on January 30, 2020, after three years of extreme abuse.

The images depict cats with “head caps” that were screwed into their skulls to insert electrodes into their brains and restrain their heads during experiments.

The LA VA has ended its outdated and deadly tax-funded cat experiments. I’m proud to have helped lead this effort, and will work to ensure that the rest of the VA’s painful cat tests—which most Americans oppose—are terminated
— Rep. Hank Johnson (@RepHankJohnson) March 16, 2021

This is the LA VA lab where dogs and cats were abused in wasteful taxpayer-funded experiments, until WCW shut them down.

The cruel experiments included drilling holes into their skulls and asphyxiating the cats while they slept
— One Green Planet (@OneGreenPlanet) March 15, 2021

CATS Act sponsor Waste Warrior Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV)—who has led Congressional efforts to defund the VA’s sick experiments on cats (and dogs) with Army veteran Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL), VA funding panel chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI)—cheered the announcement of the LA VA cat lab’s closure.

She also reiterated the need for the CATS Act to be enacted in order to permanently end all the VA’s cruel and wasteful cat experiments.

The Los Angeles VA’s humane decision to stop its painful testing on cats is welcome news. I’m proud to lead the CATS Act to permanently end the VA’s cruel and unnecessary cat tests so that these resources can be redirected toward modern, ethical research.
— Dina Titus (@repdinatitus) March 12, 2021

One down, two to go

Last year, I helped introduce a bill calling for an end to $15 BILLION worth of taxpayer-funded animal cruelty.

Good news: the VA has begun to end these truly gruesome experiments. I will keep fighting to stop this from happening in your name and money!
— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) March 14, 2021

With the LA VA’s taxpayer-funded cat lab in the litter box of history, we’re coming for the VA’s two remaining taxpayer-funded kitten catastrophes in Cleveland and Louisville. And we’ve got a supermajority of taxpayers on our side.

When the money stops, the killing stops

Don’t forget: We’ve already cleaned out the Feds’ biggest cat lab: The USDA’s $22 million Kitten Slaughterhouse. This leaves the VA as the last remaining government lab doing painful cat experiments.

The Los Angeles VA has ended its inhumane cat experiments! I’m proud to have backed the effort to stop these tests, including cosponsoring the CATS Act to ensure taxpayers no longer pay for any painful and outdated VA tests on cats & kittens.
— Rep. Brendan Boyle (@CongBoyle) March 15, 2021

Now we’re on the verge of ending ALL government cat experimentation!

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