As a chiropractor I am always interested in new scientific research that benefits the spine and nervous system. And, I was about to write a “high five” blog post here about research that is being done using a “silk implant” that “melts” onto the surface of the brain and may aid spinal injuries and epilepsy. But, as it turns out, the research is being done ON CATS. That’s right! Fluffy is being maimed and mutilated in the hopes that kitty’s pain and suffering will one day ameliorate some form of human suffering. So, I’m no longer inspired to send out a “what-what” for animal research.

I’m pretty sure that Fluffy didn’t knowingly volunteer for vivisection any more than any human would no matter how altruistic the goal might be.  And, I doubt very much if Fluffy was induced by a can of tuna. No, Fluffy was probably handed over for experimentation by someone who was no longer interested in a fluffy kitten once it grew into a full grown cat, or else Fluffy was raised in captivity for the purposes of “torture” for the “higher good of humankind.”

It seems to me with all of the “virtual” assistance available today that the archaic practice of using “real” animals as guinea pigs for medical research would have been abandoned.

As a healthcare provider I respect life, all life, animal as well as human.  As the debate continues as to what constitutes torture, perhaps it is time that we define the nature of torture as it pertains to animals as well as to human beings.

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