US Department of Agriculture closes ‘kitten slaughterhouse’ after public criticism

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has vowed to stop killing cats as part of a research program, following strong public criticism, the BBC reported. More than 3,000 kittens have been put down since the program was launched in 1982, campaigners from the White Coat Waste Project (WCWP) say. In March, bipartisan legislation, known as the Kitten Act, was introduced in Congress to end the practice, describing it as “taxpayer-funded kitten slaughter.” The USDA said that the “research” has been redirected and “the use of cats… has been discontinued and will not be reinstated.”