End the Cat Lab

Wikimedia Commons

BACKGROUND | SOURCE FOR LIFE & FACEBOOK

Washington University conducts a class called Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) that includes practicing intubation on live cats.

Intubating requires students to forcibly insert tubes into cats’ throats. This can cause bleeding, swelling, cracked teeth, punctured lungs, and even death.

The American Heart Association states that it does not condone the use of animals in its PALS course.

Instead, training should be done on lifelike human simulator manikins. Wash U’s PALS students have access to a state-of-the-art pediatric simulation lab on the campus of St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

97% of U.S. medical institutions offering PALS training do not use live animals.

Your voice counts for these cats. Take action immediately.

Tell Washington University to stop using live animals for unjustifiable practices.

WHOM TO CONTACT

Email block:

kennedy@kids.wustl.edu ; mgp6225@bjc.org ; jaffe@kids.wustl.edu ; gunn_j@kids.wustl.edu ; shapirol@wustl.edu ; wrighton@wustl.edu

Individual:

Robert “Bo” Kennedy, PALS Director
kennedy@kids.wustl.edu
314-454-2341

Marcia Putnam, PALS Administrator
mgp6225@bjc.org
314-454-2229

David Jaffe, PALS Instructor
jaffe@kids.wustl.edu
314-454-2341

Joseph Gunn, PALS Instructor
gunn_j@kids.wustl.edu
314-454-2341

Larry Shapiro, Dean of WUSTL School of Medicine
shapirol@wustl.edu
314-362-6827

Mark Wrighton, Chancellor of WUSTL
wrighton@wustl.edu
314-935-5100

Telephone:

314-454-2341, 314-454-2229

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Administrator Putman, Director Kennedy, PALS Instructor Jaffe, PALS Instructor Gunn, Dean Shapiro, and Chancellor Wrighton:

I am disturbed after discovering that Washington University in St. Louis still uses cats and ferrets to teach students how to intubate babies; these animals are subjected to mutilating experiments and killed, a practice that inflicts immense suffering upon them. These animals are marvelously intelligent and sentient beings, capable of thought, love, pain, and fear, and to expose them to this archaic method of training is alarming. In a recently-conducted survey, it has been determined that in greater than 95% of similar programs, the TraumaMan System has been utilized (PCRM). The TraumaMan System has been proven a superior model to the live animal “model”, and I fear any student not trained on the most advanced method will have a diminished learning experience. This should be concerning to any potential patient.

Additionally, since animals cannot be substituted for human beings, subjecting them to this exploitive process reflects a blatant disregard for life; how can we teach our future medical professionals ethics while enforcing a course that maims and kills live, sentient beings? This represents a conflict of interest as well as a contradiction in both morals and actions: if non-human animals are deemed similar enough to humans physiologically, then you must acknowledge that, as sentient beings, they should not be exploited and killed either. Any other conclusion would be considered a discord and would serve as a detriment to the learning process, especially in such a critical field of study.

It would be regrettable not being able to recommend your fine institution; however, because I value the most sophisticated and innovative learning techniques, it would be remiss of me to consider Washington University based on your reliance of such an obsolete method of study. As such, I respectfully ask that you please accept the superior method of study, the TraumaMan System, for your university and students, and make yours an institution of credibility and honor.

I know that your time is limited, and I want to thank you for your attention and consideration to this urgent appeal.

NAME

i cannot breathe,
i cannot swallow.
whose evil instructions
did you follow.
i am just an innocent cat.
i do not think you humans
would want to go
through that!
please use manikins,
be humane.
no being should ever
go through this pain!!!

Karen Lyons Kalmenson