***must Read!***

[Medusa]

Thanx for bringing both sides to our attention, Candace. This goes along w/my "people first" belief, although I still find it difficult to justify such research. However, should I ever be in the position where I would need medical treatment that came about due to just this type of research, I probably would sing a different tune. I try not to allow my emotions to take over but sometimes, such as when I see a glow in the dark cat, it ain't easy.

[Catty1]

There were some light posts there too - like the guy who said we could save on electricity by having these glow cats around...and reading by 'cat-light'.

He forgot that you need a blacklight to see this to begin with.

What struck me is that because of the money invested in this research - and you have to jump through a ton of hoops and prove your project is worth supporting, and THEN spend whatever you get on animals, which are EXPENSIVE - that is reason enough to treat the animals as well as possible, even if it is only from an investment standpoint, as well as needing healthy animals to begin with.

It's a hard line...I love my cats. I hope there is research going on that will ELIMINATE the use of animal research forever.

[smokey the elder]

*bangs head against desk* I wish people would quit making out the biologists as the bad guys. A company who wants to do animal testing has to jump through hoops. I don't want to get into another debate about it, though; we'll just have to agree to disagree.

[catmandu]

THATS A VERY GOD OINT, BUT I HAVE RAED THAT A LOT OF THESE TESTS ARE DUPLICATES OF TESTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN DONE, AND THAT THEY ARE DONE JUST FOR THE MONEY.
AND MICE DO HAVE FEELINGS AS WELL, ITS A SHAME THAT ANY CREATURE OF GOD IS CONSIDERED EXPENDABLE AND WITHOUT WORTH.

[moosmom]

I just don't understand why people f%$# with nature like that, when there are SOOOO many unwanted animals out there. Pisses me off.

[Catty1]

smokey - in that link was a comment or two by researchers - who pointed out just how HARD it is to even GET to do research. MANY hoops.

I don't like animals being used either. But they are not just dragged off the streets. Yes, I know some schools have been busted for buying pets from greedy people similar to themselves, but that is not the usual case.

In MS, the body attacks healthy cells, destroying the myelin that conducts nerve messages properly - loss of motor ability occurs. Acorda is STILL in pre-clinical stages of testing this on humans - a substance that REGROWS the myelin. AMAZING. I had hoped it would happen in time for my sister - it did not. Please look at the link below:

http://www.acorda.com/pipeline_remyelination.asp

This would be amazing. How was it discovered that myelin could be regrown? The news came from the Mayo Clinic, who had accomplished this with rats.

Awful for the rats. Incredible for the millions who have MS. Hurtful for me because it did not happen in time for my sister.

HUMAN trials take 7 - 10 years to be completed, and THEN FDA/Health Canada approval has to be applied for.

This long process - even with humans - can make it seem like it is a repeated series of tests.

Just an FYI.

Gary - I would seriously like to know where you read about the tests being repeated just for the money. Seriously. Because they would get a nasty letter from me.

On ANOTHER note - is there a base of info somewhere that has some facts about testing being done successfully WITHOUT animals?

Would like to seek a solution here...

[Emeraldgreen]

Catty1, I'm so sorry to hear about your sister's battle with MS. It's hard for me to choose sides because my mother had juvenille diabetes from the age of ten and if animal testing had not been done to create injectable insulin she would never have survived. And, on the other hand, I love animals so much and would do anything to save one that I knew of that was in distress.
I do support testing that is not inhumane to animals and that could be life saving or life changing for humans who are debilitated.
I don't know enough about the glow in the dark cats research being done but I did see the story on the news as well and what I found upsetting was the stress that the cats appeared to be under. I can only imagine how many black lights have been pointed at them with camera bulbs flashing the way they were in this news story. They looked quite miserable and at one point I saw three of them stuffed into one rather small wired cage. When the camera zoomed in on one of the cats 'glowing' in the dark it gave this pitiful scratchy meow and it broke my heart. I know they have been bred for science but not once in any of the footage did anyone show one of these cats any affection when they were so obviously spooked.
I should learn more about it because I am wondering why they would choose to add a gene that makes them glow to prove that they can add a gene. Perhaps there is another gene that they could have added that would have allowed them the same useful information, something like adding a gene that would create two different coloured eyes or pink pads instead of black.
I really wonder if the act of glowing could be uncomfortable for a cat. When they turned the lights off and turned the black lights on it appeared like the rims of their eyes were glowing and I can't imagine that it is not irritating to have the rims of their eyes glaring light back into their eyeball. And, I wonder if the eye itself has glowing properties and if their vision is affected. They might be able to do tests to check if the cats can see properly but I don't think they could know if the vision through glow in the dark eyes is irritating or not.
Anyway, I don't think they'll ever know if it is uncomfortable for a cat to glow and I'm sure it's not something they would ever do to a person so I'm sure it will remain a mystery. I just pray that it is not that bad and I hope that these cats will be treated kindly in the future.