Cats.....

[RockyRoad]

Sorry, I do not cut up things. I have not gotten to the point where we do it in school but my science teacher said I did not have to do it. It just is really scary to cut open a living thing and actually look inside it. I'm one of those people who gets all queasy and stuff when I see cut open animals/people. It just gives me the creeps. I guess I sort of stand out here. What is it like??

[Soledad]

Well, it's not a living thing. It's a dead thing and it was going to be dead whether you chose to cut it up or not, so you might as well learn about it.

It's VERY fascinating. I just cannot believe the complexity of our bodies.

[RockyRoad]

Originally posted by Soledad
Well, it's not a living thing. It's a dead thing and it was going to be dead whether you chose to cut it up or not, so you might as well learn about it.

It's VERY fascinating. I just cannot believe the complexity of our bodies.

Oh yeah oops it isn't living my mistake! It just makes me really nervous, but I do not know why.

[Nomilynn]

Didn't she say that the cat was killed for the purpose of the dissection? Maybe I misunderstood, but I took it as the teacher said the cat was killed for the class, and I think that is completely disgusting. I will not dissect anything. Maybe the cat was already dead, but it wasn't before the dissection. It is one thing if the animal was ill and had to be put down in the first place, but it's wrong if the cat was killed simply because it would have gone to a shelter otherwise. In high school I was supposed to dissect a cow's eye, a fish and maybe a worm. I wouldn't do it, even though I knew the eye came from a cow used for meat and stuff. Anyway, that's just my opinion.

[slleipnir]

Yes, the cats are killed for that purpose, my teacher said its VERY unlikey a cat will be sick at that time. I really do agree there should be different ways to go about this, but I know there really isn't any other way for me, this would be the only time I'd see it. We actually saw it today. They cut her open, and we saw all her organs, then he took out a kitten, it was so tiny, it was still pink, but I don't know why, but I thought it was cute. We also saw a pigs uterus, I had NO clue it would be that big, it was huge! We saw a little pigglet too :]

Like I said, I found it hurt to see the cat, but me not seeing it, wouldn't make it stop, and I could be cruel, but I wanted to see it :[ I find it sooo amazing to learn about where they came from, how the developed. It makes you understand and appresiate it more.

[Nomilynn]

Originally posted by slleipnir
Yes, the cats are killed for that purpose, my teacher said its VERY unlikey a cat will be sick at that time.

That is what makes me so incredible angry. Cats are not dispensible, and to kill a cat - a pregnant one at that - is inhumane and disgusting. I cannot believe that a high school would be allowed to do something like that. Would we take a homeless person off the street because "they would have ended up in a shelter anyway" and use him or her as a scientific experiment? I really don't think so.

I totally agree to what Nomilynn wrote in her 2 replies !!!

In highschool , we dissected a rabit and a fish (yuck !!!) ; I hated it !! One pupil even fainted !! I agree if this is done at schools for veterinary-students , but NOT in highschools !!

[Soledad]

I think students should have the right to choose if they want to participate or not, but I do not think that we should take away that experience all together. Some people learn a great deal from it. What about kids who didn't think about a veterinary/medical career until they did do dissections? You have to expose them to things early.

[Soledad]

I also think that the only people who are really justified to be opposed to dissection are vegetarians. Otherwise it just seems hypocritical to kill animals for your own nutrition, but be outraged when someone wants to use an animal's death for educational purposes.

[Nomilynn]

Originally posted by Soledad
... animal's death for educational purposes.

The animal didn't die. The animal was KILLED.. there is a huge difference.

[Soledad]

And it was KILLED to end up on your plate or on your feet.

[slleipnir]

I don't know, I have to agree with soledad. I really don't like the idea of killing, but I mean, how else would we learn about it?? A dog? A pig? Either way, if you want to learn by veiwing it, you gotta see it. I wish there was some way not to kill them, but I mean, like soledad said its probably a stray cat or one that will die anyway..The animals are put to sleep so they feel no pain..I look at some places over population of cats, and think about it..These cats will have kittens who will have kittens etc, thats why theres so many strays right? Is it REALLY far for those kittens to grow up a stray and die some painful death by disease? Sure they don't all, but its likely too..I know that doesn't make it right, and I hope you don't think I'm all like "who cares, kill them" If I HAD the choice to say no don't kill them, I would say no for sure, but seeing its offered to me, I'm going to take it. Personally, I'm a visial learner, I need to see it and do it myself for me to learn it..I really do feel bad though, I really am kind of in the middle of things here, but I duno..I just know I'll never get the experience again..

[ownerof3dogs]

slleipnir.

I totally agree with what you are saying. I am the same way, I have to see it myself to learn it. The thing I found was you get torn between feeling terrible about the dead cat but at the same time you feel interested and want to look and learn about the inside of the cat. It like you stuck between a rock and a hard place. The way I looked at it was the cat was already killed and the rest of the class was still going to dissect it..so why not just stay and learn from it.

[Nomilynn]

Originally posted by Soledad
And it was KILLED to end up on your plate or on your feet.

What kind of comment is that supposed to be? I was talking about the cat, not animals that are killed for food. I cannot believe you would say something so incredibly offensive and disgusting as that. I don't have a problem with a cat being killed for a reason, and in that death it can be put to a good use, but I completely disagree with someone going to a shelter and asking for a pregnant cat because a biology class is interested in its guts. So don't you twist my words around like that without making sure you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.

[kingrattus]

At kill shelters they don't care if the animal is pregnet or not. To them, a dead cat is a dead cat, & if they can sell the dead cat, then maybe they can use the money to help save an animal that has a chance of a getting a home.


Don't be silly, they don't use homless people, they use people in prisons. (not joking)