Cat dissection experiment should end

The introduction of one of Solon High School’s newest science courses, Anatomy and Physiology, not only left the hallways with a putrid smell, it sparked controversy among students. To those who have some of the fluffy critters in their own home, shaving and cutting into a dead cat may seem unthinkable and disgusting. But the fault doesn’t lie in the hands of the school, it all stems back to the corrupt system of pounds and kill shelters in the United States.

According to The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), 1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats are euthanized each year in the United States due to overpopulation and the difficulties that come with finding homes for animals.

If people would spay and neuter their pets, overpopulation would no longer be an issue.

If puppies were no longer seen as a Christmas gift and then left on the streets once they got older, fewer dogs would be abandoned.

And if more shelters were created to foster and take care of animals without euthanasia due to overcrowding, the dissection of cats and dogs in schools would no longer be the huge issue that it is.

Until the obstacles of overpopulation and abandonment disappear, high school students should not dissect cats. Even if the cats were euthanized humanely and their bodies went on to be studied for science, one of those cats could’ve been someone’s pet. Its owners could have left the door open and one day, the cat walked out and never came home. And now its body is in a silver tray, being poked and prodded by teenagers. How could this possibly be a morally sound implementation into school curriculum?

The cats weren’t given a choice to put “organ donor” on a driver’s license or to sign off on an agreement to let their corpses become a science project. Some of these cats once had a loving home to live in, a warm spot on the couch to rest on. When high schools allow for the dissection of domesticated pets, all respect for those once-living creatures is thrown out of the window.

The commercials with depressing music in the background and slow-motion video clips of emaciated dogs and flea-ridden cats cause us to cringe and change the channel. So why do we then allow for these sweet pets to become a lab experiment?