CINCINNATI — Cats will no longer be used by an Ohio children’s hospital for teaching doctors a method of examining human airways and lungs.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals had complained to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center about practicing bronchoscopy procedure on cats.
The animal rights group says there are alternative techniques to putting tubes down cats’ throats. PETA says the practice can cause respiratory distress, collapsed lungs or cardiac arrest.
PETA says hundreds of cats were used over the past 20 years to teach doctors from around the world in the hospital’s pediatric flexible bronchoscopy postgraduate course.
Children’s hospital spokesman Jim Feuer confirmed Thursday the hospital recently sent a letter to PETA saying it would no longer use animals in the course. He didn’t provide any other details.
