EXPOSED: Taxpayer-Funded Mizzou Lab Caught Harvesting Blood from Former Pets in Cruel Program
The non-profit organization White Coat Waste (WCW) has revealed troubling practices at the University of Missouri-Columbia (UMC), where cats—including former pets obtained from local shelters—are reportedly subjected to invasive experiments funded by taxpayers.
Documents obtained by WCW show that UMC kept a colony of homeless cats from Jefferson City’s public animal shelter. These cats were used as blood donors in ways that could lead to anemia and dangerously low blood levels. Many of the cats likely had prior owners, as indicated by their microchips, and some could be confined for up to two years before being euthanized if deemed “medically necessary” instead of being rehomed.
WCW reports that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides $528,052 to UMC to fund experiments on 91 cats, with the program scheduled to continue through at least April 2026. The procedures reportedly include deliberately causing spinal cord injuries to study swallowing and motor function, surgically opening skulls, using ventilators to force hyperventilation with carbon dioxide, inserting tubes to induce coughing, and applying electric shocks to the cats’ voice boxes.
Anthony Bellotti, WCW president, criticized the program, stating, “Taxpayers should not have to fund the cruel abuse of pets in wasteful experiments. The NIH has failed both the public and animals by allowing Mizzou to continue crippling and killing cats with our tax dollars, months after assurances were given that these tests would end. The solution is simple: Stop the funding.”
Following viral social media posts about the revelations, UMC confirmed that in May 2024, it acquired three cats from a mid-Missouri shelter. While the university said these cats are not part of active research, they are used as blood donors for other cats. Bellotti notes that other veterinary schools often collect blood from owned pets with minimal stress, offering veterinary care in exchange.
UMC also acknowledged purchasing four cats in October 2025 from Marshall BioResources, a company that breeds cats for research, including NIH-funded projects. The university said these cats have not yet undergone invasive procedures, but WCW is calling for their immediate release.
When asked by The Gateway Pundit whether the four cats would be used for NIH-funded research, UMC Director of Media Relations Christopher Ave confirmed they would. Ave defended the experiments, saying testing on cats is an “essential step” in developing new therapies for humans, and that UMC follows “reduce, refine, and replace” principles. He also noted that the three shelter cats provide lifesaving blood donations for sick or injured pets at the veterinary hospital.
The NIH grant supporting UMC’s cat experiments was first awarded in 2022 and continues despite increased scrutiny over animal cruelty and government spending. Nicole Kleinstreuer, the NIH deputy director overseeing animal testing programs since April 2025, has reportedly allowed the research to continue, even though she previously claimed she was working to phase out experiments on pets.
Bellotti told Gateway Pundit, “Because of inaction and broken promises, Mizzou continues to waste taxpayer dollars on buying, harming, and killing healthy cats, defying Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s pledge last year to reduce NIH animal testing. This is a failure to the public and to animals alike.”
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