Cats’ Brains and Alzheimer’s Disease: PETA Statement on New Study

For Immediate Release:
August 12, 2025

Contact:
Brandi Pharris 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA director of Science Advancement and Outreach and neuroscientist Dr. Emily Trunnell regarding a new study involving the brains of deceased companion cats who exhibited signs of feline dementia while alive:

Using cats—or any animals—as test tubes for human disease is ethically indefensible and scientifically flawed. This respectful, non-invasive study, using only tissue from companion cats who passed away, must not lead to any future experiments on live cats. This study must not be promoted as the basis for a “new animal model” for Alzheimer’s disease. Despite decades of experiments on animals, 99.6% of Alzheimer’s drugs developed using and tested on animals have failed in human clinical trials. Human dementia research can only be done using non-animal, human-relevant methods if we are to find meaningful cures and treatments for humans.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.