A St Louis university has stopped using sedated cats to train medical students how to insert breathing tubes down babies' throats, ending the practice in the US, a medical ethics group says.
The Washington University's school of medicine said in a statement that after a "significant investment" in its simulation centre, it will now provide neonatal intubation training using only mannequins and advanced simulators.
The Missouri school said improvements in simulators made the change possible. Cats at the university are being adopted by employees of the medical centre.
"In the 25-plus years the university has relied on cats in teaching this procedure, none was harmed during training," it said.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine applauded the decision, saying the practice was cruel to animals and unnecessary for students.
The group said it was the last of the 198 US programs still using cats.
"The best way to teach emergency airway intervention is on human-relevant training methods. I commend Washington University for switching to modern methods," said Dr John Pippin, director of academic affairs for the Physicians Committee.
Washington University's use of cats has drawn criticism in recent years, with critics contending that the animals suffer pain and injuries ranging from cracked teeth to punctured lungs.
Protests broke out in 2013 after an undercover video of the university's training in paediatric advanced life support was released by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
The video shows a trainee putting tubes down the throat of a sedated cat, sometimes struggling to get it right.
But university officials have said the lab consistently met federal standards.
