I'M NOT DISSECTING ANY CAT!

     Okay, I need to start by saying that I know that no story will be  topping yesterday's story, but I can at least try. There was a story about another fake lottery winner that was fooled by her son, but I feel like I covered the fake lottery winner already this week, which brings me to today's story. Does anyone remember dissecting animals in biology class in high school? I remember dissecting worms, frogs, baby pigs, and baby sharks. It was absolutely disgusting! I try to put it out of memory, but that's instilled in there. I remember for extra credit, one of my teacher's asked us to take the rest of the meat off of the frog and diagram his bones. I didn't want to, but it was extra credit, right? Thank God, my aunt who comes from the old country was over that day. She had no problem ripping the meat off of this dead frog for me. I ended up getting an "A", but "WTF"? How can you do that to a teenager? It's traumatizing!

     That being said, a central Virginia mother and daughter are challenging their county's school system over an assignment in human anatomy class. The project involved dissecting one of the most common house pets, a cat. Oh, hell no! When I was in high school, they only did this in Physiology. A class that I didn't take for that very reason (and I sucked at science). Brynnan Grimes, an 11th-grade student, sketches and writes stories about cats in her spare time, which are her favorite creatures. She has a very strong affection for cats, to put it mildly. Her family has five cats including her personal kitten, Sparta. 

     Grimes is growing closer to her companion animals because the 16-year-old is now being home-schooled after coming home one day from class with a message to her mother. Her mom, Tamira Thayne said, "She came home and she said, 'mom we're supposed to dissect cats in anatomy class,' and I was blown away." Grimes says she couldn't believe what she heard from the teacher before the dissection. "She said, 'if you have a black cat just pick a white cat to dissect,' I was like that doesn't change anything. They're still a cat!" 

     The school system says it follows state guidelines for alternatives to animal dissection. The guidelines require the school notify students of the alternatives and provide specific activities or resources as an alternative. Grimes' mom now wants her outrage on this channeled into action as she posted a petition on change.org (which never changes anything.) Grimes says she is glad that other animal lovers are joining in the cause. I have to say that when I was in high school, this was never an issue. I understand the complaint, but these cats that are used are already gone and preserved for class purposes. It's not like they are using live cats and killing them for this class. I can understand that it can be tough to cut an animal that you have at home as a pet, but don't take that class then? I don't believe that Physiology is a requirement. I mean, I knew they dissected cats in that class, and I steered clear. I took a Power class instead to learn about cars. I knew I wasn't going to be a doctor, so there was no reason for me to cut up any cats. Anyway, good for you Brynnan for standing up for what you believe in!