More Than 200 Cats and Dogs Rescued from Oklahoma Laboratory by the Beagle Freedom Project
Catalyst Pet Donates Supplies to Help Rehabilitate Abused Cats
The Beagle Freedom Project (BFP), a nonprofit organization that rescues and rehomes animals used in laboratory testing, has shut down one third of the flea and tick product testing industry in the U.S. after taking over a facility in Nowata, Oklahoma that housed more than 200 cats and dogs being used for toxic and painful testing.
"The importance of this monumental achievement cannot be overstated. Not only have we rescued hundreds of animals from being tested on and certain death, we have also created a pathway for others to do the same,” says BFP President and Founder Shannon Keith in a press release. “This has never before been accomplished. We are overjoyed that not only will we give more than 200 dogs and cats their freedom and identity, but that we will also transform an animal testing facility into a place of happiness, rehabilitation, and love."
The Oklahoma facility will now be turned into a rehabilitation and adoption center where dogs, cats, rabbits and farm animals the BFP rescues from animal testing and experimentation will receive medical care, nutritious food, safe and beautiful habitats, space to roam, and all the protection, love, play, enrichment, and freedom they have been deprived of their entire lives. Rehabilitated animals will be carefully matched to foster and adoptive families by BFP’s adoption coordination team. The center will be called Freedom Fields.
When Catalyst heard about the mistreatment of these animals and the work the BFP Project did to rescue them, we had to get involved. We’re dedicated to making Freedom Fields a healthy place for the cats to live by providing Catalyst litter, mats and scoops to help take care of them as they rehabilitate and beyond. Since many of the cats are injured and may be sensitive to chemicals and allergens, our 100% natural litter is ideal to keep them comfortable and happy as they heal.
“The cats really like this litter, and I swear it’s making the cat room smell better already,” BFP’s Sasha Itzikman says.
We at Catalyst Pet believe sustainability is about more than the environment but also about health and justice in communities. That’s why we launched a shelter and rescue program in June 2020 to support organizations and people across the country that rescue, shelter, and trap-neuter-return kittens and cats.
“The work BFP is doing for animals in needs fits in perfectly with our commitment to helping ALL animals,” says Catalyst Pet’s Cammie Kaminski. “We’re honored to be a part of the efforts to help these poor animals who have been through such awful abuse.”
Freedom Fields will see major renovation in the coming months, including creating new barns and habitats for large farm animals, pigs, chickens and rabbits, a landscaped dog park, and indoor/outdoor spaces including cozy, well-appointed dog dens, cat café, catio, senior center, nursery, infirmary, groom room, and visitor center, where guests at Freedom Fields will learn about animal testing before touring the facilities and meeting animals available for adoption.
Over the past three years, BFP has rescued animals from the former Nowata flea and tick product testing laboratory that had been the subject of many USDA citations and violations.
“We have seen first-hand, the horrors these animals have endured: their skin is burned, seared off and infected, they have seizures from the toxins, they endure maddening pain and discomfort while fleas and ticks are bred on their bodies and they are forced to wear cones so they cannot relieve the pain and itching, and so much more. We had to end this.” says Keith.
To learn more about BFP, and to donate to the Freedom Fields renovations, click here.
