I have only recently discovered that cruel forms of animal testing are also conducted by manufacturers of pet foods and products. There are some who actually believe that animal testing is necessary, and there are some who are unaware that such things happen.

So what do I really think of animal testing? Previously, I was of the opinion that perhaps some animal testing is necessary to ensure that products are safe for human consumption or use. But since I discovered the horrific truth that even manufacturers of pet products are guilty of such things, I took the initiative to do quite a bit of research on this matter, and learnt otherwise.

Over the past few days, I have read lots and learnt that for most products (for human and animal consumption), animal testing is not only unnecessary but is grossly inaccurate for many reasons. And what is even more disturbing is the fact that in this day and age, there are new methods of testing, due to advancements in technology, where live animals are no longer required.

So is animal testing bad? I think it is and I strongly believe that it should be stopped. Firstly, I think it is important to ask the question: why are these companies testing on animals?

One of the main reasons is not because they are concerned for your safety, but they are concerned for their businesses and profits. If they were concerned for your safety, then they should not be putting in harmful substances in their products in the first place. But they are concerned that you might sue them should you develop an illness, etc, from using their products.

If there are products that need to be tested then perhaps humans should be the test subjects on a voluntary basis. There are many companies that ask for volunteers for their product testing and this method also ensures a higher level of ethics because if anything goes wrong with the human test subjects, the corporation would likely be sued or boycotted. Whereas if an animal becomes critically ill or dies, the poor animal can't do anything except suffer and die in silence.

I personally feel that manufacturers should take additional precautionary measures to ensure that their products are non-toxic and safe for consumption. Subsequently, if they need tests to be carried out on living beings, then these beings should be humans. After all, it is thanks to us humans that all products produced can no longer be assumed safe.

I have to admit that since carrying out my research, I have learnt that a number of products that I use for myself and for my fur-kids are in fact tested on animals, and some in the most cruel of ways. I am actually quite ashamed that I didn't take the initiative to find out before. I have resolved to stop using these products and search for cruelty-free alternatives.

Will I be able to choose cruelty free products completely? My honest answer is that I am not sure, and this is due to two reasons. The first being unaware that animal testing is being carried out by a particular company or line of product, and the other is the fact that it is actually incredibly difficult in Malaysia to find cruelty free products. But I will try as far as possible.

It can be very challenging to choose cruelty free products entirely. So what do we do now? I suggest that we all try as hard as possible to choose cruelty free products one day at a time. If we all work together to amass information and spread this information to our friends and family, then this daunting task becomes a lot easier.

I would also like to call upon the Malaysian government to help promote awareness on the subject matter and encourage the people to choose cruelty free products and discourage manufacturers from carrying out such barbaric acts.

And finally, remember this quote from the World Wildlife Fund: 'When the buying stops, the killing can too'.