Murine -- Is not Always Eyewash

I just found a nifty new word...murine. After some fiddling about with the google questions -- I use it like the magic 8 ball -- I found that murine is actually a subcatagory of house mouse or wood rat used in lab tests. Here is a link to murine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murinae
And here is a picture of a cute mouse -- I am a fan of mice actually even though I have cats. I like this little fellow and feel bad that rats, mice and other animals are used for laboratory purposes. It seems a shame to kill to test something out. So I am rooting for whatever we can do to find alternative ways to test products before they go onto the market. In my own little way, I try to buy items that clearly state they were not tested on animals. But that phrase 'not tested on animals' in and of itself troubles me. Humans are the only animal that refuses to recognize themselves as animals. And as all the self help books say, until you admit to yourself what you are you cannot find either help or serenity.