A shift towards early-age desexing of cats under veterinary care in Australia

Mazeau, Loic; Wylie, C. E.; Boland, Lara; Beatty, Julia A.

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-79513-6

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Prepuberal gonadectomy has been shown to delay radial physeal closure in domestic cats, and as the age at which desexing occurred varies, this needs to be taken into consideration when assessing and applying qualitative bone measurements. [40][41][42] Due to limited evidence on the exact impact of desexing on skeletal growth, 41,42 presenting measurements as ratios rather than raw data can compensate for the variations in individual body conformation by creating a quantitative index. 43 Since knowing the lengths of metacarpals and phalanges in comparison to each other has been demonstrated as useful for surgical Mean length (millimetres), width (millimetres) and slenderness including standard deviation for tibia in male and female domestic shorthair cats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feline Skeletal Reference Guide: A Cadaveric Radiographic Measurement on Lower Limb Extremities

Choi

Pilton

Foo

et al. 2021

Vet Comp Orthop Traumatol

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Objective The aim of this study was to create a feline reference database for the length, width and slenderness (length to width ratio) of metacarpal and metatarsal bones, radius and tibia. Study Design Radiographs of the radius, tibia, metacarpus and metatarsus were performed in domestic short hair cat cadavers (n = 40). Length and width of the aforementioned bones were measured in mature domestic shorthair cats and bone slenderness (length/width) and index ratios calculated. Results A significant skeletal sex dimorphism exists in cats, with bones of the metacarpus, metatarsus, radius and tibia generally longer and wider in male cats compared with female cats, with differences frequently significant. The most significant difference was identified for the width of Mc5 (p = 0.0008) and the length and width of Mt5 (p = 0.0005). Index ratios for length and width of radius to metacarpal bones, and tibia to metatarsal bones, were not significantly different between male and female cats, except for Mc5. The index ratio for Mc5 was significantly higher in male cats (p = 0.002). Conclusion The present study provides insights into the normal length and width of distal forelimb and hind limb bones as well as bone index ratios in mature domestic shorthair cats. Using this information, it is now possible to quantitatively assess the relationship between these bones in domestic cats using radiography. This will assist not only with the diagnosis and categorization of skeletal abnormalities but can also guide surgical interventions of metacarpal and metatarsal bone fractures.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feline Skeletal Reference Guide: A Cadaveric Radiographic Measurement on Lower Limb Extremities

Choi

Pilton

Foo

et al. 2021

Vet Comp Orthop Traumatol

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“…Neutering of owned animals, including increased use of early-age or prepubertal neutering (before six months) and mandatory neutering prior to the sale or transfer of registered animals, will prevent unplanned breeding and possible abandonment of unwanted animals [ 104 , 105 ]. Many of the concerns regarding the effects of neutering on the health and development of cats were rebutted with empirical data in the publications arising from Belgium’s Sterycat Program [ 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 ]; however, there remains evidence that even in countries reporting a high prevalence of neutering, many cats are not neutered until later in life [ 110 , 111 , 112 ]. Groups such as Australia’s National Neutering Network ( ) or the United Kingdom’s Kitten Neutering Database (KiND, (31 August 2022)) may help to reverse this trend.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intensive Adoption as a Management Strategy for Unowned, Urban Cats: A Case Study of 25 Years of Trap–Assess–Resolve (TAR) in Auckland, New Zealand

Calver

Crawford

Scarff

et al. 2022

Animals

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Globally, unowned urban cats are a major concern because they may suffer from poor welfare and cause problems, including public health risks, nuisances, and urban wildlife predation. While management options are often presented as a choice between culling or trap–neuter–return (TNR), for 25 years, the Lonely Miaow (Inc.) charity in Auckland, New Zealand (hereafter LM), has used a third strategy—intensive adoption or trap–assess–resolve (TAR). As of 2019, of 14,611 unowned cats trapped, 64.2% were adopted, 22.2% were euthanized if unsocialised or in grave ill-health, 5.7% were neutered and returned to the site, and 7.9% had other outcomes, such as being transferred to other shelters. Adoption rates increased over this time, exceeding 80.0% in 2018 and 2019. The cost of processing each cat from capture to adoption rose from NZD 58 in 1999 to NZD 234 by 2017. Approximately 80% of colonies (sites where cats were trapped) were around residential areas. Approximately 22% of cats required veterinary treatment after capture; common ailments included respiratory infections, ringworm, dental problems, and trauma. Consistently, 52% of cats were young kittens (<10 weeks old), c. 80% of cats were <1 year old, and only c. 2% were estimated to be >5 years old. TAR avoids euthanasia where possible. Its effectiveness would be enhanced by fewer abandonments of owned cats and kittens, fitting within integrated strategies for the control of unowned cats involving community education. Cat adoptions improve the welfare of cats and, with appropriate husbandry, should alleviate concerns about nuisances, public health, and attacks on wildlife or the cats themselves, essentially benefitting the community and the cats. This case study is relevant to other cities around the world that are seeking to manage unowned cats.

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“…Previous studies have reported rates of desexing related to age, with 93% of cats over the age of two being desexed [46]. However, a recent study found that from 2010 to 2017, only 60% of cats had been desexed by 6 months, and 21.5% had been desexed by 4 months of age [70], indicating that there are many cats not desexed before puberty. A high number of well-socialised kittens from owned litters are surrendered to shelters [4,37], and although many may be from stray cats with carers, a proportion are likely from owned companion cats producing kittens before they are desexed [4].…”

Section: Comparison With Laws and Regulations For Desexingmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…A 2019 review of the Western Australia Cat Act 2011 found that 37% of respondents felt the age of 6 months was appropriate, 46% were unsure, and only 16% felt it was not appropriate [69]. Desexing rates for cats are relatively high in Australia; a recent study found that 83% of companion cats are desexed [70]. Previous studies have reported rates of desexing related to age, with 93% of cats over the age of two being desexed [46].…”

Section: Comparison With Laws and Regulations For Desexingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Implications of Policies on the Welfare of Free-Roaming Cats in New Zealand

Sumner

Walker

Dale

2022

Animals

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A lack of national legislation for cat management in New Zealand poses challenges for ensuring that practices are consistently humane and effective. In this paper, we review the current cat management policies in New Zealand and the implications they have on the welfare of free-roaming cats (from here on, referred to as ‘cats’). Our review demonstrates that there are multiple policy mechanisms used to manage cats in New Zealand for a variety of reasons, including animal welfare, pest management, and nuisance, and that these different policies have both positive and negative implications for cat welfare. We provide context pertaining to New Zealanders’ acceptance of current or future laws and regulations and compare the New Zealand policy landscape with other countries, with a particular emphasis on Australia, to identify potential directions and outcomes of increased regulation. We discuss the future of the regulatory environment in New Zealand, including the need to better understand the impact of policies on cats, people, and other animals in urban, rural, and wild spaces. We further discuss the need to better understand the cat–human relationship for future policy decisions and offer a solution based on national cat legislation.

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A shift towards early-age desexing of cats under veterinary care in Australia

Cited by 8 publications

References 46 publications

Feline Skeletal Reference Guide: A Cadaveric Radiographic Measurement on Lower Limb Extremities

Feline Skeletal Reference Guide: A Cadaveric Radiographic Measurement on Lower Limb Extremities

Intensive Adoption as a Management Strategy for Unowned, Urban Cats: A Case Study of 25 Years of Trap–Assess–Resolve (TAR) in Auckland, New Zealand

The Implications of Policies on the Welfare of Free-Roaming Cats in New Zealand

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