Cage size, movement in and out of housing during daily care, and other environmental and population health risk factors for feline upper respiratory disease in nine North American animal shelters

Wagner, Denae; Kass, Philip H.; Hurley, Kate

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0190140

Cited by 28 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…In our study the majority of the sample population were cats transferred from other shelter facilities, increasing the likelihood that many of the cats had some form of protective immunity prior to admission to the shelter. PCR testing for feline URDs, as was performed in Wagner et al 2018 [ 40 ], would have been a useful tool, but unfortunately this was not possible at this particular shelter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Frequency and Duration of Handling on the Development of Feline Upper Respiratory Infections in a Shelter Setting

Burns¹,

Redding

Watson

2020

Animals

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Reducing stress is important to maintaining the health of shelter cats and decreasing the risk of upper respiratory disease (URD). The aim of this study was to determine if the frequency and/or duration of daily routine handling of shelter cats affects the likelihood of URD development. At a closed admission shelter, each cat free of URD on intake was given a cage card for recording handling data. These data included: date and times when the cat was handled, duration of handling, if and when the cat developed signs of URD, and the handler identity. Cox regression was used to determine the relationship between these factors and URD development. We found cats that did not develop URD were handled significantly more than cats that did (1.1 times per day vs. 0.7 times per day, p < 0.001). Increased frequency of handling had a borderline significant effect on the hazard of developing URD (HR 0.37; CI: 0.13–1.1; p = 0.066). No other parameters were significantly associated with the development of URD; however, small sample size may be responsible for this finding. A larger study is needed to elucidate the relationship between handling and URD development.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Frequency and Duration of Handling on the Development of Feline Upper Respiratory Infections in a Shelter Setting

Burns¹,

Redding

Watson

2020

Animals

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“…Another study reported a 55% clinical URI prevalence across eight California shelters [ 16 ]. Yet another multi-shelter study, which investigated the risk of URI in adult cats in nine American shelters, documented an overall average annual URI rate of 17% but discovered a wide variation in the URI rate across the nine shelters ranging from 3% to over 29% [ 17 ]. Shelter URI prevalence varies widely due to different environmental, management and population-based factors, including feline housing, population density, sanitation practices and vaccination protocols [ 15 , 17 ]; however, the 25.8% prevalence rate for URI in this study was comparable to previously documented URI rates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Importantly, this information can help shelters develop protocols around relocated animals to reduce disease transmission within the shelter. Documented strategies that can minimize the risk of developing URI in shelters should be followed for relocated cats at destination agencies, including the provision of larger housing units, minimization of movement of cats within and between cages, utilization of appropriate sanitation methods, minimization of length of stay within the shelter and reduction of shelter population density [ 17 , 27 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infectious Disease Prevalence and Factors Associated with Upper Respiratory Infection in Cats Following Relocation

Aziz

Janeczko

Gupta

2018

Animals

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Simple SummaryRelocation of cats and kittens is a relatively new practice in animal welfare. It is one of the many tools used by animal welfare agencies to decrease shelter euthanasia rates across the country. However, there are few and sometimes conflicting guidelines for either minimum standards or best practices regarding relocation programs. Most operational practices are evolving and are often based on lessons learned. Concerns about the frequency of infectious diseases and the corresponding likelihood of spread are commonly raised in the context of animal relocation. In this study, which followed one relocation program over a 7-month period, highly contagious infectious diseases, feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) and ringworm, were uncommon in cats following relocation into one shelter. Upper respiratory infection (URI) was, however, relatively more frequent with younger age, increased time in transport during relocation and increased time spent at the shelter following relocation all associated with increased disease frequency. Accordingly, even in an established relocation program, steps should be taken to mitigate the risk of upper respiratory infection in relocated cats.AbstractFeline relocation is used increasingly in animal welfare to decrease shelter euthanasia rates and increase positive outcomes. Concerns about infectious disease introduction and transmission are often expressed; however, little research has been conducted on even the baseline prevalence of infectious disease following relocation. This study, which collected data on 430 cats relocated through an established program over 7 months, evaluated the prevalence of upper respiratory infection (URI), feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) and dermatophytosis at one destination agency. The period prevalence was 25.8% for URI, 1.6% for FPV and 0.9% for dermatophytosis. Mixed-effects logistic regression was performed to investigate factors associated with URI. Younger age, increased time in transport, and increased length of stay at the destination agency were associated with increased URI prevalence following relocation. The findings of this study reveal that certain highly contagious and environmentally persistent infectious diseases, such as FPV and dermatophytosis, are uncommon following relocation in an established program; however, URI in relocated cats should be proactively managed. Animal welfare agencies can use this information to guide shelter and relocation operations and mitigate the impact of URI in relocated cats.

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“…All kittens from each one of the four shelters visited that matched the inclusion criteria were included. Topical anesthetics and fluorescein staining were not used during the ophthalmological examination because these compounds can affect the sensitivity of qPCR methods (GOULD, 2011;HORZINEK et al, 2013). A defined set of criteria for the conjunctivitis score system was adapted from a previously established one (HARTMANN et al, 2010) and was used in all shelters.…”

Section: Study Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our study suggested that caged animals have higher viral loads than uncaged ones. Uncaged animals have a better quality of life than caged ones (WAGNER et al, 2018). Being caged is a stressful factor and could reflect the recrudescence of latent FHV-1 infection as a result of stress.…”

Section: Sd -Standard Deviationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feline herpesvirus 1 viral load related to environmental factors in sheltered cats

et al. 2019

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Shelter environment stress factors are related to FHV-1 viral reactivation. However, comparisons between conjunctival viral load and environmental factors have not been commonly evaluated. The aim of this study was to correlate FHV-1 viral load in domestic cats with and without clinical signs of conjunctivitis to shelter design in order to use FHV-1 viral load as a parameter of “health management”. Cats from four different shelters underwent an ophthalmological examination. Samples were collected by rolling a DNA/RNAse-free cytobrush over the ventral conjunctival fornix and were stored in 1.5 mL sterile microtubes in 500 μL of Eagle’s minimum essential medium and kept at 4 ºC. Molecular procedures were performed up to 48 hours after collection. Different routines regarding new arrivals were directly related to FHV-1 viral load. Shelters where new arrivals occurred on daily basis had the highest viral load (2.69x108 copies/µL), while those shelters where new arrivals had not occurred in the few months prior to the beginning of the study had the lowest rate (1.63x103 copies/µL). Environmental factors directly influenced FHV-1 DNA viral load. This study highlighted the need to improve the management approach in the animal shelter environment to reduce stressful situations responsible for FHV-1 reactivation and higher viral load quantification.

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Cage size, movement in and out of housing during daily care, and other environmental and population health risk factors for feline upper respiratory disease in nine North American animal shelters

Cited by 28 publications

References 26 publications

The Effects of Frequency and Duration of Handling on the Development of Feline Upper Respiratory Infections in a Shelter Setting

The Effects of Frequency and Duration of Handling on the Development of Feline Upper Respiratory Infections in a Shelter Setting

Infectious Disease Prevalence and Factors Associated with Upper Respiratory Infection in Cats Following Relocation

Feline herpesvirus 1 viral load related to environmental factors in sheltered cats

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