ISFM Guidelines on Population Management and Welfare of Unowned Domestic Cats (<i>Felis catus</i>)

Sparkes, Andy; Bessant, Claire; Cope, Kevin; Ellis, Sarah; Finka, Lauren; Halls, Vicky; Hiestand, Karen; Horsford, Kim; Laurence, Christopher; MacFarlaine, Ian; Neville, P.; Stavisky, Jenny; Yeates, James

doi:10.1177/1098612x13500431

Cited by 42 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Standardized guidelines exist for many aspects of feline shelter medicine, including vaccination (Hosie et al, 2013;Scherk et al, 2013), retroviral management (Levy et al, 2008), spay/neuter surgery (Griffin et al, 2016), infectious disease control (Möstl et al, 2013), housing (Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, 2009), welfare (Newbury et al, 2010;Sparkes et al, 2013), and euthanasia (Leary et al, 2013). However, no such population-level guidelines are available to help shelter managers mitigate the animal and public health risks of enteropathogens.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of enteropathogens in cats with and without diarrhea in four different management models for unowned cats in the southeast United States

Andersen

Levy

McManus

et al. 2018

The Veterinary Journal

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The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of enteropathogens in cats with and without diarrhea in four different models for managing unowned cats: short-term animal shelter, long-term sanctuary, home-based foster care, and trap-neuter-return. Fecal samples from 482 cats, approximately half of the cats with normal fecal consistency and half with diarrhea, were tested by zinc sulfate centrifugation and by real-time PCR for a panel of enteropathogens. At least one enteropathogen of feline or zoonotic importance was detected in a majority of cats, regardless of management model. For most enteropathogens, the presence or absence of diarrhea was not significantly associated with infection, the exceptions being Tritrichomonas foetus in sanctuary cats with diarrhea (26%) and normal fecal consistency (10%), respectively (P≤0.04), and feline coronavirus in foster cats (80% and 58%) (P≤0.001). The types of enteropathogens detected were related to the type of management model, e.g., viral and protozoal infections were most common in shelters, sanctuaries, and foster homes (confinement systems), whereas helminth infections were most common in trap-neuter-return programs (free-roaming cats). These results suggest that management practices for unowned cats are inadequate for control of enteropathogens and that the presence of diarrhea is a poor indicator of enteropathogen carriage. Risk-management strategies to reduce transmission to people and other animals should focus on sanitation, housing, compliance with preventive care guidelines, periodic surveillance, response to specific enteropathogens, humane population management of free-roaming community cats, public health education, and minimizing the duration and number of cats in mass confinement.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of enteropathogens in cats with and without diarrhea in four different management models for unowned cats in the southeast United States

Andersen

Levy

McManus

et al. 2018

The Veterinary Journal

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“…Prepubertal gonadectomy (PPG), defined as gonadectomy between 6 weeks and 16 weeks of age (Root 1999, 2013), is frequently performed in cats in animal shelters in an effort to curtail overpopulation (Looney and others 2008a, Joyce and Yates 2011, Clark 2012, Sparkes and others 2013). Practical and safe anaesthetic and surgical protocols are available for PPG (Aronsohn and Faggella 1993, Faggella and Aronsohn 1993, Theran 1993, Robertson and others 2003, Joyce and Yates 2011, Bushby 2013, Porters and others 2014a, b); nevertheless, there are still concerns about the effects of PPG on the behaviour and health of domestic cats (Spain and others 2002, Murray and others 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between age at gonadectomy and health problems in kittens adopted from shelters

et al. 2015

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Prepubertal gonadectomy (PPG) is promoted as a way of managing overpopulation in cats, but concerns about PPG and potential health issues still exist. The objective of the present study was to evaluate short-term and long-term health problems in cats subjected to PPG in comparison to gonadectomy at traditional age (TAG). In a prospective clinical trial, 800 shelter kittens aged between approximately 8 weeks and 12 weeks were recruited before adoption and randomly assigned to either the PPG group (gonadectomy performed immediately) or the TAG group (gonadectomy delayed until six months to eight months of age). Short-term health issues included mortality between when kittens arrived at the clinic and up to seven days after they returned to the shelter, as well as the occurrence of various other health issues arising in the first month following adoption. Kittens were followed-up until 24 months of age specifically for feline lower urinary tract disease, urethral obstruction (male cats), lameness, fractures and hypersensitivity disorders with dermatological presentation. In the short term, there were no significant differences between health problems in PPG and TAG kittens. Similarly, no significant differences were observed between treatment groups in terms of the type or number of health issues in the long term. In conclusion, there are no health-related contraindications to advocating PPG strategies in shelter cats. Ideally, PPG should be performed at the shelter facility itself as long as excellent infectious disease control and postoperative clinical observation before adoption are guaranteed

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“…From this perspective, cats, as domestic animals, deserve better treatment than wildlife or pest species, or that given that cats are sentient humans have responsibility for them where cats and people co-exist [95].…”

Section: Relational Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response to Wolf et al.: Furthering Debate over the Suitability of Trap-Neuter-Return for Stray Cat Management

Calver

Crawford

Fleming

2020

Animals

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To continue dialogue over proposed Australian trials of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), we applied a framework requiring identification of areas of agreement, areas of disagreement, and identification of empirical data collection required to resolve disagreements. There is agreement that Australia has a problem with stray cats, causing problems of impacts on wildlife, nuisance, disease transmission (including public health issues and exchange of diseases between stray cat and pet cat populations), poor welfare outcomes for stray cats, and an emotional burden on staff euthanising healthy stray cats. There is disagreement on whether (i) current measures are failing, leading to unacceptably high euthanasia levels, (ii) some contributors to the debate misunderstand TNR, (iii) TNR trials will reduce urban cat populations and associated problems, (iv) TNR is an ethical solution to cat overpopulation, and (v) some contributors to the debate promulgated misinformation. Although not everyone agrees that TNR trials should proceed, as a hypothetical exploration, we propose an experimental approach explicitly comparing TNR to alternatives. Trials could only be considered if other detailed and well-funded attempts at stray cat control focusing across an entire Local Government Area (LGA) prove ineffective.

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ISFM Guidelines on Population Management and Welfare of Unowned Domestic Cats (Felis catus)

Abstract: These consensus guidelines from the International Society of Feline Medicine's Welfare Advisory Panel provide a framework for the approach to welfare and population control measures, primarily among unowned cats and those going through a homing programme.

Cited by 42 publications

References 31 publications

Prevalence of enteropathogens in cats with and without diarrhea in four different management models for unowned cats in the southeast United States

Prevalence of enteropathogens in cats with and without diarrhea in four different management models for unowned cats in the southeast United States

Relationship between age at gonadectomy and health problems in kittens adopted from shelters

Response to Wolf et al.: Furthering Debate over the Suitability of Trap-Neuter-Return for Stray Cat Management

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