Research Indicates Ways to Reduce Respiratory Infection in Shelter Cats
Study Results:
Feline upper respiratory infection (URI) is one of the most serious problems confronting animal control and humane shelters throughout the world. Many shelter cats suffer greatly from URI, and many are euthanized to help control outbreaks. Because infections are caused by a number of contagious microbes, controlling URI differs according to the microbe causing it. Previous studies concentrated mainly on the particular microbe or disease signs in individual cats, which may not be the most appropriate control method for the herd-like situations found in shelters. In this study, the first Morris Animal Foundation Amanda Feline Fellowship recipient applied livestock herd-health concepts to shelter cats to determine how environmental factors cause and sustain infection.
Fifteen shelters collected and entered project data into an online database and those that participated received ongoing newsletters that updated them on the project, shared results and presented information on feline wellness and possible strategies for URI prevention. Researchers showed that respiratory disease in shelter cats is not inevitable—some participating shelters reported rates near zero. They also documented the cost of feline URI in the participating shelters: some spend 30 percent or more of their feline care resources on managing cats affected by this illness. Although researchers have not yet determined the exact environmental factors behind the varying URI rates observed in shelters, simply documenting the differences in disease severity has shown that it is possible for shelters to maintain low disease rates and has encouraged shelters to examine their own feline care practices. These preliminary results and the fact it is important to monitor the disease were presented at the annual California Animal Care Conference to veterinarians and shelter managers. The prevention of URI will improve overall adoptability, reduce the number of days cats spend in shelters, reduce sheltering costs and free up resources for other important programs to benefit animals and communities—and new owners will bring home healthier cats. In addition, since completing her fellowship, the lead researcher has been contacted by the Japanese government about establishing a shelter medicine program.
Posted by MAFon May 20, 2010.
Categories: Animal health, Cat health, Upper respiratory infection
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