Staying Healthy While Awaiting a New Home
By Kelley Weir
The life of a shelter cat can be a short and bumpy road. Keeping cats healthy while they are in a shelter is a top priority because it helps them find new homes. Infectious diseases can spread rampantly in shelters, often leading to euthanasia of cats. In particular, upper respiratory infections caused by feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV-1) and feline calicivirus (FCV) affect millions of cats in shelters each year. In addition, shelter cats are at an increased risk of developing feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a disease resulting from infection by some (but not all) feline coronaviruses, that is 100 percent fatal.
In an effort to support the shelter workers who work tirelessly to keep cats healthy while in their care, Morris Animal Foundation is funding two new studies through the Helping Shelters Help Cats program: one will evaluate new treatments for FHV-1 and FCV and another will work to determine virus and host genetic factors for the development of FIP. These studies join three others that are already saving lives and improving the health of shelter cats.
All five studies were made possible through an anonymous donor who has pledged to match all gifts dollar-for-dollar up to $500,000. The three-year match challenge began in 2008, and we need to raise $140,000 by June 30 to receive the remaining match. Click here to learn more and to help.
To date, researchers have found that current preventive measures for each of these diseases appear to be ineffective. In the case of FHV-1 and FVC, the use of lysine supplements has been shown ineffective in shelter settings, and the vaccine for FIP has minimal if any effectiveness in preventing the disease. And so the race continues to find better treatment options.
Testing New Treatments
Vaccines for upper respiratory tract viruses like FHV-1 and FCV do not block infection but rather only lessen the severity of illness when the cats are infected. This means exposed cats can be infected for life and are susceptible to disease flare-ups. This also means they can infect other cats, a dangerous consequence in a shelter.
In one of the new Foundation–funded studies, Dr. Michael Lappin and his team from Colorado State University are investigating three new treatments for cats with suspected long-term viral upper respiratory tract diseases using shelter cats that have failed to respond to conventional therapies. All cats in this study will have the opportunity to try the alternative treatment if the first fails. Even more exciting is the fact that this study will help train a shelter resident, two shelter interns and up to 40 veterinary students in animal health clinical research.
Determining a Genetic Basis
Another study, conducted by Dr. Gary Whittaker from Cornell University, will work to understand the genetic variations that predispose some cats to develop FIP. As you would imagine, the cats most likely to develop FIP are those with the weakest immune systems. This includes kittens, cats infected with feline leukemia virus and geriatric cats. The largest number of FIP cases occurs in young cats. Kittens are often infected when they are 4 to 6 weeks old, when the antibody protection they receive from their mother through breast milk is declining. The ultimate outcome of this study will be to develop a diagnostic tool for preventing FIP outbreaks in shelter cats.
Studies like these will go a long way toward improving the health of cats in shelters—and may even help them to survive and become adopted. Donate today and every dollar you give will be matched up to $500,000—that means $1 million to help save cats!
Posted by on April 11, 2011.
Categories:
Permalink
