When the Common Cold Becomes Deadly, Foundation-Funded Researcher Provides Hope
By Heather Grimshaw
Seeing cats in shelter cages is difficult for most people. Seeing sick cats in cages—and knowing that their illness is preventable yet may lead to euthanization—propelled Dr. Kate Hurley into action. A Morris Animal Foundation–funded veterinarian who specializes in shelter medicine, Hurley works tirelessly to improve shelter environments so cats have a chance to thrive.
“You can imagine that entering a shelter is, for some cats, the hardest thing they will ever have to face,” explains Hurley. “Either they were stray or they were out in a field somewhere hunting in the grass and out in the sunshine, and all of a sudden they’re in a stainless steel box about two feet by two feet in size. There are weird smells, they have nowhere to hide, there’s the sound of doors clanging shut, there might be dogs barking and they need to show the kind of friendly, outgoing behavior that is going to make an adopter fall in love with them and take them home. What a challenge for an animal.”
Hurley, who started her career as an animal control officer continues to work on behalf of cats as director of the Koret Shelter Medicine Program at the University of California–Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. With Foundation funding, Hurley has embarked on a series of projects to assess whether controlling stress in shelters will diminish the incidence of feline upper respiratory infections (URIs). So far studies suggest that stressful conditions dramatically increase the likelihood that cats will develop colds, or URI. And, due to fear of spread, these cats are often euthanized by cash-strapped shelters.
On a national level, statistics of sick cats in shelters are heartbreaking. An estimated 4 million cats pass through United States shelters, and URI is among the top reasons for euthanasia.
Yet, thanks to Hurley, there is light at the end of this very dark tunnel.
Her Foundation-funded national effort to assess shelter environments—including disease incidence, cage layout and sanitation methods—has already resulted in a significant reduction in reported infection.
“Our hope is that we’re going to find something that not only helps cats stay healthy but also helps them get out of shelters alive,” she adds.
Her research also shows that prevalence of feline URI varies wildly across the country.
“We’re talking about some shelters where 80 to 90 percent of the cats get sick in comparison to shelters where 5 percent or less of the cats get sick,” she says.
This vast variance indicates that environmental factors play a significant role in disease prevention and spread. Hurley hopes to answer the question of why there are such differences.
Environmental risk factors explain some of the massive variation and, so far, shelters with the lowest URI rates seem to be those with high-quality housing for cats.
Hurley’s current study, one of three Helping Shelters Help Cats studies funded through the Foundation’s Happy Healthy Cat Campaign, builds on her previous results and will assess the impact of multi-compartmental cages (with hiding spots and separate feeding and elimination areas) on feline URI and well-being. While these studies focus on shelters, findings are relevant to all pets.
“Shelter research is applicable to veterinary clinics, catteries and kennels when it comes to identifying and establishing methods for reducing URI and stress for animals,” Hurley says.
Watch video of Hurley talking about her shelter work.
Every dollar you donate to Helping Shelters will be matched by an anonymous donor. Learn more about the shelter studies as well as symptoms of upper respiratory infection and support this critical research at http://www.research4cats.org/health-research/helping-shelters-help-cats/.
