Surveying Vector-Borne Diseases in Free-Roaming Cats

SUMMARY: Researchers will collaborate with trap-neuter-return organizations to provide tissue samples from the ear tipping of free-roaming cats living in Florida, which helps identify cats after surgery. Researchers will use these samples to screen for vector-borne diseases. 

THE PROBLEM: Free-roaming cats may serve as a unique and practical window to address public and animal health threats in changing climate patterns, invasive species, and disease spread and spillover. Free-roaming animals, particularly cats, are often ignored in the United States regarding vector-borne diseases from fleas, ticks, and biting flies. The range of free-roaming cats frequently overlaps with humans and wildlife so that they may be novel and practical sentinels for public and animal health threats. 

THE PROJECT: Researchers will survey VBDs in cats living in Florida. The team will collect the ear tips commonly removed and discarded at surgery, a widespread practice in trap-neuter-return clinics, to identify sterilized cats. The researchers will study the cat ear tips to identify new and existing VBDs in cats. This approach is mindful of time and cost, does not add more stress to the animals, and is simple and practical to adopt by trap-neuter-return programs and researchers. The VBDs of interest in this study include heartworms and bacteria from fleas, ticks, and biting flies, essential to feline, wildlife, and human health. 

POTENTIAL IMPACT: Researchers will use the study results to educate and inform the public, pet owners, rescue and shelter staff, veterinary care teams, animal health experts, and public health officials about the presence and spread of diseases of concern. Communication through established shelter and trap-neuter-return networks, national meetings for human and animal health, and journal articles will highlight and encourage further action for research and expansion of this approach in areas where free-roaming cats, humans and wildlife live in shared and changing environments.