IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Gunther, I.; Terkel, J. | |
| Regulation of free-roaming cat (_Felis silvestris catus_) populations: a survey of the literature and its application to Israel | |
| 2002 Animal Welfare (11 ): 171-188 | |
Following domestication of the cat about 5000 years ago, it followed man into many areas of the world. The vast resources available in urban environments have led to increasing numbers of free-roaming cats on the streets. The high population density of these cats and, in many cases, the lack of suitable nourishment and veterinary care, is conducive to their poor condition of health. They are frequently perceived as a nuisance to human society. This article surveys the different methods of management of free-roaming cat populations, focusing on the urban environment, and discusses the animal welfare implications and the advantages and disadvantages of each method. In September 2000, a free-ranging bobcat (Lynx rufus) cub was presented to the Kansas State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (Manhattan, Kansas, USA) in a moribund state with signs of severe anemia and respiratory difficulty. The cub was euthanized. Gross necropsy findings included multifocal atelectasis, splenomegaly, and pericardial effusion. Microscopic examination revealed subacute pulmonary thrombosis, mild vasculitis in the brain, and large schizont-filled macrophages within blood vessels of all tissues examined. The organisms were typical of the developmental stages of Cytauxzoon felis. Cytauxzoonosis is considered to be a persistent, subclinical infection in the bobcat; however, this cub had lesions consistent with those seen in fatal C Felis infection indicates that some free-ranging bobcats may die of cytauxzoonosis. |
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