Spatio-temporal variation in predation by urban domestic cats (Felis catus) and the acceptability of possible management actions in the UK

Urban domestic cat (Felis catus) populations can attain exceedingly high densities and are not limited by natural prey availability. This has generated concerns that they may negatively affect prey populations, leading to calls for management. We enlisted cat-owners to record prey returned home to estimate patterns of predation by free-roaming pets in different localities within the town of Reading, UK and questionnaire surveys were used to quantify attitudes to different possible management strategies. Prey return rates were highly variable: only 20% of cats returned ≥4 dead prey annually. Consequently, approximately 65% of owners received no prey in a given season, but this declined to 22% after eight seasons. The estimated mean predation rate was 18.3 prey cat−1 year−1 but this varied markedly both spatially and temporally: per capita predation rates declined with increasing cat density. Comparisons with estimates of the density of six common bird prey species indicated that cats killed numbers equivalent to adult density on c. 39% of occasions. Population modeling studies suggest that such predation rates could significantly reduce the size of local bird populations for common urban species. Conversely, most urban residents did not consider cat predation to be a significant problem. Collar-mounted anti-predation devices were the only management action acceptable to the majority of urban residents (65%), but were less acceptable to cat-owners because of perceived risks to their pets; only 24% of cats were fitted with such devices. Overall, cat predation did appear to be of sufficient magnitude to affect some prey populations, although further investigation of some key aspects of cat predation is warranted. Management of the predation behavior of urban cat populations in the UK is likely to be challenging and achieving this would require considerable engagement with cat owners.

Domestic Cats Constitute a Natural Reservoir of Human Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Types

Feces of 70 diarrhoeic and 230 non-diarrhoeic domestic cats from Sao Paulo, Brazil were investigated for enteropathogenic (EPEC), enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC) and enterotoxigenic (ETEC) Escherichia coli types. While ETEC and EHEC strains were not found, 15 EPEC strains were isolated from 14 cats, of which 13 were non-diarrhoeic, and one diarrhoeic. None of 15 EPEC strains carried the bfpA gene or the EPEC adherence factor plasmid, indicating atypical EPEC types. The EPEC strains were heterogeneous with regard to intimin types, such as eae-theta (three strains), eae-kappa (n = 3), eae-alpha 1 (n = 2), eae-iota (n = 2), one eae-alpha 2, eae-beta 1 and eae-eta each, and two were not typeable. The majority of the EPEC isolates adhered to HEp-2 cells in a localized adherence-like pattern and were positive for fluorescence actin staining. The EPEC strains belonged to 12 different serotypes, including O111:H25 and O125:H6, which are known to be pathogens in humans. Multi locus sequence typing revealed a close genetic similarity between the O111:H25 and O125:H6 strains from cats, dogs and humans. Our results show that domestic cats are colonized by EPEC, including serotypes previously described as human pathogens. As these EPEC strains are also isolated from humans, a cycle of mutual infection by EPEC between cats and its households cannot be ruled out, though the transmission dynamics among the reservoirs are not yet understood clearly.

In vitro Survival of Follicles Collected from Domestic Cats' Ovaries at Different Stages of Oestrous Cycle and Cultured with IGF-1

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Use of near-infrared Raman spectroscopy to detect IgG and IgM antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in serum samples of domestic cats

Near-infrared Raman spectroscopy (NIRS) is a particularly promising technique that is being used in recent years for many biomedical applications. Optical spectroscopy has gained increasing prominence as a tool for quantitative analysis of biological samples, clinical diagnostic, concentration measurements of blood metabolites and therapeutic drugs, and analysis of the chemical composition of human tissues. Toxoplasmosis is an important zoonosis in public health, and domestic cats are the most important transmitters of the disease. This disease can be detected by several serological tests, which usually have a high cost and require a long time. The goal of this work was to investigate a new method to diagnosis Toxoplasma gondii infections using NIRS. In order to confirm antibody detection, 24 cat blood scrum samples were analyzed by the Raman spectra, from which 23 presented positive serology to toxoplasmosis and one was a reference negative serum. Characteristic Raman peaks allowed differentiation between negative and positive sera, confirming the possibility of antibody detection by Raman spectroscopy. These results give the first evidence that this technique can be useful to quantify antibodies in cat sera.

Comparison of efficiency between two artificial insemination methods using frozen-thawed semen in domestic cat (Felis catus) Artificial insemination in domestic cats

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The first report of Hepatozoon spp. (Apicomplexa, Hepatozoidae) in domestic cats from São Paulo state, Brazil

Hepatozoon sp. was diagnosed in three naturally infected cats from São Paulo state, Brazil. The first animal was admitted to the veterinary clinic with renal failure. During the hematological examination, gamonts of Hepatozoon sp. were observed within polymorphonuclear cells. Another two cats, which lived in the same house as the first cat, were also positive for this hemoparasite. This is the first report of a Hepatozoon sp. infection in domestic cats from Brazil.

Antibodies to Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii in domestic cats from Brazil

The occurrence of antibodies to Neospora caninum and Toxoplasmagondii was determined in 400 domestic cats (Siamese, Persian, and undetermined breeds) from the Municipality of Aracatuba, São Paulo, Brazil, through the indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT). of the 400 cats, 100 were seropositive to T. gondii (25%, titer >= 64) and 98 to N. caninum (24.5%, titer >= 16). The rate of seropositive cats for T. gondii was correlated with age (chi(2)=35.7; p < 0.001), with a higher number of infected animals at older ages. of the 219 cats younger than 1-year-old, 13.2% were seropositive for T. gondii, while 39.2% were positive in the 181 older animals. The presence of N. caninum was also correlated with age (divided by(2)=8.8; p < 0.01), with 18.7% (41/219) and 31.5% (57/181) of positive animals at ages below and above 12-month, respectively. An association between the occurrences of both protozoa in the felines was also observed (chi(2)=19.6; p < 0.001).

Histology and morphometry of the testes of adult domestic cats (Felis catus)

Testicles of 30 mongrel cats were analyzed histologically and morphometrically, divided into three groups: G1 (1-2 years old), G2 (over 2 and up to 4 years old) and G3 (over 4 and up to 6 years old). After orchiectomy and histopathology, the morphometric parameters studied were: thickness of the tunica albuginea (72 mu m) and seminiferous epithelium (77.19 mu m), perimeter (53.81; 90.57 mu m), (54.80; 101.07 mu m); area (174.23; 494.55 mu m(2)), (176.68; 629.70 mu m(2)); maximum diameter (14.94; 28.02 mu m), (14.76; 31.66 mu m); minimum diameter (13.25; 21.92 mu m), (13.30; 24.52 mu m); and shape factor (index for regularity of the format) (1.36; 1.36), (1.39; 1.35) of the nucleus and cytoplasm of spermatogonia and Leydig cells, respectively. The results can be used for comparative studies and contribute knowledge concerning the height of the seminiferous epithelium, thickness of the tunica albuginea and size of spermatogonia and Leydig cells.

Near-infrared Raman spectroscopy to detect anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibody in blood sera of domestic cats: quantitative analysis based on partial least-squares multivariate statistics

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Blood and seminal plasma concentrations of selenium, zinc and testosterone and their relationship to sperm quality and testicular biometry in domestic cats

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Arthropod-borne pathogens circulating in free-roaming domestic cats in a zoo environment in Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Coinfection by toxoplasma gondii and leishmania spp. in domestic cats (Felis catus) in State of Mato Grosso do Sul

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Factors affecting faecal glucocorticoid levels in domestic cats (Felis catus): a pilot study with single and large multi-cat households

Domestic cats (Fells catus) are widely believed to be highly sensitive to the effects of social stress, especially when living in high density populations. Cats are capable of adapting to living in a group, but this will often require opportunities for escaping and hiding. In this pilot study, adrenocortical activity, as a valuable physiological indicator of arousal underpinning potential emotional stress, was evaluated through the measurement of mean faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (mGCM) in fourteen singly and sixteen group-housed cats. Living conditions and ratings of the owners' quality of life (evaluated from self-reported questionnaires) were used as factors associated with faecal glucocorticoid levels of the cats. A direct association between the scores of owners' social dimension of quality of life and the cats' mGCM was found for single cats only, with higher owner social scores associated with higher cat mGCM. No significant differences in mGCM were found between singly versus group-living cats. This suggests that the under-explored factor of owner lifestyle could play an important role in domestic cats' day-to-day levels of arousal, especially when kept as single pets.