Attitudes and Practices of Australian Veterinary Professionals and Students towards Early Age Desexing of Cats

Surgical desexing of cats is typically carried out after six months of age (Mature Age Desexing, MAD); between 4–6 months (Traditional Age Desexing, TAD); or before four months (EarlyAge Desexing, EAD). We complemented existing surveys of veterinarians’ acceptance of EAD with online and face-to-face surveys, to ascertain the preferred desexing ages for cats and rationale of 957 Australian veterinarians, veterinary nurses, veterinary science students, and veterinary nursing students. A complementary survey of 299 veterinary practice websites across Australia documented any information provided about desexing cats. The most common reason for preferred desexing ages was reducing stray cat populations (30%); 78% of these respondents chose ages aligning with EAD. Vet nurses and nursing students were more conservative than vets or vet students, preferring to desex cats \u3e4 months. Perceived anaesthetic risk was a major motivation, especially for nurses 5 years’ experience. Across 299 urban practices in Australian capital cities, 55% of surveyed websites provided no information about desexing cats or listed desexing without explaining why it was necessary, or when to perform it. Increasingly, Australian legislatures mandate desexing of cats by three months of age, so the practices of some current/future veterinary professionals do not match changing legislation

Subsidised by junk foods: factors influencing body condition in stray cats (Felis catus)

Domestic cats (Felis catus) are one of the most widely distributed and successful carnivores globally. While cats are popular pets, many unowned, ‘stray’ cats live freely in anthropogenic environments at high densities where they make use of anthropogenic resources. These stray cats present a management challenge due to concerns about wildlife predation, pathogen transmission, public nuisance and threats to cat welfare (e.g. vehicle collisions). In Australia, there are few studies of strays compared with pet cats or feral cats (free-roaming cats in rural areas that are independent of resources provided by humans). To contribute original data about stray cat biology, the carcasses of 188 euthanised stray cats were collected from Perth, Western Australia. Cats were assessed for general health, age, reproduction, diet and gastrointestinal parasite biomass. The influence of cat demographics, collection location, season, parasite biomass, diet and history of supplemental feeding by people were tested against body condition. Overall, strays were physically healthy and reproductive, with few life-threatening injuries or macroscopic evidence of disease; however, helminths were extremely common (95% of cats) and pose a threat. Nearly 40% of strays consumed wildlife, including two species of endemic marsupial. Alarmingly, 57.5% of strays were scavenging vast amounts of refuse, including life-threatening items in volumes that blocked their gastrointestinal tracts. These findings illustrate that strays need to be removed from anthropogenic environments for their own health and welfare and to prevent continued breeding. Targeted control programmes should prioritise removal of cats from areas where refuse is common and where valued native fauna exist

A Case of Letting the Cat out of the Bag - Why Trap-Neuter-Return is Not an Ethical Solution for Stray Cat (Felis Catus) Management.

Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs, in which stray cats are captured, neutered and returned to the environment are advocated as a humane, ethical alternative to euthanasia. We review the TNR literature in light of current debate over whether or not there should be further TNR trials in Australia. We revisit the problems arising from stray cats living in association with human habitation and estimate how many stray cats would have to be processed through a scientifically-guided TNR program to avoid high euthanasia rates. We also identify10 ethical and welfare challenges that have to be addressed: we consider the quality of life for stray cats, where they would live, whether the TNR process itself is stressful, whether TNR cats are vulnerable to injury, parasites and disease, can be medically treated, stray cats’ body condition and diet, and their impacts on people, pet cats, and urban wildlife, especially endemic fauna. We conclude that TNR is unsuitable for Australia in almost all situations because it is unlikely to resolve problems caused by stray cats or meet ethical and welfare challenges. Targeted adoption, early-age desexing, community education initiatives and responsible pet ownership have greater promise to minimize euthanasia, reduce numbers rapidly, and address the identified issues

Ultrasonic Deterrents Reduce Nuisance Cat (Felis Catus) Activity on Suburban Properties

Urban environments are increasingly important for biodiversity conservation, but pet cats threaten wildlife therein, displaying nuisance behaviour such as hunting, fighting, fouling and urine spraying. In an attempt to empower landholders wishing to reduce cat incursions humanely, we tested the effectiveness of two ultrasonic cat deterrents (CatStop© and On-Guard Mega-Sonic Cat Repeller©). After confirming in arena trials that cats detect and respond negatively to an ultrasonic device, we tested both deterrents in 18 suburban gardens in Perth, Western Australia. Camera monitoring at foci of cat activity (e.g. fish ponds, property entry/exit points) occurred for two weeks before (Period 1: device off), during (Period 2: device on) and after (Period 3: device off) the activation of deterrents. Data included individual cat demographics and behaviours, number of cat detections per site per day per sampling period, the duration of cat activity, and detection of non-target species. Seventy-eight unique cats were detected at 17 of 18 garden sites (2e9 cats/garden). Over half the cats could be sexed (56.4%, with 65.1% males). Nearly 53.0% of cats were confirmed to be pets living nearby. Cats that were most active in period 1 (100 s total activity duration) were classified as ‘residents’; all others were ‘peripherals’. Overall, the ultrasonic deterrents reduced the frequency of incursions into gardens by resident cats by 46%, while the duration of incursions was reduced by 78%. Cat activity declined significantly from period 1 (baseline) to period 2 for resident cats but not peripheral cats (50% reduction; p . 0.001), and remained depressed in period 3 for resident cats but not peripheral cats (p \u3c 0.001). Peripheral cat activity remained at an unchanging low level across all three periods. Males were slightly more active than females over the experiment (p . 0.04), but sexes did not vary in response to deterrents (p \u3e 0.05). Cats confirmed as owned (53% of cats) generated more activity than cats of unknown ownership status (p . 0.03), probably reflecting proximity of their residences to trial gardens. Both deterrent models had similar effects (p . 0.89). By allowing pets to roam, cat owners are complicit in cat nuisance. This requires public education. Ultrasonic deterrents offer a cost-effective, humane option to reduce incursions by unwanted cats. Ultrasonic deterrents will not prevent all incursions, but they reduce their frequency and duration. Reduced cat activity has flow-on benefits to wildlife across a variety of urban-suburban settings, including gardens and parks

Body Size and Bite Force of Stray and Feral Cats - Are Bigger or Older Cats Taking the Largest or More Difficult to Handle Prey

As carnivorans rely heavily on their head and jaws for prey capture and handling, skull morphology and bite force can therefore reflect their ability to take larger or more difficult-to-handle prey. For 568 feral and stray cats (Felis catus), we recorded their demographics (sex and age), source location (feral or stray) and morphological measures (body mass, body condition); we estimated potential bite force from skull measurements for n = 268 of these cats, and quantified diet composition from stomach contents for n = 358. We compared skull measurements to estimate their bite force and determine how it varied with sex, age, body mass, body condition. Body mass had the strongest influence of bite force. In our sample, males were 36.2% heavier and had 20.0% greater estimated bite force (206.2 ± 44.7 Newtons, n = 168) than females (171.9 ± 29.3 Newtons, n = 120). However, cat age was the strongest predictor of the size of prey that they had taken, with older cats taking larger prey. The predictive power of this relationship was poor though (r2 \u3c 0.038, p \u3c 0.003), because even small cats ate large prey and some of the largest cats ate small prey, such as invertebrates. Cats are opportunistic, generalist carnivores taking a broad range of prey. Their ability to handle larger prey increases as the cats grow, increasing their jaw strength, and improving their hunting skills, but even the smallest cats in our sample had tackled and consumed large and potentially ‘dangerous’ prey that would likely have put up a defence

Biosecurity and invasive animal research

Murdoch University prides itself on its fundamental and applied research, as demonstrated by our work in biosecurity and invasive animals. Our researchers work across terrestrial and aquatic systems directly with industry and community partners

The Cambridge Anti-myopia Study: variables associated with myopia progression

Purpose: To identify variables associated with myopia progression and to identify any interaction between accommodative function, myopia progression, age, and treatment effect in the Cambridge Anti-Myopia Study. Methods: Contact lenses were used to improve static accommodation by altering ocular spherical aberration, and vision training was performed to improve dynamic accommodation. One hundred forty-two subjects, aged 14–21 years, were recruited who had a minimum of −0.75D of myopia. Subjects were assigned to contact lens treatment only, vision training only, contact lens treatment and vision training, or control group. Spherical aberration, lag of accommodation, accommodative convergence/accommodation (AC/A) ratio, accommodative facility, ocular biometry, and refractive error were measured at regular intervals throughout the 2-year trial. Results: Ninety-five subjects completed the 24-month trial period. There was no significant difference in myopia progression between the four treatment groups at 24 months. Age, lag of accommodation, and AC/A ratio were significantly associated with myopia progression. There was a significant treatment effect at 12 months in the contact lens treatment group in younger subjects, based on a median split, aged under 16.9 years (p = 0.005). This treatment effect was not maintained over the second year of the trial. Younger subjects experienced a greater reduction in lag of accommodation with the treatment contact lens at 3 months (p = 0.03), compared to older contact lens treatment and control groups. There was no interaction between AC/A ratio and contact lens treatment effect. Conclusions: Age, lag of accommodation, and AC/A ratio were significantly associated with myopia progression. Although there was no significant treatment effect at 24 months, an interaction between age and contact lens treatment suggests younger subjects may be more amenable, at least in the short term, to alteration of the visual system using optical treatments

Peripheral refractive changes associated with myopia progression

Purpose.: To evaluate the changes in peripheral refraction profiles associated with myopia progression and treatment modalities used in the Cambridge Anti-Myopia Study. Methods.: One hundred and seventy-seven myopes in the age range of 14 to 22 years were enrolled in the study. The mean spherical equivalent refractive error was −3.12 ± 1.87 diopters (D) and the refractive error of each participant was corrected with contact lenses. The participants were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups, which included: altered spherical aberration and vision training, altered spherical aberration only, vision training only, and control. Peripheral refractive error was measured using an open field autorefractor in the central 60° of the retina in 10° steps. The refractive error was measured using cycloplegic autorefraction. Two-year refractive progression data and initial peripheral refraction measurements were available in 113 participants. Measurements of peripheral refraction and cycloplegic refraction were obtained at three visits over 2 years in 12-month intervals for 92 participants. Results.: All subjects showed a relative peripheral hyperopia, especially in the nasal retina. A limited magnitude of myopia progression of −0.34 ± 0.36 D over 2 years was found in each of the four groups on average. There were no significant differences in the rate of progression between any of the treatment groups (P > 0.05). Initial peripheral J45 astigmatic refractive error at 20° and 30° in the nasal retina was weakly correlated with progression of myopia over 2 years (r = −0.27, P = 0.004 and r = −0.20, P = 0.040, respectively; n = 113). The change in spherical equivalent peripheral refractive error at 30° nasal retina over time was also significantly correlated with progression of myopia especially at 24 months (r = −0.24, P = 0.017, n = 92). Conclusions.: Relative peripheral hyperopia is associated with myopia. Myopia progression may be weakly linked to changes in the peripheral refraction profiles in the nasal retina. However, a causative link between peripheral refractive error and myopia progression could not be established

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