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

Hematologic and serum biochemical reference ranges and an assessment of exposure to infectious diseases prior to translocation of the threatened western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis)

Health screening of animals before translocation is important to minimize the risk of pathogen transmission between sites and species. Reintroduction has been incorporated into management of the endangered western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis) to mitigate for habitat loss within the species' core range in southwestern Australia. Between November 2005 and March 2008 we screened 47 wild and 24 captive P. occidentalis and 68 sympatric common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula hypoleucus) for infectious diseases that might compromise possum survival or fecundity at translocation sites. We found no evidence that infectious disease limits translocation success, and neither possum species showed evidence of infection with Salmonella spp., Toxoplasma gondii, Leptospira spp., or Chlamydophila spp. Antigen of Cryptococcus gattii was detected in one T. v. hypoleucus but was not of pathologic significance. Hematologic and serum biochemical reference ranges were determined for 81 wild and 24 captive P. occidentalis. Site differences were identified for red blood cell count, hemoglobin, albumin, urea, and globulin, suggesting that habitat quality or nutrient intake may vary among sites. Differences between wild and captive values were found for several parameters. These data are useful for health evaluations of injured P. occidentalis and the future monitoring of wild populations

Intensive adoption as a management strategy for unowned, urban cats: A case study of 25 years of trap–assess–resolve (TAR) in Auckland, New Zealand

Globally, unowned urban cats are a major concern because they may suffer from poor welfare and cause problems, including public health risks, nuisances, and urban wildlife predation. While management options are often presented as a choice between culling or trap–neuter–return (TNR), for 25 years, the Lonely Miaow (Inc.) charity in Auckland, New Zealand (hereafter LM), has used a third strategy—intensive adoption or trap–assess–resolve (TAR). As of 2019, of 14,611 unowned cats trapped, 64.2% were adopted, 22.2% were euthanized if unsocialised or in grave ill-health, 5.7% were neutered and returned to the site, and 7.9% had other outcomes, such as being transferred to other shelters. Adoption rates increased over this time, exceeding 80.0% in 2018 and 2019. The cost of processing each cat from capture to adoption rose from NZD 58 in 1999 to NZD 234 by 2017. Approximately 80% of colonies (sites where cats were trapped) were around residential areas. Approximately 22% of cats required veterinary treatment after capture; common ailments included respiratory infections, ringworm, dental problems, and trauma. Consistently, 52% of cats were young kittens (5 years old. TAR avoids euthanasia where possible. Its effectiveness would be enhanced by fewer abandonments of owned cats and kittens, fitting within integrated strategies for the control of unowned cats involving community education. Cat adoptions improve the welfare of cats and, with appropriate husbandry, should alleviate concerns about nuisances, public health, and attacks on wildlife or the cats themselves, essentially benefitting the community and the cats. This case study is relevant to other cities around the world that are seeking to manage unowned cats

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

Chemostratigraphy of Neoproterozoic carbonates: implications for 'blind dating'

The delta C-13(carb) and Sr-87/Sr-86 secular variations in Neoproteozoic seawater have been used for the purpose of 'isotope stratigraphy' but there are a number of problems that can preclude its routine use. In particular, it cannot be used with confidence for 'blind dating'. The compilation of isotopic data on carbonate rocks reveals a high level of inconsistency between various carbon isotope age curves constructed for Neoproteozoic seawater, caused by a relatively high frequency of both global and local delta C-13(carb) fluctuations combined with few reliable age determinations. Further complication is caused by the unresolved problem as to whether two or four glaciations, and associated negative delta C-13(carb) excursions, can be reliably documented. Carbon isotope stratigraphy cannot be used alone for geological correlation and 'blind dating'. Strontium isotope stratigraphy is a more reliable and precise tool for stratigraphic correlations and indirect age determinations. Combining strontium and carbon isotope stratigraphy, several discrete ages within the 590-544 Myr interval, and two age-groups at 660-610 and 740-690 Myr can be resolved

A Science-Based Policy for Managing Free-Roaming Cats

Free-roaming domestic cats (i.e., cats that are owned or unowned and are considered ‘at large’) are globally distributed non-native species that have marked impacts on biodiversity and human health. Despite clear scientific evidence of these impacts, free-roaming cats are either unmanaged or managed using scientifically unsupported and ineffective approaches (e.g., trap-neuter-release [TNR]) in many jurisdictions around the world. A critical first initiative for effective, science-driven management of cats must be broader political and legislative recognition of free-roaming cats as a non-native, invasive species. Designating cats as invasive is important for developing and implementing science-based management plans, which should include efforts to prevent cats from becoming free-roaming, policies focused on responsible pet ownership and banning outdoor cat feeding, and better enforcement of existing laws. Using a science-based approach is necessary for responding effectively to the politically charged and increasingly urgent issue of managing free-roaming cat populations

Impact Factor: outdated artefact or stepping-stone to journal certification?

A review of Garfield's journal impact factor and its specific implementation as the Thomson Reuters Impact Factor reveals several weaknesses in this commonly-used indicator of journal standing. Key limitations include the mismatch between citing and cited documents, the deceptive display of three decimals that belies the real precision, and the absence of confidence intervals. These are minor issues that are easily amended and should be corrected, but more substantive improvements are needed. There are indications that the scientific community seeks and needs better certification of journal procedures to improve the quality of published science. Comprehensive certification of editorial and review procedures could help ensure adequate procedures to detect duplicate and fraudulent submissions.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figures, 6 table

Control de cambios / Rastrea los cambios / El camino cambia: Reflexiones sobre un mundo en transformación

“Track changes: Reflecting on a transforming world” was the theme chosen to invite panels, papers, posters and alternative presentations to be part of the 2019 international congress of SIEF that was held in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia (Spain). This introduction includes a description of the content of the congress, the rationale of the choice of plenaries and some reflections about the outcomes of the congress.El lema elegido para presentar paneles, ponencias, posters y presentaciones en formatos alternativos para el congreso internacional 2019 de SIEF -que tuvo lugar en Santiago de Compostela, Galicia (España)- fue “Track changes: Reflecting on a transforming world”. Esta introducción incluye una descripción del contenido del congreso, la idea para la elección de las plenarias y algunas reflexiones sobre los resultados del congreso. &nbsp