Health Care For Feral Cats

The feral cat population in this country has reached critical proportions and must be contained. The preferred way to do this is to trap, neuter and release these animals back into monitored colonies, and an increasing number of concerned people are doing just that. Before beginning feral cat care, you should be aware of both health concerns of the cats and potential hazards to humans, specifically, zoonotic diseases, which are diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans. While these hazards are few, you should take precautions when handling feral cats. Wear padded gloves, a shirt or jacket with long, thick sleeves, and perhaps most important, get a pre-exposure rabies vaccination.

Zoonoses

Rabies

Of all zoonotic diseases, the most feared is rabies. Although there is an extremely low incidence of humans contracting rabies, it still causes great panic. The primary carriers of rabies are raccoons, bats, foxes and skunks, although any unvaccinated domestic or non-domestic mammal can be a source of rabies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 1989 cats were responsible for only 0.4% of reported rabies cases to humans (contracted mostly from domestic cats). Any cat who bites a human should be quarantined for 10 days, examined by a veterinarian and then vaccinated prior to release. For cats one year old and older, a three year intramuscular vaccine should be given to provide the greatest protection.
Even though cats less than one year old may not receive the full three-year protection of this vaccine, it still provides the greatest protection for both future human contact and cat to cat contact.
For more information on rabies and how to fight it, see the ACA fact sheet, Rabies and Feral Cats: Facts and Control.

Bacterial Diseases

Bites
Bites are the most common human-health problem. Bacteria in the mouths of cats can cause infection, including swelling, inflammation and pain. All animal bites should be treated properly, by cleaning the wound immediately and visiting a doctor or emergency clinic for examination and treatment.


Cat-Scratch Fever
This pathogen can cause lymph node enlargement, fever, fatigue, sore throat and headaches. Although most patients do not become seriously ill and recover without complications, if you are scratched immediately wash the wound and contact your doctor if any symptoms occur.


Chlamydiosis
Felines who have this upper respiratory infection can pass it along to humans in the form of conjunctivitis.


Lyme Disease
Caused by the deer tick, this disease is not fatal, but can cause severe problems if not diagnosed and treated in its early stages.


Campylobacter
Campylobacter jejuni is a normal gut flora in many cats that can proliferate when intestinal parasites are present, especially in kittens. The main source of contamination to both humans and cats is ingesting undercooked poultry. Though rarely serious in humans it poses a greater danger to children, the elderly and immunocompromised people. Symptoms are diarrhea (always); fever, aches, chills, and vomiting can occur. Prevention is accomplished by wearing gloves when handling cat feces or cat, and preventing contact with suspect kittens near the facial area. Treatment is seldom necessary, but if you experience symptoms you should contact your physician.


Salmonella
Salmonella is another food-borne pathogen with causes and syptoms similar to Campylobacter. The main source of contamination is undercooked or raw eggs. Though less common, Salmonella can be contracted in the same manner as Campylobacter. Call your physician if you experience diarrheal disease after contacting diarrheal cats.

Note: The Campylobacter and Salmonella sections were not part of the original ACA Factsheet. They were provided to the FCC after a great deal of research by Martha Swartz.

Fungal diseases

Ringworm
Ringworm is most commonly transmitted by domestic cats. While examining anesthetized feral cats for wounds, any suspicious lesions can be checked for this fungus. When handling a cat suspected of having this fungus, you should wear gloves.

Parasites:

Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasma dondii is an intestinal parasite that is a human health concern primarily for pregnant women. The main source of contamination to humans is eating or handling undercooked or raw meat. However, an infected cat may pass the oocyst of Toxoplasma in feces. Therefore, pregnant women should avoid handling cat feces from domestic or feral cats and may want to avoid handling feral cats as they may be a source of fecal contamination.

Conclusion

Although there are potential hazards for acquiring some diseases from feral cats the incidence is rare, and if common sense and good hygiene are combined when working with colonies, transmission of infectious diseases from colonies to humans can be minimized. Contact with other humans is more likely to be a source of contracting infectious diseases.

To minimize health hazards when dealing with feral cat colonies:
• Clean up left-over food
• Spray for flea infestations
• Clean up cat feces areas
• Sterilize colonies to reduce populations
• Vaccinate colony members against rabies

Feline Health Care

Viral Diseases

The three major feline viral diseases are Feline Leukemia (FeLV), Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), and Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), all of which appear to exist more in domestic cats than in feral cat populations. Since they can be fatal to cats, it is logical that should one or more of these diseases enter a colony, mortality would be high and subse- quently the viability of the colony would be jeopardized.
ACA recommends only the first few cats of a feral cat colony be tested for FeLV/FIV, and if found negative not to pursue further testing. If time and money allow, both FeLV and FIV can be easily tested with a combined ``in-house'' test kit, thus assuring a negative status for every cat neutered and released. A reliable test for FIP is not available. Any cats testing positive for either FeLV or FIV, unless isolation and retesting in 2 months is feasible, should be euthanized to avoid spread of the diseases to the rest of the colony and to domestic cats.

Distemper

Distemper (Feline Panleukopenia) can cause high morbidity and mortality in a group of feral cats. For this reason, one vaccination of Feline Panleukopenia is recommended for all cats neutered. This provides one year and possibly up to three years of protection from this virus, primarily fatal to kittens. The respiratory component of the vaccine will not provide protection unless repeated at a recommended three week interval.

Parasites

Fleas, Ticks, and Ear Mites
Fleas, ticks, ear mites and other external parasites can be treated while the cats are anesthetized for surgical neutering, by cleaning their ears and applying a topical miticide. The use of injectable Ivermectin, a deworming agent for cattle, at 0.1 cc per 10 pounds subcutaneously can be used to aid ear mite control.


Roundworms, Hookworms, and Tapeworms
Roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms and other internal parasites can be eliminated with injections. Droncit is a one dose deworming agent for tapeworms approved for use in cats. Ivermectin, though not approved for use in cats, can effectively deworm for roundworms and hookworms at 0.15 cc per 10 pounds subcutaneously. Neither agent needs to be repeated. Occasionally, the injection sites can be a source of temporary discomfort. The use of Ivermectin avoids having to assure that oral medication is consumed and not vomited.
None of the above parasite control measures prevents feral cats from reinfestation upon release back to their colony. They do allow the cat to be free of parasites during recovery from surgery. In addition, deworming individual cats should reduce the overall parasite population in the colony.

Upper Respiratory Viruses

Feral kittens trapped for neutering are susceptible to upper respiratory viruses, perhaps due to the stress of human handling. Many of the kittens will survive these illnesses if they can be kept long enough to treat and if they will eat. Warmth, good nutrition, antibiotic eye ointments and oral antibiotics are recommended until recovery is complete.

Wounds

A feral cat's skin should be examined for wounds, which can be cleaned and treated while the cat is anesthetized for surgical neutering. Any suspicious lesion should be examined for the fungus commonly known as ringworm, which is more common in kittens than adults. Any cat suspected of having ringworm should be handled with gloves. Topical treatment of lesions can be started in the hospital, but many acute cases are self-limiting.

Neutering

All male cats can be castrated and released the day following surgery. Many veterinarians recommend a flank incision for spaying females. The use of absorbable sutures with or without the use of surgical glue (Nexaband) can facilitate the rapid recovery and early release of females. If non-absorbable sutures are used, a minimum of five to six days must be allowed before they can be removed.
Feral cats may need medical care beyond neutering before they are released. Whatever diseases they carry could be a threat to their fellow feral cats and to domestic cats who are not properly vaccinated. While feral cats pose very few health hazards to humans, simple precautions when handling them are always in order. Domestic cats should be properly vaccinated to avoid any contamination from feral populations.

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