Vector-borne and other pathogens of potential relevance disseminated by relocated cats.

Large populations of unowned cats constitute an animal welfare, ecological, societal and public health issue worldwide. Their relocation and homing are currently carried out in many parts of the world with the intention of relieving suffering and social problems, while contributing to ethical and humane population control in these cat populations. An understanding of an individual cat's lifestyle and disease status by veterinary team professionals and those working with cat charities can help to prevent severe cat stress and the spread of feline pathogens, especially vector-borne pathogens, which can be overlooked in cats. In this article, we discuss the issue of relocation and homing of unowned cats from a global perspective. We also review zoonotic and non-zoonotic infectious agents of cats and give a list of practical recommendations for veterinary team professionals dealing with homing cats. Finally, we present a consensus statement consolidated at the 15th Symposium of the Companion Vector-Borne Diseases (CVBD) World Forum in 2020, ultimately to help veterinary team professionals understand the problem and the role they have in helping to prevent and manage vector-borne and other pathogens in relocated cats.

Prevalence of Disease and Age-Related Behavioural Changes in Cats: Past and Present.

(1) Background: age-related changes in behaviour and health may be thought of as "normal" ageing; however, they can reflect under-diagnosed, potentially treatable, conditions. This paper describes the prevalence of age-related behavioural changes and disease in two UK cat populations at separate time-points. (2) Methods: owners of cats aged ≥11 years completed questionnaires in 1995 (cohort 1: n = 1236), and from 2010-2015 (cohort 2: n = 883). (3) Results: the most important behavioural changes in these cats were increased affection towards their owners (reported by 51.9% in 1995; 35.8% in 2010-2015), increased vocalisation (63.5%; 58.9%, respectively), particularly at night (32%; 43.6%), and house-soiling (29.3%; 55.8%). Most (79.4%; 81%) of the cats had visited a veterinary surgeon since becoming 11 years old. The main reasons, aside from vaccinations, were dental disease, renal disease and lower urinary tract disorders in 1995, and dental disease, renal disease and hyperthyroidism in 2010-2015. All major diagnoses were reported significantly more frequently in 2010-2015 than in 1995; behavioural changes were variably associated with these diseases. (4) Conclusion: elderly cats display age-related behavioural changes and develop diseases that may be under-diagnosed. Veterinarians need to ask owners about these behavioural changes, as they may signify manageable conditions rather than reflect "normal" ageing.

Tools for Managing Feline Problem Behaviours: Owner understanding and involvement.

PRACTICAL RELEVANCE: Good communication skills are at the heart of best practice for veterinarians and behaviourists (be they veterinarians/nurses/technicians with specialist behaviour training and qualifications or clinical animal behaviourists). Hence gaining an understanding of how to engage clients to become involved in their pets' treatment, both medical and behavioural, is relevant to all who work in this field. CLINICAL CHALLENGES: Poor communication skills can be responsible for owners' lack of compliance regarding both medical treatment and implementation of behavioural protocols. EVIDENCE BASE: Much of the evidence-based information on effective communication comes from the fields of human psychology and psychotherapy, human medicine and business, with only a limited amount coming from the veterinary field. Therefore, some opinions expressed in this article are based on the author's experience of treating cases in a cat-specific behaviour referral practice over the past 20 years and her work as a humanistic counsellor. AUDIENCE: Any veterinarians, veterinary nurses or technicians who are involved in the diagnosis or treatment of problem feline behaviour in practice would benefit from knowledge of what promotes and also hinders owner understanding and involvement.

Tools For Managing Feline Problem Behaviours: Environmental and behavioural modification.

PRACTICAL RELEVANCE: Problem feline behaviour can be managed successfully by early diagnosis and intervention, good first-aid advice in veterinary practice and then, if necessary, a referral to a suitably qualified behaviourist for those cases that are complex. There are a number of tools available to assist in the resolution of problem feline behaviour and this article will cover environmental modification and behavioural modification. CLINICAL CHALLENGES: Problem feline behaviours are not uncommon and the veterinary team often have to rely on their own knowledge to assist clients if a specialist behaviourist is not available. EVIDENCE BASE: There is a lack of evidence-based information regarding how best to work-up and treat cases of problem feline behaviour in practice; therefore, some recommendations within this article are based on the author's experience of treating cases in a cat-specific behaviour referral practice over the past 20 years. However, there is evidence available regarding how best to enrich a cat's environment and how to ensure a cat's environmental needs are met. AUDIENCE: Any veterinarians, veterinary nurses or technicians who are involved in the diagnosis or treatment of problem feline behaviour in practice would benefit from understanding the principles of environmental and behavioural modification.

AAFP and ISFM Guidelines for diagnosing and solving house-soiling behavior in cats.

RATIONALE: These Guidelines have been developed by the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) as a resource for veterinary practitioners who want to better understand and manage the important clinical condition of house-soiling in their feline patients. The Guidelines offer straightforward, practical solutions that, in most cases, will help veterinarians and cat owners prevent, manage or entirely remediate feline house-soiling behavior. EVIDENCE BASE: The Guidelines include scientifically documented information when it is available. However, because research is often lacking, some recommendations reflect the accumulated clinical experience of the authors.

ISFM guidelines on population management and welfare of unowned domestic cats (Felis catus).

UNLABELLED: GUIDELINES RATIONALE: Cats are among the most commonly kept domestic pets, and coexist with humans in a variety of different circumstances. Cats are sentient beings and, as such, humans have a responsibility for cat welfare where humans and cats coexist. Because cats reproduce efficiently, measures to control populations are frequently needed, but these should be based on ethical and humane approaches. FRAMEWORK: These consensus guidelines from the International Society of Feline Medicine's Welfare Advisory Panel provide a framework for the approach to welfare and population control measures, primarily among unowned cats and those going through a homing programme.