Causes of Death in Stray Cat Colonies of Milan: A Five-Year Report.

The presence of cats in urban environments has a long history. In Italy, stray cats are protected by national and regional laws, and programs of neutering and reintroduction to colonies are ongoing. Colony cats have been widely studied from a behavioral perspective, while surveys regarding their causes of death are limited, although they may provide relevant information related to public health and cat welfare. This retrospective study provides pathological descriptions and statistical analyses of the causes of death of 186 cats from 100 colonies in the city of Milan. Inflammatory processes represent the primary cause of death (37.7%) and include common feline infectious diseases such as feline panleukopenia (67.5%), particularly in kittens, and feline infectious peritonitis (32.5%), most common in adult cats. Trauma was found to be a common cause of death of young/adult cats (14%) with a generally good body condition, while severe parasitosis was less represented (2.6%). The death of old cats was statistically associated with organ failure (24.7%), particularly renal failure, and tumors (11.8%). Knowledge of the most common causes of death of colony cats could make an important contribution to the health monitoring of these cats and sanitary control of their habitats and provide information on possible related emerging animal welfare concerns.

Feline Leishmania spp. Infection in a Non-Endemic Area of Northern Italy.

Feline leishmaniosis (FeL) is an emerging vector-borne feline disease, with increasing numbers of cases reported and studies performed internationally. This study aimed to update the epidemiological status for FeL in stray cats in Milan, northern Italy; compare these results with previous studies in Northern Italy; and report clinicopathologic findings and coinfections in cats infected with Leishmania spp. A total of 117 cats were tested for L. infantum and retrovirus infection, hematological, and biochemical parameters. Demographic and clinical data were collected and FeL affected cats screened for selected coinfections. Overall, 10/117 (8.6%) cats tested positive for L. infantum: in five cats L. infantum DNA was found in popliteal lymph nodes and five were IFAT seropositive at titers from 1:80 to 1:160. Infected cats were concentrated in a specific area of Milan (p = 0.0154). No specific clinicopathologic abnormalities or retroviral infections were significantly linked to the infection, other than hypergammaglobulinemia (p = 0.0127). Seroreactivity to Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Chlamydophila felis, and Toxoplasma gondii was found in some infected cats. A high prevalence of FeL was found in a non-endemic area of northern Italy and future studies should continually monitor this data to understand whether these cases are imported or if Leishmania vectors are present in this area.

Prevalence of serum antibody titres against feline panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus infections in stray cats of Milan, Italy.

The aim of the study was to determine the seroprevalence of feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) and feline calicivirus (FCV) in stray colony cats from Milan, Italy. Cats were divided in groups based on age, gender, reproductive status, health status and colony of origin. Blood samples were tested with an in-clinic ELISA test. The possible presence of a link between the antibody titre or the presence of seropositive results and the independent variables (age, gender, reproductive status, health status and colony location) was assessed by means of multinomial and univariate logistic regression models, respectively. Seroprevalence of 85.4% was reported for FCV. The diffusion of the other two pathogens in the cat population was much lower compared to FCV, with 45.7% and 37.1% seroprevalence observed for FPV and FHV-1, respectively. An increase of antibody titres from kitten to senior was generally observed for the three pathogens. Age was a statistically significant variable for FHV-1, with senior cats significantly associated with higher antibody titres and higher percentages of seropositive animals compared to younger age groups. Neutered cats had significantly higher antibody titres and showed significantly higher FHV-1 seroprevalences compared to sexually intact cats. Colonies from two of the nine administrative districts of Milan showed significantly higher FPV seroprevalences compared to the others. No other significant differences were observed. Our results, based on cats belonging to 70 different colonies located in urban areas far from each other, suggest that the three viruses circulate in the feline population of stray cats in Milan. The feline calicivirus represents the most common circulating pathogen, as observed also in other studies worldwide. Finally, our results suggest that stray cats may be not adequately protected against FPV, FHV-1 and FCV and vaccination could be a possible strategic solution, especially for FPV.

The bond that never developed: adoption and relinquishment of dogs in a rescue shelter.

This study carried out a survey in an Italian shelter to analyze adoptions resulting in the rejection of the newly adopted dog. The results of this study show that the number of dogs adopted and returned was stable during the study, that more females than males were adopted, and that males were more likely to be returned. Almost all the dogs were returned because of behavioral problems, and most were more than 6 months of age. Some dogs were returned more than once, with 20% of the people who adopted the same dog at different times reporting the same behavioral problem. Having a house with a yard, a garden, or a terrace appeared to be important for better management of the dog and influenced the length of adoption. Half of the adopters had previous experience as caregiver for a dog; compared to adopters who had no previous experience, however, they returned their companion animal after a shorter period and because of behavioral reasons. Understanding why adopters return their dogs to shelters is an important step toward attempting to minimize relinquishments and, thus, optimize adoptions.