A Prospective Study of Growth Rate, Disease Incidence, and Mortality in Kittens Less than 9 Weeks of Age in Shelter and Foster Care

Berliner, Elizabeth A.; Scarlett, Janet M.; Cowan, Allison C.; Mohammed, Hussni O.

doi:10.1080/10888705.2021.2021409

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…The lack of data on morbidity of shelter cats in scientific literature is surprising, as such information is crucial for understanding the health issues and principles of animal treatment in shelters. Previously published studies have focused mainly on the mortality of cats in shelters and the risk factors associated with it ( 20 – 23 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The morbidity and the spectrum of applied drugs in shelter cats in the Czech Republic

et al. 2022

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Maintaining appropriate living conditions and good health of the animals should be one of the main priorities of cat shelters. The aim of this study was to assess the morbidity of shelter cats on the basis of analysis of the shelter health records in terms of the nature and quantity of medicaments and other supportive products administered in two no-kill shelters in the Czech Republic. The subject of the study were the health records of 1,884 cats, which were admitted to the selected shelters from 1.1.2013 to 31.12.2021 and their stay in the shelter was terminated in the monitored period. More than half of all cats whose records were analyzed had at least one health record made during their stay in the shelter. The overall length of stay of cats in the shelter (regardless of the outcome) in which one or more health records were found was significantly longer compared to the length of stay of cats without any health records. The highest number of health records was found in kittens <6 months old. Antibiotics, antiparasitics, and complementary/protective substances were the most used among all administered drugs. Broad-spectrum antibiotics have been administered to cats most often. In terms of classification of antibiotics according to the active substance, the most used antibiotics were penicillins, tetracyclines, and fluoroquinolones. Antibiotics were mostly used to treat diseases related to the upper and lower respiratory tract and their symptoms and gastrointestinal problems. The findings of the study contribute to understanding health problems and approaches to treating the shelter cats.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The morbidity and the spectrum of applied drugs in shelter cats in the Czech Republic

et al. 2022

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“…This suggests that training and support for fosterers is important to ensure best practices when working with fearful kittens [ 57 ]. Studies considering other potential damaging impacts of a fostering experience on cats found no association between fostering and later aggression in cats [ 58 ] or poorer growth in kittens [ 59 ]. Overall, research on the benefits of fostering for companion animal health is promising [ 53 ].…”

Section: Health Promoting Aspects Of Fostering For Humans and Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Companion Animal Fostering as Health Promotion: A Literature Review

Roseveare

Breheny

Mansvelt

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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There is growing interest in the health-promoting potential of human-companion animal relationships from a broad public health perspective while acknowledging barriers to ownership, particularly for older adults. Companion animal fostering is an alternative to pet ownership that aligns with the Ottawa Charter health promotion principle that caring for others in everyday settings promotes health. This narrative review of the literature on companion animal fostering draws on Te Whare Tapa Whā (the four-sided house), an indigenous model of health that is influential in Aotearoa/New Zealand, and the Ottawa Charter. We found that companion animal fostering can be considered health-promoting for human and non-human animals, using a broad and multidimensional understanding of health. As well as improving the long-term outcomes for homeless animals, companion animal fostering has the potential to promote the health of the individuals, families, and communities who provide foster homes. Our review highlights the importance of health promoters considering the reciprocal relationship between human and animal health. Future research should explore different aspects of human and non-human health, perspectives of different types of fosterers in different settings and communities, barriers to fostering, and methods that explore the role of caring for a wider range of companion animals in creating and sustaining wellbeing.

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“…In several publications death rates were determined solely from the group of animals with an outcome (since passing away is an outcome), without acknowledging the risk of dying for every single shelter animal regardless of whether there is an outcome for that animal. The correct way to analyse the mortality in a shelter therefor is by using the MR and ER as these rates not only include cats with an outcome, but also the SIS-part of the population [14,38]. Earlier European research [16,17,39] frequently used the DR instead.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Quantification of a shelter cat population: Trends in intake, length of stay and outcome data of cats in seven Dutch shelters between 2006 and 2021

et al. 2023

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Shelter metrics can be used by shelters for self-assessment to optimise the health of their animal population and to identify risk factors for disease outbreaks. However, there is a need for a wider scope of these shelter metrics, as evidenced by the interest from shelters in the benchmarking of shelter progress and the development of national best practices. For the first time, Dutch shelter data were used retrospectively to signal trends using potentially reliable metrics for the analysis of shelter data. The aims of this study were to apply relevant metrics describing the different phases of shelter management for shelter cats (i.e., intake, stay and outcome) and a retrospective analysis of shelter data over the period between 2006 and 2021. Seven of the approximately 120 Dutch animal shelters participated in this study. Quantitative data on the intake of more than 74,000 shelter cats (e.g., stray cats, cats surrendered by their owners and cats obtained from other sources) and their outcomes (i.e., cats rehomed, returned to their owners, deceased, or otherwise lost) have been analysed. Metrics such as rehoming rate, return to owner rate, rates for mortality and euthanasia, length of stay and risk-based live release rate were determined. The main findings of the study during this 16-year period were that, over time, the number of cats per 1000 residents admitted to Dutch shelters was reduced by 39%, the number of feline euthanasia cases decreased by approximately 50%, the length of stay showed a reducing trend, while the return to owner and the risk-based live release rate increased. The shelter metrics examined in this study could be helpful in monitoring and evaluating the management, consequent health, and well-being of cats in shelters and eventually measuring progress of shelters both in the Netherlands and at a European level.

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A Prospective Study of Growth Rate, Disease Incidence, and Mortality in Kittens Less than 9 Weeks of Age in Shelter and Foster Care

Cited by 5 publications

References 30 publications

The morbidity and the spectrum of applied drugs in shelter cats in the Czech Republic

The morbidity and the spectrum of applied drugs in shelter cats in the Czech Republic

Companion Animal Fostering as Health Promotion: A Literature Review

Quantification of a shelter cat population: Trends in intake, length of stay and outcome data of cats in seven Dutch shelters between 2006 and 2021

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