Article
Veterinary Sciences
Sun-A. Kim, Claire J. Kenyon, Sejin Cheong, Jenna Lee, Lynette A. Hart
Summary: The number of pet cats in South Korea has increased significantly since 2010, leading to problems with feral cats. This study investigated attitudes towards feral cats in Seoul and found differences between cat owners and non-owners, as well as between males and females. The number of city-provided feeding stations was also correlated with people's attitudes towards feral cats.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Christopher A. Lepczyk, David C. Duffy, David M. Bird, Michael Calver, Dmitry Cherkassky, Linda Cherkassky, Christopher R. Dickman, David Hunter, David Jessup, Travis Longcore, Scott R. Loss, Kerrie Anne T. Loyd, Peter P. Marra, John M. Marzluff, Reed F. Noss, Daniel Simberloff, Grant C. Sizemore, Stanley A. Temple, Yolanda van Heezik
Summary: Free-roaming domestic cats have global impacts on biodiversity and human health, but are often managed using ineffective approaches. Recognizing cats as invasive non-native species is crucial for developing science-based management plans, promoting responsible pet ownership, and enforcing existing laws.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Elly Hiby, Tuntikorn Rungpatana, Alicja Izydorczyk, Craig Rooney, Mike Harfoot, Robert Christley
Summary: In Greater Bangkok, free-roaming dogs are tolerated by some citizens, but also raise concerns about dog welfare, nuisance behaviors and the risk of rabies transmission. A 5-year Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return (CNVR) intervention was conducted to control the population of these dogs and prevent rabies. The evaluation of this intervention found a reduction in dog density, dog rabies cases, and improvement in dog-human relationships. However, the presence of other sources of free-roaming dogs, mainly abandoned or lost owned dogs, means that additional interventions targeting these dogs are necessary for effective dog population management.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Anamika Changrani-Rastogi, Nishakar Thakur
Summary: Stray cats in contemporary cities have low survival rates, leading to the implementation of trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs. The attitudes of Indian residents towards stray cats have not been explored academically. A survey conducted in 13 Indian cities revealed that although most residents believed in the welfare of stray cats, they held negative attitudes and had negative interactions with them. There was a lack of awareness about TNR, but a high degree of support when introduced.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Valerie A. Benka, John D. Boone, Philip S. Miller, Joyce R. Briggs, Aaron M. Anderson, Christopher Slootmaker, Margaret Slater, Julie K. Levy, Felicia B. Nutter, Stephen Zawistowski
Summary: This study used computer simulation modeling to estimate and compare the costs and effectiveness of different free-roaming cat management options. The findings suggest that cost-effective reduction of feral cat populations requires sufficient management intensity and minimizing cat abandonment.
JOURNAL OF FELINE MEDICINE AND SURGERY
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Sabrina Aeluro, Jennifer M. Buchanan, John D. Boone, Peter M. Rabinowitz
Summary: This study provides an in-depth look at the standard practices and areas for improvement in organizations serving feral and community cats in the United States, based on an online survey of 567 organizations. Most respondents were grassroots organizations with no paid employees, serving fewer than 499 feral cats per year, relying on 1 to 9 active volunteers, and lacking brick and mortar facilities. The findings also highlight a shared community of practice among organizations in areas such as spay/neuter eligibility criteria, ear tip removal for sterilization indication, and post-surgery recovery holding times.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Peter J. Wolf, Rachael E. Kreisler, Julie K. Levy
Summary: The Ricker model, originally developed for fisheries management, was found to be inappropriate for assessing the effectiveness of TNR programs in reducing free-roaming cat populations. A more recently developed model, which considers the movement of cats in and out of a given area, is better suited for predicting the sterilization effort necessary for TNR programs.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Francisco Ruben Badenes-Perez
Summary: Cats were domesticated for their role in controlling rodents around human settlements. Free-roaming cats can prey on various small- to medium-sized animals and impact biodiversity. The overall impact of cats on biodiversity can be negative, neutral, or positive depending on the location and context. Managing cats should consider the complex interactions between cats, rodents, and their prey species.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2023)
Review
Veterinary Sciences
Kate F. Hurley, Julie K. Levy
Summary: The management of free-roaming cats involves substantial societal investment, with goals including wildlife conservation and public health protection. Local animal shelters play a significant role in managing these cats, but there is a lack of research evaluating the success of these programs. Evaluating the pros and cons of different methods based on achievable alternatives will help in finding the best solution with minimal harm.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Brielle K. Thompson, Charles Sims, Teresa Fisher, Sarah Brock, Yi Dai, Suzanne Lenhart
Summary: The benefits and costs of managing unowned free-roaming cats can be evaluated using a bioeconomic model, with key factors being the cooperation of cat caretakers and the value placed on wildlife and free-roaming cat lives. Adjusting the model based on specific goals and information can make it a useful management tool.
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
D. J. Herrera, J. D. Dixon, M. V. Cove
Summary: Free-roaming domestic cats pose risks to island ecosystems' biodiversity conservation, but matching trapping effort to cat prevalence and using surveillance-informed trapping can reduce costs and cat detections.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Review
Veterinary Sciences
Geoffrey Wandesforde-Smith, Julie K. Levy, William Lynn, Jacquie Rand, Sophie Riley, Joan E. Schaffner, Peter Joseph Wolf
Summary: The article discusses human interactions with cats living beyond the bounds of domesticity, raising issues of management and morality. It also reviews the contributions of the animal protection movement to managing cats, as well as the tensions between those advocating for the eradication of free-living cats and those proposing alternative solutions.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jenni McDonald, Lauren Finka, Rae Foreman-Worsley, Elizabeth Skillings, Dave Hodgson
Summary: This article investigates the population dynamics and management interventions of domestic cats in the UK. By using an integrated model that considers factors such as age, subpopulation, and reproductive status, the population changes of cats are simulated. The study finds that the neutering rate of owned cats has a significant impact on the overall population dynamics, and the survival and fecundity of owned cats have the greatest influence on population growth rate.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Octavio P. Luzardo, Jose Enrique Zaldivar-Laguia, Manuel Zumbado, Maria del Mar Travieso-Aja
Summary: Homeless cats are a significant problem in Europe, particularly in urban areas. Animal welfare organizations provide care for these cats, but some stakeholders advocate for capturing or killing them, which is often illegal and ineffective. Spanish veterinarians urge for sustainable methods, such as trap-neuter-return programs and social awareness, to decrease the population of free-roaming cats. A comprehensive study is needed to assess their impact, while effective control programs should focus on non-lethal methods like TNR and adoption.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lauren M. Smith, Rupert J. Quinnell, Conor Goold, Alexandru M. Munteanu, Sabine Hartmann, Lisa M. Collins
Summary: Free-roaming dogs pose challenges to public health, wildlife conservation, and livestock production, and may also suffer from poor health and welfare. Effective and cost-efficient strategies are needed to manage the dog population. A system dynamics model is proposed to incorporate the interaction between dog subpopulations, with methods that control fertility and promote responsible ownership showing potential in reducing free-roaming dog numbers over longer periods while improving welfare.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Eyal Klement, Alessandro Broglia, Sotiria-Eleni Antoniou, Vangelis Tsiamadis, E. Plevraki, Tamas Petrovic, Vladimir Polacek, Zoran Debeljak, Aleksandra Miteva, Tsviatko Alexandrov, Drago Marojevic, Ledi Pite, Vanja Kondratenko, Zoran Atanasov, Simon Gubbins, Arjan Stegeman, Jose Cortinas Abrahantes
PREVENTIVE VETERINARY MEDICINE
(2020)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Simon Gubbins, Arjan Stegeman, Eyal Klement, Ledi Pite, Alessandro Broglia, Jose Cortinas Abrahantes
PREVENTIVE VETERINARY MEDICINE
(2020)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Revital Skornik, Marina Eyngor, Adi Behar, Michal Perry Markovich, Natan Wajsbrot, Eyal Klement, Nadav Davidovich
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2020)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Revital Skornik, Adi Behar, Marina Eyngor, Michal Perry Markovich, Natan Wajsbrot, Eyal Klement, Nadav Davidovich
Summary: TiLV is an emerging viral disease affecting multiple tilapia species in various countries since 2014. In this study, TiLV was identified in mortality events in Israeli tilapia farms, with a new clade showing decreased survival rates, indicating potential increased virulence and highlighting the need for further investigation.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Soren Saxmose Nielsen, Julio Alvarez, Dominique Joseph Bicout, Paolo Calistri, Klaus Depner, Julian Ashley Drewe, Bruno Garin-Bastuji, Jose Luis Gonzales Rojas, Christian Gortazar Schmidt, Mette Herskin, Virginie Michel, Miguel Angel Miranda Chueca, Paolo Pasquali, Helen Clare Roberts, Liisa Helena Sihvonen, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl, Antonio Velarde Calvo, Arvo Viltrop, Christoph Winckler, Kris De Clercq, Eyal Klement, Jan Arend Stegeman, Simon Gubbins, Sotiria-Eleni Antoniou, Alessandro Broglia, Yves Van der Stede, Gabriele Zancanaro, Inma Aznar
Summary: The European Food Safety Authority received a mandate from the European Commission to assess the effectiveness of control measures against diseases included in the Category A list, focusing on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The assessment covered clinical and laboratory sampling procedures, monitoring period, protection and surveillance zone radius, and the duration of measures to be applied in these zones. Recommendations provided aim to support the drafting of further legislation and ad hoc requests related to HPAI.
Editorial Material
Food Science & Technology
Soren Saxmose Nielsen, Julio Alvarez, Dominique Joseph Bicout, Paolo Calistri, Klaus Depner, Julian Ashley Drewe, Bruno Garin-Bastuji, Jose Luis Gonzales Rojas, Christian Gortazar Schmidt, Mette Herskin, Virginie Michel, Miguel Angel Miranda Chueca, Paolo Pasquali, Helen Clare Roberts, Liisa Helena Sihvonen, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl, Antonio Velarde, Arvo Viltrop, Christoph Winckler, Kris De Clercq, Eyal Klement, Jan Arend Stegeman, Simon Gubbins, Sotiria-Eleni Antoniou, Alessandro Broglia, Yves Van der Stede, Gabriele Zancanaro, Inma Aznar
Summary: This opinion from EFSA assesses the effectiveness of control measures for African Horse Sickness, including sampling procedures, monitoring period, protection and surveillance zone radius, and duration of measures. The assessment indicates that sampling procedures are efficient, monitoring period is effective, and adjustments to protection zone radius and duration may be necessary based on environmental conditions and timing of the first case.
Article
Microbiology
Natalia Golender, Avi Eldar, Marcelo Ehrlich, Gabriel Kenigswald, Ily Shlamovitz, Boris Even-Tov, Lior Zamir, Eyal Klement, Velizar Bumbarov
Summary: The outbreaks of the European Bluetongue virus BTV-8 in Israel are influenced by genetic changes of the virus and herd immunity. The comparison of BTV-8 strains in Israel and other countries revealed a single introduction of the virus to Israel followed by extensive genomic drifts and reassortments with local strains. Analysis also suggests a possible common ancestor for European and Israeli BTV-8 in 2003-2004 and a separate evolutionary system in Israel and neighboring countries.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Soren Saxmose Nielsen, Julio Alvarez, Dominique Joseph Bicout, Paolo Calistri, Elisabetta Canali, Julian Ashley Drewe, Bruno Garin-Bastuji, Jose Luis Gonzales Rojas, Christian Gortazar Schmidt, Mette Herskin, Virginie Michel, Miguel Angel Miranda Chueca, Barbara Padalino, Paolo Pasquali, Liisa Helena Sihvonen, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl, Antonio Velarde, Arvo Viltrop, Christoph Winckler, Kris De Clercq, Simon Gubbins, Eyal Klement, Jan Arend Stegeman, Sotiria-Eleni Antoniou, Inma Aznar, Alessandro Broglia, Alexandra Papanikolaou, Yves Van der Stede, Gabriele Zancanaro, Helen Clare Roberts
Summary: EFSA was mandated by the European Commission to assess the effectiveness of control measures against certain diseases, including foot and mouth disease. The assessment included review of sampling procedures, monitoring period, protection and surveillance zones, and recommendations were provided to support the drafting of further legislation by the European Commission.
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Selene Baschieri, Rima Menassa, Eyal Klement, Marcello Donini
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Soren Saxmose Nielsen, Julio Alvarez, Dominique Joseph Bicout, Paolo Calistri, Elisabetta Canali, Julian Ashley Drewe, Bruno Garin-Bastuji, Jose Luis Gonzales Rojas, Christian Gortazar Schmidt, Mette Herskin, Virginie Michel, Miguel Angel Miranda Chueca, Barbara Padalino, Paolo Pasquali, Liisa Helena Sihvonen, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl, Antonio Velarde, Arvo Viltrop, Christoph Winckler, Kris De Clercq, Simon Gubbins, Eyal Klement, Jan Arend Stegeman, Sotiria-Eleni Antoniou, Inma Aznar, Alessandro Broglia, Yves Van der Stede, Gabriele Zancanaro, Helen Clare Roberts
Summary: EFSA was mandated by the EC to assess the effectiveness of control measures for diseases in the Category A list. This opinion focuses on the assessment of control measures for Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), including sampling procedures, monitoring period, and the radius of protection and surveillance zones. The opinion concludes that a protection zone of 20 km radius and a surveillance zone of 50 km radius would cover more than 99% of potential transmission. The recommendations provided aim to support the drafting of legislation and ad hoc requests related to LSD.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Anat Wiseman, Mali Shabbat, Aliza Cohen, Ido From, Yael Almog Samina, Einat Sade Levy, Shahar Szer, Nadav Zeltcer, Eyal Klement, Yaniv Pima
Summary: Real-time reverse transcription PCR (rRT-PCR) is a method widely used for diagnosing and classifying Newcastle disease virus (NDV). This study found that the high mutation rate of the viral genome can cause diagnostic failure. A mismatch in the reverse primer was identified as the cause of the failure. Additionally, the virus was genetically classified and its spread was traced.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Idit Gunther, Hadas Hawlena, Lior Azriel, Dan Gibor, Olaf Berke, Eyal Klement
Summary: This article examines the effectiveness of trap-neuter-return/release (TNR) in controlling the population of domestic cats and suggests a management approach that emphasizes high intensity, continuity, and geographic contiguity. The study finds that TNR has some effectiveness in reducing the cat population, but the rebound increase in reproduction and longevity of cats limits the population reduction. To enhance management effectiveness and mitigate compensatory effects, the article recommends integrating TNR with complementary methods.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Michal Morgenstern, Jaap Sok, Eyal Klement
Summary: This study investigated the dynamics and factors influencing vaccination compliance against lumpy skin disease (LSD) in Israel following epidemics in 2012-2013 and 2019. The results showed a decrease in vaccination compliance after the epidemics, but veterinarian-associated social pressure was found to be a major compliance-enhancing factor.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Soren Saxmose Nielsen, Julio Alvarez, Dominique Joseph Bicout, Paolo Calistri, Klaus Depner, Julian Ashley Drewe, Bruno Garin-Bastuji, Jose Luis Gonzales Rojas, Christian Gortazar Schmidt, Mette Herskin, Virginie Michel, Miguel Angel Miranda Chueca, Paolo Pasquali, Helen Clare Roberts, Liisa Helena Sihvonen, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl, Antonio Velarde, Arvo Viltrop, Christoph Winckler, Kris De Clercq, Eyal Klement, Jan Arend Stegeman, Simon Gubbins, Sotiria-Eleni Antoniou, Alessandro Broglia, Yves Van der Stede, Gabriele Zancanaro, Inma Aznar
Summary: EFSA was mandated by the European Commission to assess the effectiveness of control measures against transmissible animal diseases, specifically focusing on African Swine Fever (ASF). The assessment included clinical and laboratory sampling procedures, monitoring periods, and the minimum radius of protection and surveillance zones. Recommendations were provided to support the drafting of legislation and ad hoc requests related to ASF.