Dr Amy Wilson, veterinarian and ecologist wants to limit free-roaming cats to protect wildlife

Professor Amy Wilson's research concluded that domestic cats are likely to blame for the spread of toxoplasma gondii to wildlife in urban areas where there are lots of cats. The researchers examined 45,079 cases of toxoplasmosis in wild animals. They found a correlation between the density of humans in urban areas and the likelihood of infection of the toxoplasmosis in wildlife. That is: the more dense the human population the more likely wild animals will be infected by zoonotic diseases such as toxoplasma gondii.

Professor Dr Amy Wilson veterinarian and ecologist. Photo: her bio page online.

Dr Wilson blames free-roaming domestic cats and feral cats for the 'most likely cause of the infections'.

She says that her research is "significant because by simply limiting free-roaming of cats, we can reduce the impact of Toxoplasma on wildlife.

ASSOCIATED PAGE: It Is Time to Stop Denigrating the Domestic Cat with Spurious Links between Toxoplasmosis and Human Mental Health

She states that one cat can excrete 500 oocysts in 14 days. But it should be noted this happens once in a cat's lifetime (my comment). 

"These infective oocysts are only passed for a very short time after initial exposure" (Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook).

But these tough eggs can live for 5 years in soil where they can infect animals and humans. Humans and animals have to ingest the oocysts.

ASSOCIATED: Truth about Toxoplasmosis and Cats

A lot has been written about toxoplasmosis. A lot of it derogatory for the cat. It is nearly always asymptomatic in cats and humans. When the immune system is compromised it can cause ill-health.

Professor Wilson also says that maintaining healthy habitats and ecosystems helps to protect wildlife. She said:

"We know that when wetlands are destroyed or streams are restricted, we are more likely to experience runoff that carries more pathogens into the waters where wild animals drink or live. And when their habitats are healthy, wildlife thrives and tends to be more disease-resistant."

The study: "Human density is associated with the increased prevalence of a generalist zoonotic parasite in mammalian wildlife” by Amy G. Wilson, Scott Wilson, Niloofar Alavi and David R. Lapen, 20 October 2021, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Link: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.1724

75% of kittens born to free-roaming domestic cats die or disappear within six months

This is going to be short because I don't have the full study results but I do have the conclusion. A study titled Reproductive Capacity of Free-Roaming Domestic Cats and Kitten Survival Rate published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association concluded that 75% of kittens born to free-roaming domestic cats died or disappeared before six months of age and trauma was the most common cause of death.

This photo is so damned sad. It is horrible. It is from Facebook. The photographer was Chris.

CLICK THIS LINK FOR THE STORY BEHIND THE PIC ABOVE

The study observed 2332 female cats brought to a TNR clinic for neutering. In addition, 71 female cats and 171 kittens from 50 litters were also incorporated into the study and they were from managed colonies (believed).

The data that they collected included pregnancy, oestrus status, lactation and the number of foetuses for pregnant cats. They also collected data for feral cats and managed colonies including the number of litters per year and kittens per litter. In addition, they collected information on the date of birth, kitten survival rate and causes of death.

They observed pregnant cats in all months of the year and the percentage of cats that were pregnant was highest in the months of March, April and May. The cats produced an average litter of 1.4 kittens with a median of three kittens/litter. The range was from 1-6 kittens per litter.

Overall, 127 of 169 or 75% of the kittens died or disappeared before six months of age. They say that trauma was the most common cause of death. The conclusion is that these cats had a high reproductive capacity and the information may be useful in controlling feral and free ranging domestic cats.