Pre-mortem risk factors for mortality in kittens less than 8 weeks old at a dedicated kitten nursery

Potential Factors Influencing Complete Functional Recovery in Traumatized Unowned Cats with Orthopedic Lesions-A Cohort Study

The management of unowned cats is an emerging problem, with public institutions and citizens' concerns regarding their care and arrangement. Little is known regarding the outcome of traumatic orthopedic injuries in these patients. Indeed, complete functional recovery (CFR) should be the goal of treatment for return to their original location or adoption. The aim was to identify clinical factors influencing CFR in traumatized unowned cats with orthopedic lesions. This category of cats referred by the veterinary public service over three years was enrolled. Various clinical variables were retrospectively collected from the medical records and evaluated by nominal logistic analysis. Forty-eight unowned cats were enrolled, with a median estimated age of 24 (1-180) months and a body weight of 3 (0.7-5) kg. Thirty-four (71%) patients reached CFR. Estimated age, body weight, time from trauma to therapeutic intervention, spine involvement, presence of comorbidities, hospitalization time, and the radiographic score results were significantly associated with CFR. A longer time to therapeutic intervention seemed to be associated with a better outcome. Probably, cats severely traumatized did not live long enough to be evaluated and treated. Lighter cats experienced more severe consequences following blunt trauma. Younger and lighter cats bore a higher risk of panleukopenia-related death.

Randomized placebo-controlled trial of feline-origin Enterococcus hirae probiotic effects on preventative health and fecal microbiota composition of fostered shelter kittens

INTRODUCTION

Diarrhea is the second most common cause of mortality in shelter kittens. Studies examining prevention strategies in this population are lacking. Probiotics are of particular interest but studies in cats are largely limited to healthy adults or those with induced disease. Only one study in domestic cats describes the use of host-derived bacteria as a probiotic. We previously identified Enterococcus hirae as a dominant species colonizing the small intestinal mucosa in healthy shelter kittens. Oral administration of a probiotic formulation of kitten-origin E. hirae (strain 1002-2) mitigated the increase in intestinal permeability and fecal water loss resulting from experimental enteropathogenic E. coli infection in purpose-bred kittens. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that administration of kitten-origin E. hirae to weaned fostered shelter kittens could provide a measurable preventative health benefit.

METHODS

We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded clinical trial to determine the impact of a freeze-dried E. hirae probiotic on body weight gain, incidence of diarrhea, carriage of potential diarrheal pathogens, and composition of the intestinal microbiota in weaned fostered shelter kittens.

RESULTS

One-hundred thirty kittens completed the study. Fifty-eight kittens received the probiotic and 72 received the placebo. There were no significant differences in age, weight upon initiation of the study, number of days in the study, average daily gain in body weight, or weight at completion of the study. Kittens treated with E. hirae were 3.4 times less likely to develop diarrhea compared to kittens treated with placebo (odds ratio = 0.294, 95% CI 0.109-0.792, p = 0.022). A significant impact of E. hirae was not observed on the presence or abundance of 30 different bacterial, viral, protozoal, fungal, algal, and parasitic agents in feces examined by qPCR. With exception to a decrease in Megamonas, administration of the E. hirae probiotic did not alter the predominant bacterial phyla present in feces based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.

DISCUSSION

Decreased incidence of diarrhea associated with preventative administration of E. hirae to foster kittens supports a rationale for use of E. hirae for disease prevention in this young population at high risk for intestinal disease though additional studies are warranted.

Increasing Engagement in Kitten Fostering Programs: Lessons Learned From High Kitten Intake Zip Codes in Los Angeles County

The goal of the current study was to identify ways to increase awareness and engagement in kitten fostering programs (KFPs) among residents of areas with a high intake of kittens to animal shelters in Southern California (i.e., Los Angeles County). Specifically, we aimed to understand residents': (1) awareness of KFPs and kitten overpopulation issues, (2) interest in fostering kittens with an animal welfare organization, (3) concerns about fostering, (4) perceived ability to meet common KFP requirements, and (5) perceptions of potential KFP marketing/messaging and communication methods. Participants included 283, predominantly Hispanic/Latinx adults aged 18 years or older who resided in Los Angeles County and who lived in one of 12 zip codes with a high rate of kitten shelter intake. Survey results indicated that more than one quarter of participants had engaged in fostering on their own without an animal shelter or rescue program. One-third of the total sample, and more than two-thirds of participants who had already fostered cats and kittens on their own, were open to fostering kittens in partnership with an animal shelter. A majority of individuals who were interested in fostering had not seen advertising for fostering programs; Spanish-language participants were significantly less likely than expected to have encountered program advertisements. The most prevalent concerns about fostering in our sample were centered on the time (79%), cost (78%), and space (77%) required to engage in fostering. Text, email, social media, and mail were among the most preferred methods for marketing and communication, with some variation between Spanish and English language respondents. Opportunities for increasing engagement included, but were not limited to, improving the promotion of program advertisements using animal-welfare and cost-focused messaging approaches and improving the dissemination and marketing of Spanish-language materials. Providing community members with realistic expectations of the time, resources, and support they will get from animal welfare organizations may improve engagement in KFPs, as well as identifying alternative resources and supports (e.g., transportation, in-home veterinary visits) to assist community members in serving animals in their community.

The Impact of Incorporating Multiple Best Practices on Live Outcomes for a Municipal Animal Shelter in Memphis, TN

Modern animal shelters are encouraged to adopt “best practices” intended to promote life-saving for the animals that enter their systems. While these best practices have been defined and widely promoted within the profession, few studies have tracked how making the recommended changes affects live release rates (LRR) and other shelter metrics. In 2017, the municipal animal shelter in Memphis, TN (Memphis Animal Services) implemented five new strategies and analyzed their resultant life-saving data. The interventions included managed strategic shelter intake, pet owner safety net, community cat return to field, transition of field services from punitive to assistive, and streamlined adoption and transfer protocols. The median LRR for cats prior to 2017 was 35% (IQR 22, 36). After the intervention, the LRR increased to a median of 92% (IQR 92, 94). The correlation between intake and euthanasia for cats prior to the intervention was significant (P < 0.001) and very strong (r = 0.982), while after there was no relationship (−0.165) and it was not significant (P = 0.791). The median LRR for dogs prior to 2017 was 25% (IQR 19, 48). After the intervention, the LRR increased to a median of 87% (IQR 86, 88). The correlation between intake and euthanasia for dogs prior to the intervention was significant (P < 0.001) and very strong (r = 0.991), while after there was a moderate relationship (−0.643) that was not significant (P = 0.242). The median LRR for kittens prior to 2017 was 34% (IQR 23, 38), which increased (P = 0.001) to 92% (IQR 91, 92) after intervention. The percent of kittens entering the shelter with an outcome of euthanasia decreased (P < 0.001), from a median of 59% (IQR 54, 73) to a median of 3% (IQR 1, 3). The median return to owner (RTO) rate for dogs increased (P = 0.007) from 10% (IQR 9, 11) to 13% (IQR 13, 13). Implementation of these best practices accelerated Memphis Animal Services' progress toward a live release rate of at least 90%, particularly for cats, dramatically decreased kitten euthanasia, increased the RTO rate for dogs and severed the historical correlation between euthanasia and intake.

Topics in the routine assessment of newborn kitten vitality: Apgar score, reflexes and complementary assessments

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to perform neonatal clinical assessments at birth to identify newborn kittens at risk according to type of delivery, thus allowing immediate intervention and increasing their chances of survival.

METHODS

This study compared Apgar scores, reflexes and clinical parameters (temperature, weight, blood glucose and peripheral oxygen saturation [SpO2]) between eutocic neonates and those delivered by emergency cesarean section. The animals were evaluated at birth and after 10 and 60 mins.

RESULTS

Thirty-two neonates were evaluated, with 19 animals in the eutocic group (EG) and 13 animals in the cesarean group (CG). When comparing groups, CG neonates had significantly lower Apgar scores (P <0.0001), lower SpO2 (P = 0.0535), higher blood glucose (P = 0.0009), reduced reflexes (P <0.0001) and lower respiratory rates (P <0.0001) at birth and after 10 and 60 mins than EG neonates. Apgar scores positively correlated with parameters such as heart rate, reflex score, SpO2 and weight. The mortality rate in evaluated newborns was 15.6% (5/32). The early mortality rate (0-2 days old) was 80% (4/5) and the late mortality rate (3-30 days old) was 20% (1/5).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This study showed lower vitality in cats delivered by emergency cesarean section than in those delivered through eutocic birth. In general, neonates delivered by cesarean section have greater depression and low vitality at birth and may require advanced resuscitation procedures. The evaluations carried out in this study identified newborns with low vitality and those requiring advanced resuscitation, thus allowing immediate intervention. Apgar and reflex scores for feline neonates were suggested. Newborn-specific clinical assessment with these feline vitality scores allows the identification of at-risk neonates. Care immediately after birth increases the chance of survival among these patients.