Public awareness in New Zealand of animal welfare legislation relating to cats

Abstract

AIMS: To ascertain the levels of awareness of legislation governing the welfare of cats, and provision of basic care, including vaccination, by cat-owners within two locations in New Zealand. To assess the ability of respondents to differentiate between the terms ‘stray’ and ‘feral’.

METHODS: A face-to-face questionnaire, consisting of 12 questions in three sections, was distributed by volunteers within Auckland (n=255) and Kaitaia (n=99) to gather information pertinent to the study's aims. Section 1 covered respondents’ personal details; Section 2, ownership and care of cats, including whether or not the cats were vaccinated against feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV); and Section 3, awareness of legislation and differences between the terms ‘stray’ and ‘feral’.

RESULTS: Overall, fewer than half of respondents were aware of the animal welfare legislation within New Zealand or the semantic differences between the terms ‘stray’ and ‘feral’ as they appear in the dictionary. Respondents ≥41 years old, and individuals employed in the animal-related sector, were significantly more likely to be aware of the legislation and make the correct distinction between the terms compared with those aged ≤40, and those working in a non-animal-related profession.

A significantly greater percentage of cat-owners (42%) provided care for cats they did not own compared with non-owners (26%). Results also indicated a large majority of cat-owners may consider standard annual vaccinations to include vaccination against FIV and FeLV.

CONCLUSION: Dissemination of information about animal welfare legislation is important for the care of cats within New Zealand, and the definitions of the terms ‘stray’ and ‘feral’ need to be more clearly stated in order to prevent confusion. This is especially important when cats may be controlled using lethal measures under different legislative precedents that are not necessarily consistent with one another.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Veterinary clinics may act as a primary source for the dissemination of information about relevant welfare acts as well as preventative health care, thus improving the welfare of cats. Cat-owners need to be better educated about the diseases covered by annual vaccination.     

Effect of hCG on Early Luteal Serum Progesterone Concentrations in PG600‐Treated Gilts

Gilt oestrus and ovulation responses to injection of a combination of equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) (PG600) can be unpredictable, possibly reflecting inadequate circulating LH activity. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of PG600 followed by supplemental hCG on gilt ovarian responses. In experiment 1, 212 Hypor gilts (160 day of age) housed on two farms in Spain received intramuscular (i.m.) injections of PG600 (n = 47), or PG600 with an additional 200 IU hCG injected either concurrently (hCG‐0; n = 39), or at 24 h (hCG‐24; n = 41) or 48 h (hCG‐48; n = 45) after PG600. A further 40 gilts served as non‐injected controls. Ovulation responses were determined on the basis of initial blood progesterone concentrations being <1 ng/ml and achieving >5 ng / ml 10 d after the PG600 injection. The incidence of ovulating gilts having progesterone concentrations >30 ng/ml were recorded. During the study period, 10% of control gilts ovulated whereas 85–100% of hormone‐treated gilts ovulated. There were no significant differences among hormone groups for proportions of gilts ovulating. The proportions of gilts having circulating progesterone concentrations >30 ng/ml were increased (p ≤ 0.02) in all hCG treated groups compared with the PG600 group. In experiment 2, a total of 76 Hypor gilts at either 150 or 200 days of age were injected with PG600 (n = 18), 400 IU eCG followed by 200 IU hCG 24 h later (n = 20), PG600 followed by 100 IU hCG 24 h later (n = 17), or 400 IU eCG followed by 300 IU hCG 24 h later (n = 21). Blood samples were obtained 10 days later for progesterone assay. There were no effects of treatment or age on incidence of ovulation, but fewer 150‐day‐old gilts treated with PG600 or 400 IU eCG followed by 200 IU hCG had progesterone concentrations >30 ng / ml. We conclude that hCG treatment subsequent to PG600 treatment will generate a higher circulating progesterone concentration, although the effect is not evident in older, presumably peripubertal, gilts. The mechanism involved and implications for fertility remain to be determined.     

Documentation of In Vivo and In Vitro Aerobic Resistance of Feline Tritrichomonas foetus Isolates to Ronidazole

Background: The mainstays of treatment for clinically important trichomonad infections are the 5‐nitroimidazoles. Metronidazole resistance of feline Tritrichomonas foetus is presumed because of common treatment failure, and tinidazole does not consistently eradicate infection. To date, ronidazole is the only drug demonstrated as effective for treatment of cats infected with T. foetus. Objective: To document in vivo treatment failure and identify underlying causes and in vitro conditions of resistance of feline T. foetus to ronidazole. Animals: Two intact male Abyssinians failing ≥5 courses of treatment with increasing doses of 5‐nitroimidazole drugs. An intact male Abyssinian documented to clear infection after treatment with a single course of ronidazole. Methods: T. foetus isolates were cultured from feces and tested in vitro for susceptibility to ronidazole under aerobic and anaerobic culture conditions. A urogenital nidus of T. foetus infection was investigated by culture, polymerase chain reaction, or immunohistochemical testing of urogenital specimens. Results: Resistance to ronidazole under aerobic conditions was uniquely identified in T. foetus isolated from cats with well‐documented treatment failure. Treatment failure could not be attributed to reinfection, inappropriate treatment protocol, or presence of a urogenital nidus of infection. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Clinical resistance to metronidazole, low efficacy of tinidazole, and present documentation of in vivo and in vitro resistance to ronidazole in some cats are consistent with a high level of cross resistance of feline T. foetus to 5‐nitroimidazole drugs. Current lack of alternative drugs with clinical efficacy against feline T. foetus suggests that active investigation of other treatment approaches is warranted.     

An approach to acorn production in Iberian dehesas

Acorn production is one of the most important products in silvopastoral systems in the Mediterranean region. In the present study we carried out two preliminary trials to analyze the distribution of production over time and the effect of pruning. The objective was to develop tools to manage this valuable resource within these systems. In the first part of the study, we analyzed the total acorn production of a holm oak stand, and its seasonal distribution (October–January) over two years (1997–1998 and 1998–1999) in five sites in the southwest of Spain. Mean total acorn production ranged from 590 to 830 kg ha⁻¹. There was considerable variation between the different sites and years studied, as was expected from studies on other oak species. A comparison was also made of acorn production, comparing annual acorn production between 40 pruned and 40 non-pruned trees, for the period 1994–1999. There was an interaction between ‘pruning treatment’ and ‘year’. Pruning, significantly decreased acorn production in all but two years when production was above the average, whereas production was not affected by pruning the three years that acorn yield was below the average. The study of acorn production and the analysis of the effect of pruning, needs to be studied over a longer time period.