Feral Cat Diseases in Hawaii

RaeShelle Erickson

Biology 1650

November 15, 2015

            This paper will be a summary of the paper on feral cats and the diseases they can develop or receive on the Hawaiian Islands. The main area of research took place on Mauna Kea with some transfer to Mauna Loa. Scientists were looking for traces, causes and transference of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) antibodies, feline leukemia virus (FeLV) antigen, and Toxoplasma gondii found in feral cats on the islands.

            The reason they decided to research these particular diseases was to try and discover how they limit some species like cats and birds as well as if they could be transferred to pets or people. In particular, the T. Gondii disease is known to infect many types of Hawaiian birds and the Monk seal which is already endangered and can even infect people. Research was done from April 2002 to May 2004 on each disease but all are still largely misunderstood in the wild world. FeLV has been largely studied in cats and we know a few of the impacts of T. Gondii on wildlife. Remote areas just prove to be harder to study and follow as cats travel around.

            To begin studying these diseases they needed to capture some feral cats. They knew that feral cats live in solitude usually in remote areas whereas domestic cats live in fairly large communities around civilization. By placing traps away from people and villages, they were able to guarantee the cats they caught were all wild and feral. They captured cats for roughly two years in an attempt to restore native wildlife. These cats were not harmed in the capture process. They set up traps to check daily. These traps were lined with cloth to create bedding and covered with tarps to help protect the cats from rain and cold. They lured cats into the traps with canned food, sardines and fresh mackerel. Once they were captured, the feral cats were euthanized by a gunshot to the head under protocol 97-063. From there, scientists judged aged by the number of adult teeth and took blood samples to determine gender. Necessary steps were taken to get leftover blood prepared and sent to Colorado for testing. These tests showed signs of recent exposure to each disease or how long the cat had it if it hadn’t picked them up recently.

            The results they discovered were that the solitary lives of feral cats mentioned earlier mean a lack of transmission to domestic pets. It is not unheard of, however, if a cat strays too far from home and meets a feral cat the diseases can still be spread. The FIV disease was commonly found in adult males which led scientists to conclude this to be a result of biting during fights. FeLV was found to be transmitted through saliva, blood and other bodily fluids. This virus, however, is not very strong at all as it can only survive 24 to 48 hours at a room temperature. As weak as it may be, kittens can receive it through nursing or licking.

            In conclusion, this research experiment did not show how feral cat populations limit or regulate themselves in diseased cats so how they do it is not well understood. The main thing they had discovered was feral cats are abundant in the wild and hard to control. We know T. Gondii can spread to many Hawaiian birds, the endangered Monk seal and people but that is the only disease we have as much knowledge of spreading on.