Maintaining appropriate living conditions and good health of the animals should be one of the main priorities of cat shelters. The aim of this study was to assess the morbidity of shelter cats on the basis of analysis of the shelter health records in terms of the nature and quantity of medicaments and other supportive products administered in two no-kill shelters in the Czech Republic. The subject of the study were the health records of 1,884 cats, which were admitted to the selected shelters from 1.1.2013 to 31.12.2021 and their stay in the shelter was terminated in the monitored period. More than half of all cats whose records were analyzed had at least one health record made during their stay in the shelter. The overall length of stay of cats in the shelter (regardless of the outcome) in which one or more health records were found was significantly longer compared to the length of stay of cats without any health records. The highest number of health records was found in kittens <6 months old. Antibiotics, antiparasitics, and complementary/protective substances were the most used among all administered drugs. Broad-spectrum antibiotics have been administered to cats most often. In terms of classification of antibiotics according to the active substance, the most used antibiotics were penicillins, tetracyclines, and fluoroquinolones. Antibiotics were mostly used to treat diseases related to the upper and lower respiratory tract and their symptoms and gastrointestinal problems. The findings of the study contribute to understanding health problems and approaches to treating the shelter cats.

Department of Animal Protection and Welfare and Veterinary Public Health University of Veterinary Sciences Brno Brno Czechia

Department of Public Veterinary Medicine and Animal Welfare The University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice Košice Slovakia

Zobrazit více v PubMed

Dean R, Roberts M, Stavisky J. BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Shelter Medicine. Principles of Health and Welfare in a Multi-animal Environment. Gloucester: British Small Animal Veterinary Association; (2018). 374p.

Grant RA, Warrior JR. Clicker training increases exploratory behavior and time spent at the front of the enclosure in shelter cats; Implications for welfare and adoption rates. Appl Anim Behav Sci. (2019) 211:77–83. 10.1016/j.applanim.2018.12.002 DOI

Amat M, Camps T, Manteca X. Stress in owned cats: behavioral changes and welfare implications. J Feline Med Surg. (2016) 18:577–86. 10.1177/1098612X15590867 PubMed DOI PMC

Tanaka A, Wagner DC, Kass PH, Hurley KF. Associations among weight loss, stress, and upper respiratory tract infection in shelter cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc. (2012) 240:570–6. 10.2460/javma.240.5.570 PubMed DOI

Stella JL, Lord LK, Buffington CT. Sickness behaviors in response to unusual external events in healthy cats and cats with feline interstitial cystitis. J Am Vet Med. (2011) 238:66–73. 10.2460/javma.238.1.67 PubMed DOI PMC

Buffington CA. Idiopathic cystitis in domestic cats – beyond the lower urinary tract. J Vet Intern Med. (2011) 25:784–96. 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2011.0732.x PubMed DOI PMC

Koblenzer CS. Itching and the atopic skin. J Allergy Clin Immunol. (1999) 104:S109–13. 10.1016/S0091-6749(99)70052-7 PubMed DOI

Scarlett JM, Donoghue S, Saidla J, Wills J. Overweight cats: prevalence and risk factors. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. (1994) 18:S22–8. PubMed

Slingerland LI, Fazilova VV, Plantinga EA, Kooistra HS, Beynen AC. Indoor confinement and physical inactivity rather than the proportion of dry food are risk factors in the development of feline type 2 diabetes mellitus. Vet J. (2009) 179:247–53. 10.1016/j.tvjl.2007.08.035 PubMed DOI

Vojtkovská V, Voslárová E, Večerek V. Changes in health indicators of welfare in group-housed shelter cats. Front Vet Sci. (2021) 8:701346. 10.3389/fvets.2021.701346 PubMed DOI PMC

Weng Y, Hart L. Impact of the economic recession on companion animal relinquishment, adoption, and euthanasia: a Chicago animal shelter's experience. J Appl Anim Welf Sci. (2012) 15:80–90. 10.1080/10888705.2012.624908 PubMed DOI

Peng SJL, Lee LYT, Fei ACY. Shelter animal management and trends in Taiwan. J Appl Anim Welf Sci. (2012) 15:346–57. 10.1080/10888705.2012.709143 PubMed DOI

Vitulova S, Voslarova E, Vecerek V, Bedanova I, Volfova M. The health of shelter dogs and its impact on their adoption. Berl Munch Tierarztl Wochenschr. (2019) 132:325–33.

Horecka K, Neal S. Critical problems for research in animal sheltering, a conceptual analysis. Front Vet Sci. (2022) 9:804154. 10.3389/fvets.2022.804154 PubMed DOI PMC

Marston LC, Bennett PC. Admissions of cats to animal welfare shelters in Melbourne, Australia. J Appl Anim Welfare Sci. (2009) 12:189–213. 10.1080/10888700902955948 PubMed DOI

Maxwell S. Rational prescribing: the principles of drug selection. Clin Med. (2009) 9:481. 10.7861/clinmedicine.9-5-481 PubMed DOI PMC

Passantino A. Ethical aspects for veterinary medicinal products regarding antimicrobial drug use in Italy. Int J Antimicrob Agents. (2007) 29:240–4. 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2006.09.023 PubMed DOI

ÚSKVBL . Currently registered VLP (2022). Available online at: https://www.uskvbl.cz/en/registration-a-schvalovani/registration-vlp/seznam-vlp/aktualne-registrovane-vlp (accessed June 30, 2022).

Adefegha A. Antibiotics and drug pharmacology. Acta Sci Pharm Sci. (2019) 3:43–9. 10.31080/ASPS.2019.03.0424 DOI

Murray JK, Skillings E, Gruffydd-Jones TJ, A. study of risk factors for cat mortality in adoption centers of a UK cat charity. J Feline Med Surg. (2008) 10:338–45. 10.1016/j.jfms.2008.01.005 PubMed DOI PMC

Alberthsen C, Rand JS, Bennett PC, Paterson M, Lawrie M, Morton J M. Cat admissions to RSPCA shelters in Queensland, Australia: description of cats and risk factors for euthanasia after entry. Aust Vet J. (2013) 91:35–42. 10.1111/avj.12013 PubMed DOI

Večerek V, Kubesová K, Voslárová E, Bedánová I. Rates of death and euthanasia for cats in no-kill shelters in the Czech Republic. Acta Vet Brno. (2017) 86:109–15. 10.2754/avb201786010109 DOI

Berliner EA, Scarlett, JM, Cowan, AC, Mohammed H. A prospective study of growth Rate, disease incidence, and mortality in kittens less than 9 weeks of age in shelter and foster care. J Appl Anim Welf Sci. (2022) 3:1–16. 10.1080/10888705.2021.2021409 PubMed DOI

Miller L, Zawistowski S. Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons; (2012). 717p.

Schultz RD, Thiel B, Mukhtar E, Sharp P, Larson LJ. Age and long-term protection immunity in dogs and cats. J Comp Pathol. (2010) 141:S102–8. 10.1016/j.jcpa.2009.10.009 PubMed DOI

Levy JK, Gale DW, Gale LA. Evaluation of the effect of a long-term trap-neuter-return and adoption program on a free-roaming cat population. J Am Vet Med. (2003) 222:42–6. 10.2460/javma.2003.222.42 PubMed DOI

Griffin J. Stress and immunity: a unifying concept. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. (1989) 20:263–312. 10.1016/0165-2427(89)90005-6 PubMed DOI

Bannasch MJ, Foley JE. Epidemiological evaluation of multiple respiratory pathogens in cats in animal shelters. J Feline Med Surg. (2005) 7:109–19. 10.1016/j.jfms.2004.07.004 PubMed DOI PMC

Gaskell R, Dawson S, Radford A, Thiry E. Feline herpesvirus. Vet Res. (2007) 38:337–54. 10.1051/vetres:2006063 PubMed DOI

Pedersen NC, Allen CE, Lyons LA. Pathogenesis of feline enteric coronavirus infection. J Feline Med Surg. (2008) 10:529–41. 10.1016/j.jfms.2008.02.006 PubMed DOI PMC

Vennema H, Poland A, Foley J, Pedersen NC. Feline infectious peritonitis viruses arise by mutation from endemic feline enteric coronaviruses. Virology. (1998) 243:150–7. 10.1006/viro.1998.9045 PubMed DOI PMC

Diverio S, Boccini B, Menchetti L, Bennett PC. The Italian perception of the ideal companion dog. J Vet Behav. (2016) 12:27–35. 10.1016/j.jveb.2016.02.004 DOI

Kubesova K, Voslarova E, Vecerek V, Vucinic M. Investigating some of the factors that influence the selection of shelter cats by adopters in the Czech Republic. Anthrozoos. (2017) 30:623–33. 10.1080/08927936.2017.1370230 DOI

Vojtkovská V, Voslárová E, Večerek V. Comparison of results data for shelter dogs and cats in the Czech Republic. Animals. (2019) 9:595. 10.3390/ani9090595 PubMed DOI PMC

Sinn L. Factors influencing the selection of cats by adopters. J Vet Behav. (2016) 14:5–9. 10.1016/j.jveb.2016.06.001 DOI

Buckland EL, O'Neill D, Summers J, Mateus A, Church D, Redmond L, et al. . Characterization of antimicrobial use in cats and dogs attending UK primary care companion animal veterinary practices. Vet Rec. (2016) 179:489–489. 10.1136/vr.103830 PubMed DOI

Regula G, Torriani K, Gassner B, Stucki F, Müntener CR. Prescription patterns of antimicrobials in veterinary practices in Switzerland. J Antimicrob Chemother. (2009) 63:805–11. 10.1093/jac/dkp009 PubMed DOI

Schwarz S, Kehrenberg C, Walsh TR. Use of antimicrobial agents in veterinary medicine and food animal production. Int J Antimicrob Agents. (2001) 17:431–7. 10.1016/S0924-8579(01)00297-7 PubMed DOI

Schmitt K, Lehner C, Schuller S, Schüpbach-Regula G, Mevissen M, Peter R, et al. . Antimicrobial use for selected diseases in cats in Switzerland. BMC Vet Res. (2019) 15:1–11. 10.1186/s12917-019-1821-0 PubMed DOI PMC

Grönthal T, Moodley A, Nykäsenoja S, Junnil J, Guardabassi L, Thomson K, et al. . Large outbreak caused by methicillin resistant staphylococcus pseudintermedius ST71 in a Finnish veterinary teaching hospital – from outbreak control to outbreak prevention. PLoS One. (2014) 9:e110084. 10.1371/journal.pone.0110084 PubMed DOI PMC

Johnson JR, Owens K, Gajewski A, Clabots C. Escherichia coli colonization patterns among human household members and pets, with attention to acute urinary tract infection. J Infect Dis. (2008) 197:218–24. 10.1086/524844 PubMed DOI

Zhang XF, Doi Y, Huang X, Li HY, Zhong LL, Zeng KJ, et al. . Possible transmission of mcr-1-harboring Escherichia coli between companion animals and human. Emerg Infect Dis. (2016) 22:1679–81. 10.3201/eid2209.160464 PubMed DOI PMC

Ungemach FR. Use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine – consequences and prudent use. Tierarztl Prax Ausg G Grosstiere Nutztiere. (1999) 27:335–40. PubMed

Ichinohe T, Pang IK, Kumamoto Y. Microbiota regulates immune defense against respiratory tract influenza A virus infection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. (2011) 108:5354–9. 10.1073/pnas.101937810 PubMed DOI PMC

De Briyne N, Atkinson J, Pokludová L, Borriello SP. Antibiotics used most commonly to treat animals in Europe. Vet Rec. (2014) 175:325. 10.1136/vr.102462 PubMed DOI PMC

Murphy CP, Reid-Smith RJ, Boerlin P, Weese JS, Prescott JF, Janecko N, et al. . Out-patient antimicrobial drug use in dogs and cats for new disease events from community companion animal practices in Ontario. Can Vet J. (2012) 53:291–8. PubMed PMC

Singleton DA, Sánchez-Vizcaíno F, Dawson S, Jones PH, Noble PJM, Pinchbeck GL, et al. . Patterns of antimicrobial agent prescription in a sentinel population of canine and feline veterinary practices in the United Kingdom. Vet J. (2017) 224:18–24. 10.1016/j.tvjl.2017.03.010 PubMed DOI PMC

Hardefeldt LY, Selinger J, Stevenson MA, Gilkerson JR, Crabb H, Billman-Jacobe H, et al. . Population wide assessment of antimicrobial use in dogs and cats using a novel data source – a cohort study using pet insurance data. Vet Microbiol. (2018) 225:34–9. 10.1016/j.vetmic.2018.09.010 PubMed DOI

Burke S, Black V, Sánchez-Vizcaíno F, Radford A, Hibbert A, Tasker S. Use of cefovecin in a UK population of cats attending first-opinion practices as recorded in electronic health records. J Feline Med Surg. (2017) 19:687–92. 10.1177/1098612X16656706 PubMed DOI PMC

Mateus A, Brodbelt DC, Barber N, Stärk KDC. Antimicrobial use in dogs and cats in first opinion veterinary practices in the UK. J Small Anim Pract. (2011) 52:515–21. 10.1111/j.1748-5827.2011.01098.x PubMed DOI

Niederman MS. Principles of appropriate antibiotic use. Int J Antimicrob Agents. (2005) 26:170–5. 10.1016/s0924-8579(05)80324-3 PubMed DOI

Wiebe V, Hamilton P. Fluoroquinolone-induced retinal degeneration in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc. (2002) 221:1568–71. 10.2460/javma.2002.221.1568 PubMed DOI

Gourkow N, Lawson JH, Hamon SC, Phillips CJC. Descriptive epidemiology of upper respiratory disease and associated risk factors in cats in an animal shelter in coastal western Canada. Can Vet J. (2013) 54:132–8. PubMed PMC

Cohn LA. Feline respiratory disease complex. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. (2011) 41:1273–89. 10.1016/j.cvsm.2011.07.006 PubMed DOI

Hartmann AD, Hawley J, Werckenthin C, Lappin MR, Hartmann K. Detection of bacterial and viral organisms from the conjunctiva of cats with conjunctivitis and upper respiratory tract disease. J Feline Med Surg. (2010) 12:775–82. 10.1016/j.jfms.2010.06.001 PubMed DOI PMC

Pedersen NC, Sato R, Foley JE, Poland AM. Common virus infections in cats, before and after being placed in shelters, with emphasis on feline enteric coronavirus. J Feline Med Surg. (2004) 6:83–8. 10.1016/j.jfms.2003.08.008 PubMed DOI PMC

Southerden P, Gorrel C. Treatment of a case of refractory feline chronic gingivostomatitis with feline recombinant interferon omega. J Small Anim Pract. (2007) 48:104–6. 10.1111/j.1748-5827.2006.00166.x PubMed DOI

Jas D, Aeberle C, Lacombe V, Guiot AL, Poulet H. Onset of immunity in kittens after vaccination with a non-adjuvanted vaccine against feline panleucopenia, feline calicivirus and feline herpesvirus. Vet J. (2009) 182:86–93. 10.1016/j.tvjl.2008.05.025 PubMed DOI

Day MJ, Horzinek MC, Schultz RD, Squires RA, WSAVA. Guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats. J Small Anim Pract. (2016) 57:E1–E45. 10.1111/jsap.2_12431 PubMed DOI PMC

Lappin MR, Blondeau J, Booth D, Breitschwerdt E, Guardabassi L, Lloyd D, et al. . Antimicrobial use guidelines for treatment of respiratory tract disease in dogs and cats: antimicrobial guidelines working group of the international society for companion animal infectious diseases. J Vet Intern Med. (2017) 31:279–94. 10.1111/jvim.14627 PubMed DOI PMC

Radford AD, Noble PJ, Coyne KP, Gaskell RM, Jones PH, Bryan JGE, et al. . Antibacterial prescribing patterns in small animal veterinary practice identified via SAVSNET: the small animal veterinary surveillance network. Vet Rec. (2011) 169:310–310. 10.1136/vr.d5062 PubMed DOI

Sarrazin S, Vandael F, Cleven V, Graef E, Rooster H, Dewulf J. The impact of antimicrobial use guidelines on prescription habits in fourteen Flemish small animal practices. Vlaams Diergeneeskd Tijdschr. (2017) 86:173–82. 10.21825/vdt.v86i3.16287 DOI

Jones PH, Dawson S, Gaskell RM, Coyne KP, Tierney A, Setzkorn C, et al. . Surveillance of diarrhea in small animal practice through the small animal veterinary surveillance network (SAVSNET). Vet J. (2014) 201:412–8. 10.1016/j.tvjl.2014.05.044 PubMed DOI

Barrs VR. Feline panleucopenia: a re-emergent disease. Vet Cli North Am Small Anim Pract. (2019) 49:651–70. 10.1016/j.cvsm.2019.02.006 PubMed DOI

Stavroulaki EM, Suchodolski JS, Pilla R, Fosgate GT, Sung CH, Lidbury JA, et al. . Short- and long-term effects of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid or doxycycline on the gastrointestinal microbiome of growing cats. PLoS ONE. (2021) 16:e0253031. 10.1371/journal.pone.0253031 PubMed DOI PMC

Werner M, Suchodolski JS, Straubinger RK, Wolf G, Steiner JM, Lidbury JA, et al. . Effect of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid on clinical scores, intestinal microbiome, and amoxicillin-resistant Escherichia coli in dogs with uncomplicated acute diarrhea. J Vet Intern Med. (2020) 34:1166–76. 10.1111/jvim.15775 PubMed DOI PMC

Marks SL, Rankin SC, Byrne BA, Weese JS. Enteropathogenic bacteria in dogs and cats: diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment, and control. J Vet Intern Med. (2011) 25:1195–208. 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2011.00821.x PubMed DOI

Schulz B, Hupfauer S, Ammer H, Sauter-Louis C, Hartmann K. Suspected side effects of doxycycline use in dogs – a retrospective study of 386 cases. Vet Record. (2011) 169:229–229. 10.1136/vr.d4344 PubMed DOI

Whittemore J, Stokes J, Price J, Suchodolski J. Effects of a synbiotic on the fecal microbiome and metabolomic profiles of healthy research cats administered clindamycin: a randomized, controlled trial. Gut Microbes. (2019) 10:521–39. 10.1080/19490976.2018.1560754 PubMed DOI PMC

Lambert GP. Stress-induced gastrointestinal barrier dysfunction and its inflammatory effects. J Anim Sci. (2009) 87:101–8. 10.2527/jas.2008-1339 PubMed DOI

German AC, Cunliffe NA, Morgan KL. Faecal consistency and risk factors for diarrhoea and constipation in cats in UK rehoming shelters. J Feline Med Surg. (2017) 19:57–65. 10.1177/1098612X15610370 PubMed DOI PMC

Andersen LA, Levy JK, McManus CM, McGorray SP, Leutenegger CM, Piccione J, et al. . Prevalence of enteropathogens in cats with and without diarrhea in four different management models for unowned cats in the southeast United States. Vet J. (2018) 236:49–55. 10.1016/j.tvjl.2018.04.008 PubMed DOI PMC

Bybee SN, Scorza AV, Lappin MR. Effect of the probiotic Enterococcus faecium SF68 on the presence of diarrhea in cats and dogs housed in an animal shelter. J Vet Intern Med. (2011) 25:856–60. 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2011.0738.x PubMed DOI PMC

Tull A, Moks E, Saarma U. Endoparasite prevalence and infection risk factors among cats in an animal shelter in Estonia. Foil Parasit. (2021) 68:010. 10.14411/fp.2021.010 PubMed DOI

Sauda F, Malandrucco L, De Liberato C, Perrucci S. Gastrointestinal parasites in shelter cats of central Italy. Vet Parasitol Reg Stud. (2019) 18:100321. 10.1016/j.vprsr.2019.100321 PubMed DOI

Akucewich LH, Philman K, Clark A, Gillespie J, Kunkle G, Nicklin CF, et al. . Prevalence of ectoparasites in a population of feral cats from north central Florida during the summer. Vet Parasitol. (2002) 109:129–39. 10.1016/S0304-4017(02)00205-4 PubMed DOI

Genchi M, Vismarra A, Zanet S, Morelli S, Galuppi R, Cringoli G, et al. . Prevalence and risk factors associated with cat parasites in Italy: a multicenter study. Parasites Vectors. (2021) 14:1–11. 10.1186/s13071-021-04981-2 PubMed DOI PMC

Thomas JE, Staubus L, Goolsby JL, Reichard MV. Ectoparasites of free-roaming domestic cats in the central United States. Vet Parasitol. (2016) 228:17–22. 10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.07.034 PubMed DOI

Fanelli A, Doménech G, Alonso F, Martínez-Carrasco F, Tizzani P, Martínez-Carrasco C. Otodectes cynotis in urban and peri-urban semi-arid areas: a widespread parasite in the cat population. J Parasit Dis. (2020) 44:81–5. 10.1007/s12639-020-01215-77 PubMed DOI PMC

Rust MK. The biology and ecology of cat fleas and advancements in their pest management: a review. Insects. (2017) 8:118. 10.3390/insects8040118 PubMed DOI PMC

Rodriguez-Vivas RI, Ojeda-Chi MM, Trinidad-Martinez I, De León AP. First documentation of ivermectin resistance in Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (Acari: Ixodidae). Vet Parasitol. (2017) 233:9–13. 10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.11.015 PubMed DOI

Causes of shelter cats mortality in the Czech Republic