Control of feral cats and rabies risk reduction

Annually, 55,000 people die of rabies in Africa and Asia where canine rabies is endemic. The World Health Organization favors mass vaccination of dogs over wholesale culling. Vaccination of “street dogs” coupled with sterilization resulted in a progressive decline in both human and dog rabies in India. Dog rabies was eliminated from the U.S. via vaccination and dog control by 1960. The last cat-to-human rabies transmission occurred >30 years ago. The vast majority of US rabies occurs in wildlife (92%); the cat is the most common domestic species affected (5%). The uncontrolled reproduction of cats and their low rate of vaccination contribute to the risk of rabies infection of cats, which may serve as a link between wildlife rabies and humans. Following the model proposed by WHO for control of rabies in dogs, trap-neuter-return programs perform mass vaccination and sterilization of free-roaming cats. Feral cat TNR programs may be the largest providers of rabies vaccines in some communities. A single vaccine protects cats against severe challenge for more than 4 years. Feral cats vaccinated at the time of surgery develop adequate rabies titers within 8-12 weeks. TNR has been shown to result in substantial and sustained reductions of cat populations. Findings from studies to be discussed suggest that mass sterilization and vaccination form a publicly-acceptable and effective strategy for controlling both free-roaming cat populations and their negative impacts on public health and the environment. TNR should be included as a tool in development of effective public policy regarding cat control.