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Feral Cat Diseases in Hawaii

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Alora North

Biology 1610

3/24/2017

Feral Cat Diseases in Hawaii

Feral cats are a wild- living variant of the common household pet, they are to defend for

themselves. Feral cats have been spotted on all eight of the main Hawaiian Islands with this they

spread ecological disruptions threatening native Hawaiian wildlife more specifically to

freshwater and marine environments, last but not least the forest birds ("Feral Cats" 2016). The

feral cats are spreading diseases like: Immunodeficiency Virus, Feline Leukemia Virus, and

Toxoplasma gondii.

Immunodeficiency Virus: In infected cats, feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) attacks

the immune system, leaving the cat vulnerable to many other infections, This is transmitted by a

cat bite (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus).

Feline Leukemia Virus: a disease that impairs the cat's immune system and causes

certain types of cancer this is transmitted by: saliva, blood, or other body fluid (PetMD).

Toxoplasma gondii: a disease caused by a single-celled parasite called Toxoplasma

gondii, this is transmitted by: eating raw meat that contains the virus. Toxoplasmosis is one of

the most common parasitic diseases (Toxoplasmosis) .

The Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit at the University of Hawaii at Manoa are

conducting multiple studies to determine whether these potential biological control agents

already existed in feral cats, they are researching this to protect other species but mainly to
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restore an endangered Hawaiian forest bird (Danner, Goltz, Hess, & Banko 2007). Experiment

setup (examined FIV and FeLV to determine whether these potential biological control agents

already existed in feral cats) this is also known as the hypothesis. Aspects of the disease the

researchers studied measured, exposure and infection to FIV/FeLV. These were measured by

trapping the cats and taking their blood to test them for the virus and also making a social

structure for the cats. The data form was collected by observation, tracking the cats and seeing if

they stray to the forest bird or other wildlife. Another way this team showed data is table

showing what percentages of the cats have the virus.

The results: the cats were leading more colonial lifestyles, Mauna Kea cats probably do

not have as much conspecific contact, thereby limiting opportunities for horizontal disease

transmission (Danner, Goltz, Hess, & Banko 2007). These results seemed to be unexpected

because the research team assumed the cats were the cause to this problem scents, the cats are

one of the primary carriers of the virus they assumed it would be connected to the birds but it

was more of the opposite, it affected the aqua marine life such as dolphins (Danner, Goltz, Hess,

& Banko 2007).

Conclusion: The degree to which feline diseases connect to the endangered bird were not

found but were found in the aqua marine life and other species. The cats presence suggests they

would not be effective agents in a biological control strategy. By doing this research they gained

a better understand to how the virus can be contracted like (bodily fluids, eating raw meat). In

the end having a larger sample size of the the cats would have given them more results making

the results even more sustainable. The effects on the community seemed minimal to none

because feral cats remain abundant throughout most of the Hawaiian Islands in the wilderness,
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meaning they stayed in large quantities and knowing that they are feral their first instinct is to

run away. Overall there was not any information on the effects on the community but there is

information on how the virus is contracted and how it can spread to/from the cats then to other

species. The degree to which feline diseases limit or regulate cat populations in the wild is not

well understood (Danner, Goltz, Hess, & Banko 2007).

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Citation

"College of Veterinary Medicine - Cornell University." Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.

"College of Veterinary Medicine - Cornell University." Toxoplasmosis in Cats. N.p., n.d. Web.

26 Mar. 2017.

Danner, Raymond M., Daniel M. Goltz, Steven C. Hess, and Paul C. Banko. "Evidence of Feline

Immunodeficiency Virus, Feline Leukemia Virus, and Toxoplasma gondii in Feral Cats on

Mauna Kea, Hawaii." Journal of Wildlife Diseases 43.2 (2007): 315-18. Web.

"Feral Cats." Hawaii Invasive Species Council. N.p., 27 May 2016. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.

"PetMD, LLC." PetMD. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.