Trap; Euthanize Feral Cats - Says Top US Veterinarian

A Top Veterinarian’s Perspective on the Feral Cat Issue

By ABA, on March 27, 2013

At the Mic: Brian Monk

Brian Monk is a veterinarian, birder, photographer, and professional orchid grower and lecturer. He received his DVM from Virginia Tech in 1997 and currently resides in Ft. Lauderdale, Floirida, with his wife Mary-Margaret and his 5 rescued cats. 

 Let me make myself perfectly clear:  I love cats. I am a veterinarian, quite a few of my patients are cats, and I count five of them as my pets. I believe that cats have an inherent value to us, both as living things and as companions. I also love birds, and have been watching them before I was old enough to know what they were. Without question, birds also have inherent value, both to our planet and our hobby. My position as both a birder and a veterinarian lends me a unique perspective about the current controversy surrounding feral cats, and the various solutions offered up to address this issue.

A recent study has determined that 1.4-3.7 billion birds are killed by feral cats per year, and its publication has pitted wildlife conservation groups against feline advocacy groups. The controversy centers around the most important question, “What is the
solution to this problem of cat overpopulation?” The only thing that these two groups seem to agree on is that feral cat overpopulation exists.

Feral cats lead short and brutal lives. Kittens suffer a 50-75% mortality rate.  Disease is prevalent in feral cat populations, as expected.  They are plagued with parasitism by various worms, arthropods, and protozoa; viral diseases like Feline Leukemia, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, Herpes, Distemper, and Rabies; bacterial infections such as Toxoplasmosis, and Haemobartonellosis. Traumatic injury is common. Feral cats suffer....

Doctor's Professional Comprehensive Conclusions

This problem of feral cats is a difficult one. Although it is only a part of the greater question of avian conservation, it is obviously an important part. Further, it seems to be a part where real progress could be made, with benefits that are not so vague as biodiversity for biodiversity’s sake.

 Improving feline health in general, while keeping our precious wildlife safe, is a noble goal, that we can only approach ignobly. Feral cats exist because of man’s ego and carelessness. But TNR does not adequately address the issue. It does not ease feline suffering or eliminate feline predation on our wildlife to a point that is acceptable, to me as a veterinarian and a conservationist, or to anyone else who considers the facts. 

 As difficult as it may be, the elimination of feral cats via Trap and Euthanasia is the only truly viable solution.

Read More

HEADLINE NEWS" Australia Federal Law Plans Complete Eradication Feral Cats

Headline News

TOP STORY

KILLER CATS TO BE ERADICATED BY GOVERNMENT

Here is A Substantiating Report From Australia

PIP COURTNEY, PRESENTER: Australia's native wildlife is disappearing at an alarming rate and the feral cat is the chief culprit.

But they're now also affecting sheep farmers in Tasmania. The cats are carrying diseases which are being passed on to flocks, with disastrous consequences. 

And as Ginny Stein reports, the Federal Government has announced a 10-year plan to effectively eradicate feral cats. 

GINNY STEIN, REPORTER: Northern Tasmania - and Bruce Young has company. A trap was set last night and a deadly animal has been caught. This is it. 

KEVIN KNOWLES: It's in good condition, no. 

BRUCE YOUNG, SHEEP FARMER: Yes, looks like. 

KEVIN KNOWLES: Healthy cat.

GINNY STEIN: This killer, one of an estimated 20 million currently roaming across Australia, is now on death row. 

BRUCE YOUNG: I don't want to get bitten or scratched. While this caged feline may look like your average domestic cat, it's certainly not. 

KEVIN KNOWLES, UPPER MEANDER LANDCARE GROUP: It's quiet now. It's just the aggression from the cat. Somebody's house cat will just sit in the trap quietly, wants to be let out. These things explode. 


READ Or Watch MORE

Watch a Full Report

Killer Cats - Landline - ABC

AUSTRALIA FACES MAJOR "WILDLIFE AND FARMSTOCK CRISIS" 

Humans next….?

Toronto Viral KRAZY #Christmas gifts - #DeepQuong Cat Lady Action Figure -NOW over 645,000 views

Deep Quong Crazy Cat Lady Action Figure

Most Popular Christmas Gifts On Amazon 2015

Buzzfeed Life - December, 2014

645,217 VIEWS - 

December 12, 2014 UPDATE

Toronto's Very Own - World Famous Crazy Cat Lady 

The evil horror of  106 Beverley St. the scary famous tourist site is now one of the most popular "weird gifts" selling like snowballs in hell this Christmas Season ! A great stocking stuffer and sure to be a talked-about-collectors piece for many years ahead. Get your own  valuable once-in-a-lifetime treasure while quantities last.

ORDER HERE

AMAZING JUST CLICK AMAZON ADS

• 5.75-Inch tall hard vinyl figure
• Greatest Toronto Conversation piece, educate kids and investment opportunity
• All the fun of having the real WARD 20 Crazy Cat Lady without toxoplasmosis and other diseases
• Comes with the 6 feral cats allowed by Health-Wise Toronto Municipal Code
• 
  
• MORE Laughs Coming Soon - Ward 20 & Trinity-Spadina Political figurines and bubbleheads, made right here in GTA Order early - ( International Ford (2014) Enterprises Inc)  

OR VISIT... 

"The Deadly Feral Cat Haven"

Now World Famous Toxoplasmosis Tourist Attraction

On Your Next Visit to TORONTO
Free Tours Daily

If You Dare...

 Call to Book NOW!

#Toxo Discovery Opens Doors to Malaria Treatment

Discovery opens new pathways or treatment of toxoplasmosis and malaria

Medical News - Indiana University 

A newly identified protein and other proteins it interacts with could become effective targets for new drugs to control the parasite that cause toxoplasmosis, researchers led by investigators at Indiana University School of Medicine have reported.

The discovery could also open new research pathways for treatments for malaria. The researchers determined that the protein, an enzyme called GCN5b, is necessary for the Toxoplasma parasite to replicate, so interfering with its activities could control the parasite. GCN5b is part of the molecular machinery that turns genes on and off in the parasite, working with other proteins that, the researchers discovered, are more plant-like than their counterparts in humans.

"GCN5b is a very different protein than its human counterpart, and proteins it interacts with are not found in humans," said William J. Sullivan Jr., Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology.

"That's what makes this exciting -- rather than just having one enzyme that we could go after, there could be a whole collection of associated enzyme components that could be potentially targeted for drug therapies to control this parasite," he said. In discovering that some of the proteins interacting with GCN5b are plant-like transcription factors -- proteins that bind to DNA -- the researchers filled in what had been a missing link explaining how the parasites control the process of turning genes on and off, known as gene expression. The plant-like transcription factors recruit the GCN5b enzyme complex to activate a wide variety of genes for expression.

When the research team disabled the GCN5b complex, parasite replication swiftly came to a halt. Dr. Sullivan and his colleagues reported their findings in the Jan. 2, 2014, online edition of the journal PLOS Pathogens.

An estimated 60 million people in the United States are infected with the toxoplasmosis parasite, but in most cases the infection produces flu-like symptoms or no symptoms at all. However, for people with immune system problems - such as those undergoing chemotherapy or people with AIDS - the disease can cause serious effects including lung problems, blurred vision and seizures. Also, infants born to mothers who are infected for the first time during or shortly before pregnancy are at risk for severe complications, miscarriages or stillbirths.

One of the most common routes to human infection is via cats, in particular their feces or litter. Eating undercooked meat from infected livestock can also result in human infection.

Although there are anti-parasitic drugs available to treat acute episodes of toxoplasmosis, it's currently impossible to completely eliminate the parasite because it can switch from an active to a latent cyst form in the body. Since GCN5b is active during both acute and latent stages, the enzyme and its associating components are very promising candidates for drug targeting, Dr. Sullivan said. Because the transcription factors are plant-like proteins not found in humans, drugs targeting them would be much less likely to affect human proteins and cause adverse effects.

Researchers also use Toxoplasma as a model organism for the malaria parasitePlasmodium, meaning much of what is learned about Toxoplasma could lead to new treatments for a disease that struck an estimated 207 million people worldwide in 2012 and caused an estimated 627,000 deaths, most of them children. 

Dr. Sullivan noted that the malaria parasite also possesses a GCN5 enzyme, as well as the plant-like proteins.

Warning!

Do Not Watch If You Are Subject Extreme Reactions 

#Toxo Ties To Mental Illness Affirmed!

Research Supports Toxoplasmosis Link to Schizophrenia

by Sreeraman 

Scientists have discovered how the toxoplasmosis parasite may trigger the development of schizophrenia and other bipolar disorders.

The team from the University of Leeds' Faculty of Biological Sciences (UK) has shown that the parasite may play a role in the development of these disorders by affecting the production of dopamine - the chemical that relays messages in the brain controlling aspects of movement, cognition and behaviour. 

Toxoplasmosis, which is transmitted via cat faeces (found on unwashed vegetables) and raw or undercooked infected meat, is relatively common, with 10-20% of the UK population and 22% of the US population estimated to carry the parasite as cysts. Most people with the parasite are healthy, but for those who are immune-suppressed - and particularly for pregnant women - there are significant health risks that can occasionally be fatal. 

Dr Glenn McConkey, lead researcher on the project, says: "Toxoplasmosis changes some of the chemical messages in the brain, and these changes can have an enormous effect on behaviour. Studies have shown there is a direct statistical link between incidences of schizophrenia and toxoplasmosis infection and our study is the first step in discovering why there is this link." 

The parasite infects the brain by forming a cyst within its cells and produces an enzyme called tyrosine hydroxylase, which is needed to make dopamine. Dopamine's role in mood, sociability, attention, motivation and sleep patterns are well documented and schizophrenia has long been associated with dopamine, which is the target of all schizophrenia drugs on the market. 

The team has recently received $250,000 (£160,000) to progress its research from the US-based Stanley Medical Research Institute, which focuses on mental health conditions and has a particular emphasis on bipolar illnesses. 

Dr McConkey says: "It's highly unlikely that we will find one definitive trigger for schizophrenia as there are many factors involved, but our studies will provide a clue to how toxoplasmosis infection - which is more common than you might think - can impact on the development of the condition in some individuals. 

"In addition, the ability of the parasite to make dopamine implies a potential link with other neurological conditions such as Parkinson's Disease, Tourette's syndrome and attention deficit disorders, says Dr McConkey. "We'd like to extend our research to look at this possibility more closely."

Read more: Research Supports Toxoplasmosis Link to Schizophrenia http://www.medindia.net/news/research-supports-toxoplasmosis-link-to-schizophrenia-48601-1.htm#ixzz3HFS5MjRk

Ever wonder... are we all going crazy?

#Ebola Or #Toxola? By The #Kinks - Song Gone #ViraL

 This Song Going Viral (So-To-Speak) on YouTube 

This time it's Ebola. Last time it was HIV. What will it be next time? Sing along with us to our Toxo version - "Toxola"

In all, it begs perhaps the deepest questions that this song points out in a quiet humorous way  - Who is looking out for us? Really, who?

Enjoy - and think about it!!!   T-o-x-o-l-a!   La la la...

"A joke is a very serious matter" 

- Winston Churchill

#CDC Toxoplasmosis (#Toxo) Epidemiology & Risk Factors

Epidemiology & Risk Factors

Toxoplasmosis is caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. In the United States it is estimated that 22.5% of the population 12 years and older have been infected with Toxoplasma. In various places throughout the world, it has been shown that up to 95% of some populations have been infected with Toxoplasma. Infection is often highest in areas of the world that have hot, humid climates and lower altitudes.

Toxoplasmosis is not passed from person-to-person, except in instances of mother-to-child (congenital) transmission and blood transfusion or organ transplantation. People typically become infected by three principal routes of transmission.

• Foodborne
• Animal-to-human (zoonotic)
• Mother-to-child (congenital)
• Rare instances

Always cook meat thoroughly and use clean knives, utensils and cutting boards on all foods. (CDC Photo)

Foodborne transmission

The tissue form of the parasite (a microscopic cyst consisting of bradyzoites) can be transmitted to humans by food. People become infected by:

• Eating undercooked, contaminated meat (especially pork, lamb, and venison)
• Accidental ingestion of undercooked, contaminated meat after handling it and not washing hands thoroughly (Toxoplasma cannot be absorbed through intact skin)
• Eating food that was contaminated by knives, utensils, cutting boards, or other foods that had contact with raw, contaminated meat

Animal-to-human (zoonotic) transmission

Cats play an important role in the spread of toxoplasmosis. They become infected by eating infected rodents, birds, or other small animals. The parasite is then passed in the cat's feces in an oocyst form, which is microscopic.

Kittens and cats can shed millions of oocysts in their feces for as long as 3 weeks after infection. Mature cats are less likely to shed Toxoplasma if they have been previously infected. A Toxoplasma-infected cat that is shedding the parasite in its feces contaminates the litter box. If the cat is allowed outside, it can contaminate the soil or water in the environment as well.

Have someone else clean the litter box. (CDC Photo)

People can accidentally swallow the oocyst form of the parasite. People can be infected by:

• Accidental ingestion of oocysts after cleaning a cat's litter box when the cat has shedToxoplasma in its feces
• Accidental ingestion of oocysts after touching or ingesting anything that has come into contact with a cat's feces that contain Toxoplasma
• Accidental ingestion of oocysts in contaminated soil (e.g., not washing hands after gardening or eating unwashed fruits or vegetables from a garden)
• Drinking water contaminated with the Toxoplasma parasite

Mother-to-child (congenital) transmission

A woman who is newly infected with Toxoplasma during pregnancy can pass the infection to her unborn child (congenital infection). The woman may not have symptoms, but there can be severe consequences for the unborn child, such as diseases of the nervous system and eyes.

Rare instances of transmission

Organ transplant recipients can become infected by receiving an organ from a Toxoplasma-positive donor. Rarely, people can also become infected by receiving infected blood via transfusion. Laboratory workers who handle infected blood can also acquire infection through accidental inoculation.

CDC Home - Saving Lives, Protecting People

What Should Our Minds Fear?