Feline overpopulation is a big concern for all cat lovers and a huge headache for shelters and rescue facilities. Kitten explosions lead to cat overloads and shelters having to turn cats in need away.
While spay/neuter programs may help, they are expensive and require considerable coordination, expertise, and resources. They also incur the risks associated with anesthesia. The Morris Animal Foundation is funding a study by Dr. Sandra Ayres at Tufts University that is focusing on a nonsurgical sterilization method for female cats.
A single-injection sterilization method has proven successful in chickens and rats. The goal is to now do a small study with female cats to determine whether it is safe and if the production of fertile eggs can be reduced or even eliminated.
If this works, it would truly revolutionize feline sterilization. Feral cats could be trapped, vaccinated, and sterilized in one quick event with no need to anesthetize them. This would save time and money and would be safer for the cats treated.
A similar study from Kristen Navara, Ph.D., at the University of Georgia is looking at a vaccine that would hopefully cause the reproductive hormones in male cats to drop to the levels seen in neutered males. This vaccine has the potential to be administered orally without capturing cats, using drops such as those used for wildlife rabies control, making it even more potentially impactful.
