Castro-Prieto Jessica, Andrade-Núñez Maria José
Department of Environmental Science, University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus, San Juan, PR.
P R Health Sci J. 2018 Jun;37(2):110-114.
The overpopulation of stray cats in urban areas represents a potential risk for humans, as stray cats may carry diseases, such as toxoplasmosis, and virus such as rabies, the feline immunodeficiency, and the feline leukemia. In Old San Juan, a historic neighborhood and one of the most touristic places in Puerto Rico, there is an overpopulation of stray cats. In this study, we generated baseline information fundamental to developing a successful control program by estimating the stray cat population size, density, and spatial distribution. Furthermore, we quantified the number of neutered cats and developed a spatial database to include information about the external physical condition of each individual. We estimated a population of 178 (±21) cats, with a density of 3.6 cats/ha. Overall, we observed 209 cats, from which 149 (71%) were identified as new and 60 (29%) were recaptured. We found stray cats had a significant non-random and clustered spatial distribution (z-score = -19.39 SD; ratio = 0.29; p<0.0001), with an observable larger abundance in residential zones where food was provided. A total of 105 (70%) cats were neutered, and 32 (21%) individuals exhibited very poor physical conditions, including skin problems, scars, underweight, and blindness. We concluded that the ecological and descriptive data generated in this study are essential for an effective control of stray cats and their potential impacts on humans living in this neighborhood.
城市地区流浪猫数量过多对人类构成潜在风险，因为流浪猫可能携带疾病，如弓形虫病，以及病毒，如狂犬病、猫免疫缺陷病毒和猫白血病。在旧圣胡安，这是一个历史街区，也是波多黎各最具旅游吸引力的地方之一，流浪猫数量过多。在本研究中，我们通过估计流浪猫的种群数量、密度和空间分布，生成了制定成功控制计划所需的基础信息。此外，我们对绝育猫的数量进行了量化，并开发了一个空间数据库，以纳入每只猫的外部身体状况信息。我们估计有178（±21）只猫，密度为每公顷3.6只猫。总体而言，我们观察到209只猫，其中149只（71%）被确定为新发现的，60只（29%）是重新捕获的。我们发现流浪猫具有显著的非随机且聚集的空间分布（z分数=-19.39标准差；比率=0.29；p<0.0001），在提供食物的住宅区可观察到数量更多。共有105只（70%）猫已绝育，32只（21%）个体身体状况极差，包括皮肤问题、伤疤、体重过轻和失明。我们得出结论，本研究中生成的生态和描述性数据对于有效控制流浪猫及其对居住在该街区的人类的潜在影响至关重要。
