These sicknesses are largely driven by wild animals, like mice and birds, the cats interact with. “When their habitats are healthy, wildlife thrives and tends to be more disease-resistant.”īrandon Humane Society shelter manager Tracy Munn said there are many diseases and illnesses cats can catch if they are allowed outside unsupervised. “We know that when wetlands are destroyed or streams are restricted, we are more likely to experience runoff that carries more pathogens into the waters where wild animals drink or live,” she says. The UBC study also highlighted the way healthy forests, streams and other ecosystems can filter out dangerous pathogens like toxoplasma, Wilson said. However, if an animal’s immune system has been compromised, the parasite can trigger illness and potentially death. If an animal is healthy, the parasite remains dormant and rarely causes direct harm. Clinical signs usually appear when felines become immunosuppressed.Ĭats become carriers by ingesting intermediate hosts, typically rodents, and the EABCD website said the key to preventing the spread is stopping pets from hunting and eating intermediate hosts.
The study noted toxoplasmosis is particularly dangerous for pregnant people.Īccording to the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (EABCD) website, toxoplasma gondii infection is common in cats, with up to 50 per cent of felines, especially free-roaming ones, having antibodies indicating infection. The eggs can then live for years in soil and water with the potential to infect any bird or mammal, including humans. Research indicated one infected cat can excrete as many as 500 million toxoplasma eggs in two weeks. “This finding is significant because by simply limiting free-roaming of cats, we can reduce the impact of toxoplasma on wildlife.”
The disease has been linked to nervous system disorders, cancers and other debilitating chronic conditions The results of the study found wildlife living near dense urban areas were more likely to be infected with toxoplasma. “As increasing human densities are associated with increased densities of domestic cats, our study suggests that free-roaming domestic cats - whether pets or feral cats - are the most likely cause of these infections,” Wilson stated in a press release.
During the study, researchers examined 45,079 cases of toxoplasmosis in wild mammals, using data from 202 global studies. The spread of the disease is affecting wildlife in densely populated areas, based on research led by UBC faculty of forestry adjunct Prof. A new study from the University of British Columbia suggests free-roaming cats could be to blame for the spread of the potentially deadly Toxoplasma gondii parasite in urban areas across the country.
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