The recognition of canine pain behaviours, and potentially hazardous Catch-Neuter-Return practices by animal care professionals
The assessment of animal welfare is reliant upon the application of animal- and resource-based indicators. Animal-based indicators (physical, physiological and behavioural) are considered to be more representative of an animal’s welfare state but are more difficult for an assessor to interpret. In order to build a robust composite framework for the assessment of welfare of […]
Evaluation of a trap-neuter-return management program for feral cat colonies: Population dynamics, home ranges, and potentially zoonotic diseases
With this research project I evaluated the effectiveness of trap-neuter-return management for feral cat colonies, and specifically examined the prevalence of selected infectious diseases, population dynamics, and home ranges for feral cats under different management strategies. I used an effective trapping method and captured 98% of the target cats with 8.9 trap nights per cat. […]
Nuisances and welfare of free-roaming cats in urban settings and their association with cat reproduction
Free roaming cats (FRC) are highly abundant in cities around the world. Increasing populations of these cats might result in impairment of cat welfare and cause nuisances and public health risks. In order to study the seasonal dynamics of FRC populations and its association with events of cat welfare impairment and nuisances, we analyzed a […]
Canine trap-neuter-return: a critical review of potential welfare issues
Free-roaming dogs (Canis familiaris) may be viewed positively or negatively within their communities. Negative aspects of the presence of free-roaming dogs include noise, fouling, disease transmission, dog-bite injuries, road traffic accidents and potential hybridisation with endangered wildlife species. Due to these concerns, control of free-roaming dog populations may be required. Surgical sterilisation of free-roaming dogs […]