Extracts
A New Option for Control of Feral Cats
By Sarah Carey
UF researchers, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, report that a single-dose contraceptive vaccine effectively controls fertility in adult female cats for up to five years.
Because feral cats do not typically live more than five years in the wild, the researchers said that the period of effectiveness should be enough to reduce feral cat numbers in most cases. The drug is not intended for use in pets because pet owners prefer their cats to be sterilized permanently.
The vaccine, GonaCon, is already registered by the Environmental Protection Agency for use in controlling fertility in white-tailed deer, and the researchers said that they hope the drug will soon be approved for cats.
Current trap-neuter-return methods for controlling feral cat populations are expensive and labor-intensive. Although surgical sterilization offers the benefit of permanent infertility, there are many regions in the United States and internationally that lack adequate access to spay and neuter services to humanely manage cats in their communities. A single-dose vaccine would likely be a welcome addition to the more costly, time-consuming methods and surgical programs currently employed by municipalities across the country.