Kitten disease: drug hopes to ease pressures

An antiviral drug already used to treat one feline disease could ease pressure on rescue groups if it is used early against another condition, a new study has claimed.

Researchers from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) say the use of famciclovir can speed up recovery from infectious upper respiratory disease (IURD), as well as reducing incidence of corneal disease.

The paper, published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, acknowledged its use alongside the antibiotic doxycycline could increase care costs.

But it also argued significant shorter recovery times linked to the programme could have knock-on welfare and capacity benefits, particularly by reducing length of stays in rescue facilities.

It continued: “This, in turn, allows more kittens to be cared for over time and lowers the daily shelter population, potentially reducing the risk of euthanasia due to lack of space.”

Significant interest

The findings are likely to attract significant interest amid enduring concerns about the pressures faced by rescue organisations due to the financial challenges affecting many pet owners.

The paper described IURD, which can involve many infectious agents, as “a significant welfare and financial concern, and a major cause of increased length of stay, enucleation, euthanasia or difficulty rehousing cats and kittens from multi-cat settings”.

More than 330 kittens – all younger than 12 weeks of age and cared for by rescue and shelter groups in northern California – received treatment with both doxycycline and famciclovir (DF) or the former plus a placebo (group D).

Although most participants reached defined points of recovery regardless of their grouping, the study found that 75% clinical resolution was achieved four to five days earlier among kittens with mild disease in the DF group than in group D.

“Significantly fewer” kittens within the DF group were also reported to have developed corneal disease over the same timescale.

Earlier treatment

The paper argued its results supported earlier treatment with famciclovir, which is already used to treat feline herpes, despite the current tendency towards only prescribing the drug in cases of recurrent or severe disease.

It conceded earlier usage “may increase pharmaceutical costs and require increased staff time for medication administration”.

But the researchers argued that reduced stays in rescue centres, together with more positive treatment outcomes, “will improve animal welfare and may economically justify” its use in shelter and other facilities where multiple cats are present.

Karen Vernau, one of the paper’s lead authors, predicted the study was likely to lead to further work because of the large number of participating animals.

‘Side projects’

Dr Vernau said: “Because we had so many kittens and looked at their growth every day, we noticed potential for side projects. Some of these kittens had hypothyroidism, ringworm and other conditions we can study.”

Dr Vernau praised two groups – the Orphan Kitten Project, run by UC Davis veterinary students, and Yolo County SPCA – for their efforts to keep the study on course despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said: “This clinical trial could have easily been shut down, but the school’s partnerships with these rescues, as well as animal-focused organisations like Maddie’s Fund and the Orphan Kitten Club, were paramount in completing this study. I’m so proud of these teams working together to make it happen.”