This article is from page 3 of the 2006-10-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
TENS of thousands of Clare cats are dying excruciating deaths as Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) or Cat AIDS reaches epidemic proportions in the county.
The disease kills in a similar way to its human counterpart HIV – attacking the cats immune system and leaving them extremely susceptible to other illnesses, especially cancer.
The disease was first discovered in the county in East Clare in 2001 and has spread to every part over the last four years. While no Ireland-specific research on FIV has been conducted to date, the most recent figures from the UK show that six per cent of British cats are infected.
“When we find them, the cats are essentially dying on their feet,” said Clare Dog Warden, Frankie Coote. “There is really nothing that can be done for them. I know in Dublin they are talking about millions of cats, but I couldn’t put a figure on it in Clare. I know that it is a huge problem; it is bigger than anyone would ever believe.”
The disease is usually transmitted through biting during cat-fights and, for this reason, stray and male cats are at much greater risk of contracting it than female and domesticated cats. The saliva of an infected cat contains large amounts of virus and a single bite can result in transmission of infection.
A small number of kittens born to FIV-infected mothers may become infected in the womb or by drinking infected milk, but sexual transmission is believed to be rare.
“It is a major problem, we have been absolutely inundated with people calling us,” continued Mr Coote. “I know of cases where there are 60 or 70 cats just multiplying in people’s back yards. I have seen it more in feral cats, tomcats mainly, and the only thing you can do is destroy them. They lose massive amounts of body weight very quickly.”
At present, there is no state organisation with specific responsible for cat welfare in Ireland.
“I first came across it in Kilkishen about four years ago, but it is fairly commonplace around the county at the moment. It is right across the board. You get them in town areas a lot, but there is also a problem in the countryside,” continued Mr Coote.
“In Ireland, there are no dedicated cat wardens and the only people who deal directly with cats are the voluntary organisations. We help if we can, but we have to be focused on the dogs.”