Feeding strays/feral cats - FeralStat

[blackie007]

ah....Maneki, I have to correct you there ---- my hubby is definitely a rat --- he was born in the year of a rat! fortunately he is immune to rat poison, or I would have to join back the workforce to earn a living for myself.

As for the efficacy of progestin on cats, I think it might vary from cat to cat, just like it does from woman to woman.

At the end of the day, we need to keep an open mind so that we could do our own research and draw our own conclusion objectively. If we approach a subject with a closed, preconceived idea, we're not going to be able to do a thorough research, because every negative thing we read is going to be interpreted as "I knew it was no good". We won't look deeper to see who is the one giving the negative opinion, whether that company/agency/person has a hidden agenda for saying that.

As we all know, for every positive or negative opinion, there is an equally concrete counter opinion. After all, there are 2 sides to a coin!

Blackie sends his thanks, purrs and headbutts for the compliment.

Originally Posted by Maneki Neko

Now it's my turn to say Wow! I had no idea that warfarin was used for medicinal purposes! I can tell you, it never improved the health of the rats in our barn when I was a kid. I'm glad it helped your husband, though -- I guess it proves conclusively that he's not a rat.

I don't think you're going down the wrong trail by examining all these potential drug interactions, but the question is whether Bina's feral cats are getting any other medications. If the key ingredient in FeralStat is progestin, and if the cats are on no other drugs, the question is the effect of the progestin on the cats. We know some women react poorly to it, but that's hardly any indicator of how it will affect cats.

P.S. I love Blackie's new portraits. He just keeps looking more suave all the time!

Your mum's story is really sad. It looks like a case of negligence. I think my hubby was lucky in that the moment he couldn't move one side of his body, we rushed to his doctor who immediately took some blood and rushed it to the lab himself. We only waited a while before he came back with the results that there's blood clot, and that my hubby's blood is very thick.

I think if he hadn't taken such quick action (the doctor, I mean), the results might have been far different today. He's their family doctor, and he knew their family medical history, and was also their health care giver, so I guess it makes it easier for him to treat my hubby.

Ok, back to topic.....

I read from FeralStat's website that they themselves said FeralStat is to complement TNR, not replace. And the reason they gave for the need of FeralStat was very much the same one given by you.

I am still doing my own research and reading, but so far, I have not found a single negative feedback on FeralStat except Acc&d, which, in the same breath, they announced their own feline contraceptive. Sounds to me like a competition war is going on. So, since there is obviously a conflict of interest there, I will discount that and look for other, more objective feedback.

That said, it looks like the American vets are not very receptive towards feline contraceptive pills, based on their feedback on acc&d's contraceptive pill announcements. That could account for the lack of feedback material.

Anyway, I'm still searching.....it's a very interesting project. Too bad we live far from each other, or we could sit down and put all our notes on the table and have a brain-storming session.

Sorry, I just love intellectual discussions without any personal opinions. There aren't many such threads here in this forum.

Originally Posted by sillylupie

Off topic a bit ...

I didn't know warfarin is a rat poison! My dad takes it too for heart, I think? Or is it blood pressure?

I know prednisolone is used to treat feline asthma as I, once upon a time, thinks that Parsley has it .. :) Now, I just thinks he is weird. Jumps around like a Banshee .. except that he is a he and less vocal.

Blackie, I am glad that your hubby has the right doctor to treat him. My mom suffered a major stroke after going through an angiogram recommended by the specialist, they sent her in eventhough her blood pressure was not stable. It cost my mom her "freedom" of speech and action. Mind you, this is not a public hospital, it is a private specialist center.

I too had my fair share of "horror" experiences with private practice that treats me like a "milking cow", they can't milk me now, I am unemployed! hahahaha!

Okay, okay, back to the topic.

Thanks to Maneki Neko for her kind words. She has written down on my feelings better that I could ever do myself!

When you look at how "bad" one thing is, don't forget to look for how "good" it can be, otherwise your opinions will always be skewed. I always try to find a balance. I know of many kind hearted souls out there who feeds strays, like my Indonesian neighbour, they don't believe in neutering, can I force them?

Why TNR itself will not work? (That's why I have always said, FeralStat is to complement! not replace!)

First, how many vets or NGOs that you know do TNR for free in Malaysia? It cost money, right? Not all kind-hearted souls out there has the resources, me for once, I can only try to capture one at a time and send them to the vet. How about the rest of the kitties? They continue to multiply. I have seen at least 2 female cats still nursing their youngs here and I can't just pick and send them for neutering!

Secondly, there are still people who don't believe in neutering! Don't even want to mention the "R" issue, it is extremely sensitive.

Lastly, I am not saying that this is the "best" solution. I am only asking those interest to do more research, readings or even contact FeralStat themselves and understand more.

Many would have seen the disagreement between me and FK. I was upset because he "broadcast" that FeralStat is available locally, and was not able to provide a contact when I requested it, giving reasons like "sins" to the cats if he gives it to me. I didn't even say I'll buy it, just interested to find this "somebody" who he claims is trying to make some bucks! If this it is really the case, he should have more reason to send the contact to me and let FeralStat investigate! It is only available by prescription and I have to talk to Dr. Catralbiano before he would even give it to me!

And of course, I haven't even touched on the "copy and paste" he did.

Well, everyone has a right to express himself, no one is right or wrong.

Thanks all for reading!

[sillylupie]

Originally Posted by blackie007

I am still doing my own research and reading, but so far, I have not found a single negative feedback on FeralStat except Acc&d, which, in the same breath, they announced their own feline contraceptive. Sounds to me like a competition war is going on. So, since there is obviously a conflict of interest there, I will discount that and look for other, more objective feedback.

Hey you! You will make one great journalist! Haven't even thought of "competition war" like you mentioned. Yes, it is possible. If a formulae goes through testing, more testing, it all adds up to a very high R&D cost, patented and at the end of the day being passed on to the consumers. I know it works that way for human drugs. Not sure if it is the same for animals. I have heard of a patent protection period where formulae is not released in detailed (I think? may be wrong) and marketed at a high price to recover R&D cost.

Look at ACC-D own report of FeralStat :-
http://www.acc-d.org/ACCD%20docs/PPPP-FeralStat.pdf

Page 2 states :

USE AND EFFECTIVENESS
FeralStat is given once a week as a powder added to canned food. Some feral-cat colony managers report using it indiscriminately—feeding FeralStat to all cats in the colony—while others report taking care to treat only intact female cats. In interviews with several colony managers using FeralStat, all reported that they watched to make sure their cats ate all the treated food. They also removed leftover food to be sure there was no chance for exposure to other animals, whether wild or domestic.

MA has been shown to be effective at preventing pregnancy in cats, but at significantly higher doses than the levels used in FeralStat (in another word, FeralStat uses a low dosage!). A veterinary consultant to ACC&D interviewed several users of FeralStat. They reported satisfactory results—that is, no pregnancies and a generally healthy colony (that's good news, I suppose). However, no independent studies have been conducted to demonstrate the efficacy of FeralStat. (the other side of a coin, testing!)

Like I have mentioned before, I didn't just wake up one fine morning and say "Hey let's use FeralStat!" - I read alot - pros, cons.

Blackie do share with us if you find anything further. Then again, if it is a low cost solution, probably those using FeralStat are of lower income group (like me) and may not even have access to the internet (lucky me!).

[blackie007]

Yeah, competing for good publicity, that's what came across my mind. Both organisations are actually fighting for the same cause --- helping animlas, but I guess humans being humans, self-interest (and pride) comes into the equation.

Yup, the patent protection period is for something like 30 years, if I'm not mistaken. But once the patent expires, the formula of all the compounds used is released, and then any chemist can manufacture the same drug and sell it under a different label.

Just like panadol --- the drug name is actually paracetamol or acetaminophen and one paracetamol of the same mg is the same as another of the same mg, but the trade name Panadol is just more well-known, that's all.

And too much of paracetamol causes fatal liver damage! It is the foremost cause of acute liver failure in the US. Yeah, harmless Panadol, eh?

I'm not sure if drugs for animals go through similar intensive testing as drugs for humans. I think you've raised an interesting question, though. Anybody interested in doing a research on this?

Originally Posted by sillylupie

Hey you! You will make one great journalist! Haven't even thought of "competition war" like you mentioned. Yes, it is possible. If a formulae goes through testing, more testing, it all adds up to a very high R&D cost, patented and at the end of the day being passed on to the consumers. I know it works that way for human drugs. Not sure if it is the same for animals. I have heard of a patent protection period where formulae is not released in detailed (I think? may be wrong) and marketed at a high price to recover R&D cost.

[sillylupie]

Thought I'd share this link with everyone! This must be good karma in making! :)

http://www.everyanimalmatters.org/about.html

[blackie007]

What a touching tale of an impossible dream that came true. Now I know why it's called Tait's Every Animal Matters. I couldn't figure out where the word Tait came from or what it stood for.

Originally Posted by sillylupie

Thought I'd share this link with everyone! This must be good karma in making! :)

http://www.everyanimalmatters.org/about.html

[sillylupie]

Originally Posted by blackie007

What a touching tale of an impossible dream that came true. Now I know why it's called Tait's Every Animal Matters. I couldn't figure out where the word Tait came from or what it stood for.

What a tale horr?
Sometimes, it is true that they say, angels live among us...... :)