Sheep farm- can I get a cat? (Toxo)

[PhilipB]

Loads of mice about.

To what extent is a farm cat a toxoplasmosis risk?

From a quick look on here-
A) it's only young cats (how young?) so don't want unneutered female having masses of kittens
B) foxes spread it- and every field is probably crossed by multiple foxes every night.
C) it's cat's mess in sheep food- is this them using corn as a litter tray or is it straw bedding as well?

 

[ISCO]

Get the cat immediately after lambing is what we do when we want one. I think it is only infective to sheep via mess on the sheep forage for a very short period after it starts feeding on rats.
Feeding wrapped haylage rather than hay also helps.

 

[steveR]

Get terriers....

Or jab, if there is an vaccine in the Country? Mate had his lambing hammered in 2023 with Toxo. which was a real shock. No conclusive reason, but cats would be my guess, as his winter housing is close to domestic dwellings.....

 

[ISCO]

Get terriers....

Or jab, if there is an vaccine in the Country? Mate had his lambing hammered in 2023 with Toxo. which was a real shock. No conclusive reason, but cats would be my guess, as his winter housing is close to domestic dwellings.....

Think you can get Toxo vaccine but not Enzo, ours came today.

 

[steveR]

Think you can get Toxo vaccine but not Enzo, ours came today.

Good, that at least has started to arrive. Vets told me it was on back Order a few weeks back...

 

[neilo]

Loads of mice about.

To what extent is a farm cat a toxoplasmosis risk?

From a quick look on here-
A) it's only young cats (how young?) so don't want unneutered female having masses of kittens
B) foxes spread it- and every field is probably crossed by multiple foxes every night.
C) it's cat's mess in sheep food- is this them using corn as a litter tray or is it straw bedding as well?

Cats quickly get immune to Toxo, once exposed, just like sheep do. Hence it's only young cats that are potentially a problem.
If you rehome cats from a rescue place they will be neutered for you anyway which means they won't have unwanted kittens AND, being territorial, they will keep other cats away too.

1g of infected cat poo is apparently enough to infect most of the sheep in the UK iirc, so if you buy in cereals, or feed made from cereals, you're just as much as risk as if you have cats about.

Don't overthink it and just enjoy having some moggies about the place.

 

[Farmer_Joe]

Cats quickly get immune to Toxo, once exposed, just like sheep do. Hence it's only young cats that are potentially a problem.
If you rehome cats from a rescue place they will be neutered for you anyway which means they won't have unwanted kittens AND, being territorial, they will keep other cats away too.

1g of infected cat poo is apparently enough to infect most of the sheep in the UK iirc, so if you buy in cereals, or feed made from cereals, you're just as much as risk as if you have cats about.

Don't overthink it and just enjoy having some moggies about the place.

Our cats are just wild ones that turned up and kids tamed, got some cracking cats now that are tame and kill rats. Had them sorted at vets as 3 was plenty and gave kittens away

On the basis they prob came through anyway and shat everywhere like Neil says don’t over think it, plus I’m pretty sure most uk flocks will have toxo in em any way I’m fairly certain mine does.

Check that out for a farm cat, grey

 

[tim1243]

Loads of mice about.

To what extent is a farm cat a toxoplasmosis risk?

From a quick look on here-
A) it's only young cats (how young?) so don't want unneutered female having masses of kittens
B) foxes spread it- and every field is probably crossed by multiple foxes every night.
C) it's cat's mess in sheep food- is this them using corn as a litter tray or is it straw bedding as well?

Had a short period of no cats here and the number of rodents soon shot up.
Housing 400 closed flock ewes indoors for 8 weeks around lambing every year.
For approx 5 years we used to feed hay (which the cats of all ages would sleep on etc) and concentrates from dumpy bags; no signs of Toxo at lambing.
For the last 5 years all silage bales are wrapped and opened into round bale feeders, feed bulk blown into a bin so no chance of contamination to either food source from our cats (now only have 2 adult ones). Only gone and had Toxo confirmed this year at lambing?????
Will now be vaccinating this years replacements and purchasing my concentrates from an alternative feed supplier as they didn't seem very open to helping to resolve the situation.

 

[gwi1890]

Our cats are just wild ones that turned up and kids tamed, got some cracking cats now that are tame and kill rats. Had them sorted at vets as 3 was plenty and gave kittens away

On the basis they prob came through anyway and shat everywhere like Neil says don’t over think it, plus I’m pretty sure most uk flocks will have toxo in em any way I’m fairly certain mine does.

Check that out for a farm cat, grey

Well that’s a piece of mind because I’ve definitely been overthinking the potential risk of toxo , the kid’s tamed a cat passing through here few weeks ago the bloody thing wont leave me alone it’s sat outside the door by my shoes when I pop in for a cup of tea and it’s sat on the tractor seat when I jump in to that in the morning . Couldn’t understand why sheep were not moving through the race other day only to find the cat at the front of the race .