Malaysia Veterinary Forum (Archive)

bina · Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 32

Hello all,

Not sure if any of you have heard of FeralStat? It is an cat oral contraceptive that is being used in one of the states in America. Yeah, as usual there are always the positive and negative publicity to it. I read somewhere that it causes diabetes in cats due to the hormonal thingy but then again, some brand of cat kibbles also causes kidney stones!

FeralStat is a synthetic progestin to postpone esterus in a cat. Method of introduction is through mixing of FeralStat with food and feed to the strays. A cat’s minimum effective daily dosage is approximately 0.04 milligrams. It has been prescribed for over 7 years and has been reported to be effective and convenient.

I emailed the org. and a Dr. (can't get his name though, American mah, talk fast on the voicemail) responded. So, before I call him back, I just needed some opinions, or if there's any questions to raise.

I did mention the cultural and religion taboos, that, sometimes forbids the neutering of cats and such alternative is a good option...

Guys/Gals, any opinion will be much appreciated!

Ryan Vivi · Joined: 01 Aug 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Kuala Lumpur

There are such 'contraceptive pills' in Malaysia but I am against the use of it due to medical reasons behind it. Neutering is the best solution in my humble opinion. Please see the following link on the explaination(Fatwa) by some Islamic scholars around the world.

BK

Ryan Vivi · Joined: 01 Aug 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Kuala Lumpur

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503545246

Dr Dunker · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 463 Location: Puchong,Selangor

Well from what I understand the active component of Feralstat is megestrol acetate. Remember that megestrol acetate could not only cause transient diabetes (not that big a deal) but also uterine disease and mammary tumor (very big deal). The use of Feralstat was to control the stray population hence the name. But the catch is how do you insure the right dosages get to the right cat and how do one evaluate the cat once therapy commence? In house hold cats, the standing protocol for cats on megastrol acetate is to evaluate changes in mammary glands, activity level as well as eating and drinking habits ( megastrol may cause an increased in drinking and urination, also in some cases an increase in appetite as well.) How would one evaluate these parameters within stray population?

SIDE EFFECTS

It is important to realize that any discussion involving drugs of any type will lead to the side effects. While it is not to say that every cat on the drug will get side effects it is still something one should take note off. Even your simple aspirin in your medication cabinet at home have side effects and may have caused somones death before.

In reports of megestorl side effects are normally based on controlled trials with the drugs. in food however (referring to the kidney stone statement mentioned earlier) it have not been clinically proven or reported in a trial setting that any brand of kibbles in Malaysia causes kidney stones, but contamination (aflatoxin) of raw materials like the corn or rice used in pet food may do just that. I would not categorize that as a side effect of kibbles because it is not the food formulation that caused the damage but attribute it to poor and irresponsible manufacturing, storage and QC on the companies part.
So again while any product may have side effects it is not to say that it WILL happen but rather it COULD happen.

I have to agree that a spay is the best method for population control among stray/feral as well as household animals, but it is not always practical or cost effective. If this drug would help then good, but I for one don't see it as anymore practical then catching strays and neutering them one at a time. The reason being, this medication would have to be administered to the cat be it a stray or a household cat for life for it to be effective as a contraceptive . Factor in the cost of a lifetime and the possibility of side effects in that time frame, it may be just as expensive. For short term use and "family planing" of household cats it may prove useful.

Dr Nat · Joined: 07 Dec 2005 Posts: 1834 Location: Klang Valley

If something is practical, but causes lots of complications - is it still ethical to use it for stray cats???? Are you actually helping them or creating more problems?

FeralStat contains the same ingredients that has recorded high complications - such as Dr Dunker mentioned above.

And its not just Malaysian vets disapprove of its use for stray cats, many vets from other countries think so as well. Here is a quote from Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs:

Quote: FeralStat sounds like a dream come true. Remember the old saying, if something looks too good to be true, it probably is (not true)? Unfortunately, based on our initial review, ACC&D has concerns about both the safety and efficacy of FeralStat.
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The active ingredient in FeralStat is megestrol acetate. This is the same active ingredient which was in Ovaban for dogs. In numerous studies over three decades, this drug, like other progestins, has been found to pose serious health risks in cats, including diabetes mellitus, mammary swelling and tumors, uterine disease, pyometra, and skin disorders. Megestrol acetate is not now, nor has it ever been, approved by the FDA for use in cats.
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There do not appear to be any controlled studies of FeralStat that show that it is either safe or fully effective at the dose used. We have no information that FeralStat has gone through any formal review process.
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Because FeralStat is given as a food additive for outdoor cat colonies, there is no way to control the amount of the drug each cat ingests, or to prevent wildlife or owned pets from consuming the drug.
Read it yourself here: http://www.acc-d.org/ACCD%20docs/ACCD%20Interim%20Position%20Statement%20on%20FeralStat%20-July%2024%202008.pdf