Feline immunodeficiency virus, or commonly called ‘feline aids’, is being diagnosed more and more in Amsterdam’s cats, according to local cat catchers. Almost 10% of the cats caught just this year have contracted the disease, mostly found in male cats that are not castrated.

Once diagnosed, sick cats have to be put to sleep because there is no cure for the disease and they could easily infect other cats, although not humans, by the way. The story goes that cats on ships carried the disease over from far away, but then that’s been said about every modern disease.

If more cats are castrated, the problem would more manageable, cat catchers say. The other classic theory is that in times of crisis, people don’t spend money on things like castrating their cats.

(Link: binnenland.nieuws.nl, Photo of Dead cat by ndanger, some rights reserved)