{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]],"date-time":"2026-02-23T23:36:29Z","timestamp":1771889789632,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)","issue":"2","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["ajvr"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2010,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Objective<\/jats:bold>\u2014To determine whether disparities in health and welfare among cats are present within neighborhoods and across census tracts in a large US city, and to compare results with area-level human data.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Sample Population<\/jats:bold>\u201417,587 cat intake records from 2 animal sheltering organizations serving Boston, and summary data from city animal control authorities for a 5-year period (2004 through 2008).<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Procedures<\/jats:bold>\u2014Geocoded addresses (<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic> = 15,285) were spatially joined to neighborhood and census tract polygons. Cat intakes and deaths were calculated per capita and compared with human demographic and death data. Poisson mixed-effects models were used to smooth mortality rates and calculate relative risks.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Results<\/jats:bold>\u2014Data from geocoded records indicated that annual rates of cat intakes and deaths ranged widely (0.85 to 10.3 cats\/1,000 persons and 0.27 to 3.9 cats\/1,000 persons, respectively) within 16 neighborhoods of Boston. The disparity across 156 census tracts that comprised these neighborhoods was even greater (0.10 to 22.1 cats\/1,000 persons and 0.15 to 6.47 cats\/1,000 persons for intakes and deaths, respectively). Cat deaths were significantly correlated with human premature deaths at the neighborhood level (<jats:italic>R<\/jats:italic><jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup> = 0.77). Overall, annual per capita city-wide shelter-associated mortality rate for cats (estimated at approx 2.6 cats\/1,000 persons) was similar to rates in other progressive communities.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Conclusions and Clinical Relevance<\/jats:bold>\u2014By use of geospatial techniques, 14- to 40-fold gradients in cat deaths were detected across Boston neighborhoods and census tracts. Cat deaths were associated with human premature deaths and socioeconomic indicators reflecting deprivation. Targeted interventions may be effective in resolving these disparities.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.2460\/ajvr.71.2.161","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2010,2,1]],"date-time":"2010-02-01T08:04:09Z","timestamp":1265011449000},"page":"161-168","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":21,"title":["Mapping and measuring disparities in welfare for cats across neighborhoods in a large US city"],"prefix":"10.2460","volume":"71","author":[{"given":"Gary J.","family":"Patronek","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1272","reference":[{"key":"ref1","series-title":"Annu Rev Public Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"235","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.publhealth.29.020907.090852","article-title":"US disparities in health: descriptions, causes, and mechanisms","volume":"29","author":"Adler","year":"2008"},{"key":"ref2","series-title":"Reducing health disparities through a focus on communities. November, 2002","article-title":"PolicyLink Health Disparities Team"},{"key":"ref3","series-title":"Data report: a presentation and analysis of disparities in Boston","article-title":"Boston Public Health Commission. The Disparities Project"},{"key":"ref4","series-title":"JAMA","first-page":"1238","article-title":"Actual causes of death in the United States, 2000 (Erratum published in JAMA 2005;293:293\u2013294 and JAMA 2005;293:298)","volume":"291","author":"Mokdad","year":"2004"},{"key":"ref5","series-title":"J Urban Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1063","DOI":"10.1007\/s11524-006-9089-7","article-title":"Mapping and measuring social disparities in premature mortality: the impact of census tract poverty within and across Boston neighborhoods, 1999\u20132001","volume":"83","author":"Chen","year":"2006"},{"key":"ref6","series-title":"J Urban Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1041","DOI":"10.1007\/s11524-006-9094-x","article-title":"The development of a standardized neighborhood deprivation index","volume":"83","author":"Messer","year":"2006"},{"key":"ref7","series-title":"J Health Soc Behav","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"265","DOI":"10.1177\/002214650404500303","article-title":"\u201cFundamental causes\u201d of social inequalities in mortality: a test of the theory","volume":"45","author":"Phelan","year":"2004"},{"key":"ref8","series-title":"Geocoding and monitoring US socioeconomic inequalities in health: an introduction to using area-based socioeconomic measures","article-title":"The Public Health Disparities Geocoding Project Monograph"},{"key":"ref9","article-title":"AVMA. One Health: a new professional imperative. 2008"},{"key":"ref10","series-title":"J Am Vet Med Assoc","first-page":"1151","article-title":"Pet overpopulation: a challenge for companion animal veterinarians in the 1990s","volume":"198","author":"Olson","year":"1991"},{"key":"ref11","series-title":"Anthrozoos","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"199","DOI":"10.2752\/089279395787156590","article-title":"Determining dog and cat numbers and population dynamics","volume":"8","author":"Patronek","year":"1995"},{"key":"ref12","article-title":"Maddie's Fund Statistical Reports"},{"key":"ref13","article-title":"Maddie's Fund. Saving all of our healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats by 2015 is not only possible, it's probable"},{"key":"ref14","series-title":"GIS and public health","first-page":"233","article-title":"Analyzing access to health services","author":"Cromley","year":"2002"},{"key":"ref15","series-title":"Am J Public Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"703","DOI":"10.2105\/AJPH.82.5.703","article-title":"Overcoming the absence of socioeconomic data in medical records: validation and application of a census-based methodology","volume":"82","author":"Krieger","year":"1992"},{"key":"ref16","series-title":"Am J Public Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1655","DOI":"10.2105\/AJPH.93.10.1655","article-title":"Race\/ethnicity, gender, and monitoring socioeconomic gradients in health: a comparison of area-based socioeconomic measures\u2014the public health disparities geocoding project","volume":"93","author":"Krieger","year":"2003"},{"key":"ref17","series-title":"J Epidemiol Community Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"186","DOI":"10.1136\/jech.57.3.186","article-title":"Choosing area based socioeconomic measures to monitor social inequalities in low birth weight and childhood lead poisoning: The Public Health Disparities Geocoding Project (US)","volume":"57","author":"Krieger","year":"2003"},{"key":"ref18","series-title":"Pediatrics","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e535","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2006-3296","article-title":"Identifying risk factors for underimmunization by using geocoding matched to census tracts: a statewide assessment of children in Hawaii","volume":"120","author":"Whitehead","year":"2007"},{"key":"ref19","series-title":"J Urban Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"141","DOI":"10.1093\/jurban\/78.1.141","article-title":"Relationship between socioeconomic factors and severe childhood injuries","volume":"78","author":"Pomerantz","year":"2001"},{"key":"ref20","series-title":"Am J Epidemiol","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"858","DOI":"10.1093\/aje\/kwm040","article-title":"Assessing the measurement properties of neighborhood scales: from psychometrics to ecometrics","volume":"165","author":"Mujahid","year":"2007"},{"key":"ref21","series-title":"Am J Epidemiol","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"823","DOI":"10.1093\/aje\/kwj313","article-title":"Comparing individual- and area-based socioeconomic measures for the surveillance of health disparities: a multilevel analysis of Massachusetts births, 1989\u20131991","volume":"164","author":"Subramanian","year":"2006"},{"key":"ref22","series-title":"J Appl Anim Welf Sci","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"237","DOI":"10.1207\/S15327604JAWS0404_01","article-title":"Understanding animal companion surplus in the United States: relinquishment of nonadoptables to animal shelters for euthanasia","volume":"4","author":"Kass","year":"2001"},{"key":"ref23","article-title":"Asilomar Accords"},{"key":"ref24","article-title":"US Census Bureau. American FactFinder"},{"key":"ref25","series-title":"ESRI\u00ae demographic update methodology: 2007\/2012","article-title":"ESRI","year":"2007"},{"key":"ref26","series-title":"Statistics for health professionals","author":"Shott","year":"1990"},{"key":"ref27","series-title":"BMJ","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1686","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.317.7174.1686","article-title":"Xenotransmission of the socioeconomic gradient in health? A population based study","volume":"317","author":"Moloo","year":"1998"},{"key":"ref28","series-title":"Am J Public Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"260","DOI":"10.2105\/AJPH.2003.034132","article-title":"Racial disparities in context: a multilevel analysis of neighborhood variations in poverty and excess mortality among black populations in Massachusetts","volume":"95","author":"Subramanian","year":"2005"},{"key":"ref29","series-title":"Ann Epidemiol","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"395","DOI":"10.1016\/S1047-2797(01)00221-6","article-title":"Area characteristics and individual-level socioeconomic position indicators in three population-based epidemiologic studies","volume":"11","author":"Diez-Roux","year":"2001"},{"key":"ref30","series-title":"Cartogr Geogr Inform Sci","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"237","DOI":"10.1559\/152304003100011171","article-title":"Choosing geographic units for choropleth rate maps, with an emphasis on public health applications","volume":"30","author":"Boscoe","year":"2003"},{"issue":"suppl 2","key":"ref31","series-title":"Am J Prev Med","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S16","DOI":"10.1016\/j.amepre.2005.09.011","article-title":"Geocoding in cancer research: a review","volume":"30","author":"Rushton","year":"2006"},{"key":"ref32","article-title":"What is the difference between ZIP code \u201cboundaries\u201d and ZCTA areas?","author":"Hurvitz"},{"key":"ref33","article-title":"The International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision"},{"key":"ref34","series-title":"Am J Epidemiol","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"664","DOI":"10.1093\/oxfordjournals.aje.a115550","article-title":"Symptoms, signs, and ill-defined conditions: a leading cause of death among minorities","volume":"131","author":"Becker","year":"1990"},{"key":"ref35","series-title":"J Vet Med Educ","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"487","DOI":"10.3138\/jvme.35.4.487","article-title":"The benefits of human-companion animal interaction: a review","volume":"35","author":"Barker","year":"2008"}],"container-title":["American Journal of Veterinary Research"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/avmajournals.avma.org\/view\/journals\/ajvr\/71\/2\/ajvr.71.2.161.xml","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/avmajournals.avma.org\/downloadpdf\/journals\/ajvr\/71\/2\/ajvr.71.2.161.xml","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/avmajournals.avma.org\/downloadpdf\/journals\/ajvr\/71\/2\/ajvr.71.2.161.xml","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,7]],"date-time":"2025-03-07T12:24:10Z","timestamp":1741350250000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/avmajournals.avma.org\/view\/journals\/ajvr\/71\/2\/ajvr.71.2.161.xml"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2010,2]]},"references-count":35,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2"},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2460\/ajvr.71.2.161","relation":{},"ISSN":["0002-9645"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0002-9645","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2010,2]]}}}