World without Cats

by Bonham Richards

  “We’ll think of something,” he said, stroking her hair.

  Vera raised her head. “You don’t believe that, do you? It’s really over. The domestic cat is about to become extinct.”

  “Maybe we should contact Kraakmo before we give up,” Noah said without conviction. “I wish we could test the vaccine on cats that hadn’t been exposed to the virus.” Without warning, Vera grunted loudly.

  “What’s that for?” asked Noah.

  Vera responded with another guttural noise.

  “What’s the matter with you?”

  “It’s the baby,” she replied. “It’s kicking me.”

  Noah pulled up Vera’s top and placed his hand gently on her slightly rounded belly. On cue, the fetus moved again. “I felt it! I felt it!” Noah shouted.

  “Right on schedule,” Vera remarked. “The mean time for the quickening is about twenty-one weeks. I’m right in there, I think.”

  “Quickening? I haven’t heard that term in a long time. They still call it that?”

  “In some circles. Wow! I guess this creature inside me is developing the way it should.” The fetal movement had, for the moment, completely taken her mind off the vaccine’s failure.

  The following day, Vera’s mood had improved. At Noah’s suggestion, she phoned Angelo. “We really have only one chance left,” she explained. “We have to test the vaccine on cats that have never been exposed to FHF. Do you think we can find any cats like that? My God, are there any to be found?”

  “Hmm … well, you know in most epidemics and epizootics, there are always some members of the population that escape the disease. Some survive low-grade infections; others never come in contact with the agent. But with FHF, I don’t know. We’ve never met with a disease like this. I think we might advertise in the papers and on television for unexposed cats.”

  “Advertise? Who would pay for that?”

  “Nobody. We need only call a press conference and get the media interested.”

  “Ah, yes. I see what you mean. Get the public involved.”

  After a brief silence, Angelo said, “You know, there are still about seventy germ-free cats here at the CDC. I think several colonies are maintained for research in other institutions, as well. I know Cornell University has one, and there is a colony at one of the universities in Louisiana.”

  “Why that’s perfect! That should be our first approach. Why am I just hearing about this now?”

  “Not so fast,” Angelo said. “Germ-free cats have been raised that way from birth. They’ve never been exposed to the routine microorganisms that normal kittens are. Therefore, their immune system is undeveloped. Even if they could be immunized against FHF successfully, they might succumb to other, more mundane microbes if released into the environment.”

  “Oh … I see. Well, it might be worth exploring.”

  “Yes. I’ll make some phone calls.”

  Angelo’s misgivings concerning the fragility of germ-free cats were validated. Somehow, FHF had gained access to the colony at Cornell, destroying it before the staff even knew they had a problem. In Louisiana, scientists had tried to immunize the cats with various FHF fractions. None was effective; all the cats were lost.

  Another germ-free colony was housed at the Washington State vet school at Pullman. Aware of the need to keep some cats alive in case FHF wiped out all the cats in the outside world, the biologists there refused to release any of the animals for experimental purposes. Their plan was, if an effective vaccine were developed, to immunize all cats in the colony and then breed them. In this way, there would be a population that might be able to re-establish the species. Angelo immediately saw the wisdom of the plan and ended his attempts to locate germ-free cat colonies. Because the cats’ immune systems were undeveloped, the animals couldn’t be used as research subjects anyway. They would almost certainly succumb to any of the dozens of viral or bacterial pathogens in the environment.

  Vera received an e-mail from Angelo. The special pathogens scientists at the Pasteur Institute had also failed to protect cats with the envelope vaccine. He wrote of rumors circulating on the web, hinting that a group of Russian scientists working at the Moscow Institute for Veterinary Medicine had succeeded, but there had been no public announcement.

  She phoned Brock Osborne again. He told her that he’d suspected from the start that the FHF envelope vaccine might not protect cats previously infected with FHF. “Can you afford to cook up another batch to test with cats free of the virus?” she asked, diffidently.

  “I think so. I’ll get back to you.”

  With Lowell Stanaland’s backing, Noah and Vera called a press conference to announce the need for unexposed cats. On Friday afternoon, a crowd of newspaper and television reporters gathered in the institute’s auditorium. All the major networks were represented as well as reporters from other parts of the world.

  “As you are all aware,” Noah began, “the FHF crisis is reaching a point of no return. According to the best estimates, all but about 15 percent of domestic cats on the North American continent have perished, and most, if not all, of the remaining cats are presumed to be infected with the virus. Also, two thirds or more of cats outside North America have died. The chances are slim that the species will survive.” A murmur arose from the audience as reporters scribbled on their PDAs. “Other species are involved,” Noah continued, “including mountain lions and caracals.”

  “Would you spell that?” asked a woman from The Los Angeles Times.

  Noah did, and added, “It’s an Asian cat. Something like a lynx, I think. It is quite possible that the virus could mutate in these species too, placing them in the same danger of extinction as Felis catus. We just don’t know.” Noah wiped his brow. “Over the past year,” he continued, “we’ve seen increasing evidence that the demise of cats has serious economic consequences as well as proving to be a threat to public health. Is it too late to do anything? We think not.”

  A hush came over the reporters; they looked up expectantly. Noah paused to let the suspense build.

  “We have a plan to immunize cats against the disease.” Noah waited for the commotion to die. “Since the middle of last year, scientists at the CDC and others here at the institute have worked to develop a vaccine against FHF. So far, all the tests have failed. Now, however, we may have a vaccine that will work. It was developed here at the Institute in collaboration with the CDC and is being manufactured by Fermentacorp in Davis, California.

  “As some of you know,” continued Noah, “the first trial of this vaccine was a failure. Dr. Vera Barnett has inoculated twenty-seven cats brought to her from various places in the western United States. Unfortunately, none of these has survived. Why? We believe that all the cats were infected with FHF before they were brought to us, and that the vaccine is not likely to be effective unless it is given to cats before they become infected.

  “That’s why we are asking representatives of the media for help. We want to put out a call for cats that have never been exposed. We believe that there must be some cats, perhaps in isolated environments, that have not had contact with the FHF virus.”

  “What kind of environments?” asked a voice from the crowd.

  “Oh, small towns where there might be someone keeping a cat and living alone … Any place where cats might have had no contact with other cats or with people who have been anywhere near cats. If we can locate such pets, with their owners’ permission, we will test the vaccine on them. We’ll immunize any cats that are volunteered, without cost to the owner. We’ll continue that policy until the vaccine has been tested sufficiently and shown to be effective.

  “Of course there are no guarantees. The vaccine may have no protective effect. You’ll find all the necessary information on our website. We’ve also prepared handouts summarizing the details.”

  The three sheets given to the media explained how to
apply for the vaccine, and how to report possible FHF-free cats to the institute. Vera’s clinic would serve as the clearinghouse. Each application for the vaccine required a statement from a licensed veterinarian certifying that the cat in question appeared to be free of FHF. The vet’s address and telephone number had to be included.

  That evening, the unprecedented appeal was announced nationwide by the broadcast media. By the next day, it had appeared in all the world’s largest newspapers and was being broadcast several times a day on radio and television. Countless websites and blogs were devoted to the search for unexposed cats.

  Noah and Vera were married at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Ventura. It was a small, unpretentious wedding, with only Gary and Jane present to act as witnesses and Dr. Stanaland to give away the bride. Vera wore turquoise; she was five months along.

  “It isn’t often I’ve seen you wearing a dress,” Noah observed, “let alone a maternity dress doubling as a wedding gown.”

  “I’m not the dressy-feminine type,” Vera replied.

  “No, you’re not. That’s one of the many qualities I love about you, soon-to-be Mrs. Chamberlin.” Her smile was luminous; she wasn’t the least bit self-conscious. Noah, however, manifested his usual nervousness.

  They traveled south for a short honeymoon in La Jolla and spent one full day at the San Diego Zoo. “Busman’s holiday,” mumbled Noah as they went through the turnstile.

  “We both like animals. What’s the problem?”

  “I didn’t say it was a problem. It was just an observation.”

  “Okay,” said Vera. She took his hand. “One of the critters I most want to see is the giant panda. It’s on semi-permanent loan from China.”

  “Good,” Noah replied. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a panda—just pictures. I do want to see the big cats. I haven’t seen a living feline of any kind in a while.”

  However, a sign was posted on the door of the feline house. All the cats, including the large ones, were off-limits to the public. The same notice was posted on the fences of all the outdoor compounds.

  By the time Vera and Noah returned to Camarillo, requests for the vaccine had begun arriving at the veterinary clinic. Vera noticed envelopes from the USA, Canada, Mexico and, in smaller numbers, from elsewhere in the world.

  Vera and Jane sorted through the forty-odd envelopes.

  “Look,” said Vera, “these two don’t have the required note from a vet.”

  “I have one of those,” said Jane. “And here’s one with a vet’s note, but I think it’s forged.”

  “Forged? Let’s see.” Vera nodded. “Good catch, Jane. ‘Hemorrhagic’ is misspelled, and there’s no DVM after the signature.”

  On five of the applications, vets wrote that they could not be sure that the cats were free of FHF because the animals had high white-blood-cell counts.

  In the end, Vera had identified two rather good possibilities—one a farm cat from eastern Iowa that apparently had had no contact with any other cat for over a year, the other from St. John’s Newfoundland. The latter was a cat owned by a woman who never let it out of the house and, because she was an invalid, did not go out herself. Her daughter brought her groceries but did not like cats and so avoided contact with the animal. In both cases the accompanying vets’ letters stated that the cats appeared to be free of FHF, and the owners were earnestly pleading for the vaccine.

  Vera telephoned the vet in Iowa, a Dr. Parsons. He explained that the Wilson couple had a small farm near Grinnell where they raised corn and soybeans. The nearest farm to the Wilson’s was four miles away, and, as far as the vet knew, there were no cats in proximity.

  “I took the obvious precautions before handling the cat,” noted the vet. “I scrubbed myself down with rubbing alcohol and put on Jim Wilson’s overalls.”

  “Good thinking,” Vera replied.

  “I also took a sample of the cat’s blood,” he continued. “With Wright’s stain, it appeared normal—no overabundance of leukocytes, nothing out of the ordinary. The cat certainly seems to be healthy.”

  Vera said, “I’d like to meet you at the Wilson Farm. I could fly out, say, next Monday and bring the vaccine. Would that work for you?”

  “Let me check … yep, that’s good. As you might guess, my practice has fallen off quite a bit because of this FHF thing. Fortunately, I’ve been able to make a living with farm animals.”

  “Okay, then,” Vera said, “I’m going to book the flight.”

  “Would you like me to pick you up at DSM? That’s the closest large airport.”

  “Oh, that would be terrific. Thank you so much. I’ll send you an e-mail when I know my flight number.” She wrote down his e-mail address and sat back in her chair. She clasped her hands behind her head and closed her eyes. If this vaccine doesn’t work, I’m going to fall apart … at least this Parsons guy seems to be competent … thank God for that.

  “What do you mean?” Noah shouted when Vera told him of her planned trip. “You’re five months pregnant, you can’t go running all over the country!”

  “Iowa, is not ‘all over the country.’ It’s one part of it, near the middle.”

  “Don’t be facetious. This is serious.”

  “Noah, my dear husband, pregnancy is not a pathological condition. I am perfectly fine. The morning sickness has stopped, and, apart from a little more fatigue than usual, I’m okay. I will not behave like a prissy, helpless, nineteenth-century female.”

  Noah couldn’t come up with a response.

  On February 22nd, about thirty-two-hundred cat lovers assembled in a Tokyo park to celebrate Japan’s annual Cat Day and to mourn the passing of so many adored felines. Ironically, the celebration—or, what used to be a celebration—had begun in 1987 when hundreds of cat owners had gathered in an auditorium to offer prayers for the longevity of their animals. They had also honored a famous cat that had traveled 222 miles to find its owner after having been accidentally left in the countryside. The date of February 22 had been chosen because two-twenty-two is pronounced ni-ni-ni, resembling nya-nya-nya, meow-meow-meow in Japanese.

  Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the CDC attempted, unsuccessfully, to produce virus-free kittens from FHF-infected mother cats by cesarean section. Unfortunately, the placenta failed to act as a barrier to the virus; all newborn kittens of infected mother cats harbored the virus at birth.

  In many labs, both in North America and abroad, scientists attempted to grow the FHF virus in cell culture. They tested feline T-cells, B-cells, mixed spleen cells, liver, kidney, lung, and even cancerous muscle cells. The FHF virus refused to grow outside a cat’s body. None of the scientists could explain why.

  At the CDC, biochemist Larraine Sakai purified the virus using high-performance liquid chromatography. She was able to produce only minute quantities of the highly purified agent. Much greater amounts would be necessary for the immunization of large numbers of cats, even if a way could be found to make FHF virus an effective immunizing agent.

  Public-health authorities on all continents expressed concern about the increasing incidence of rodent-borne diseases. In Long Beach, California, an epidemic of rat-bite fever broke out near the docks. One hundred forty-seven cases of typhus were identified in Northern Germany near Hamburg, and another thirty-six cases in Copenhagen. At Tabriz in Northern Iran, yellow jaundice, commonly transmitted by rat urine, was traced to contamination of a local water supply by Leptospira bacteria.

  Chinese authorities attempted to deal with the booming rat population. Increasingly, rodents were making their way into factories, warehouses, granaries, and even tourist hotels. Spot-food shortages occurred in Northeast China and in Japan. Government officials considered a crash program to breed rat-killing snakes and weasels. Meanwhile, large quantities of zinc phosphide and sodium diphacinone were used to poison the rats.

  Espe
cially ominous was an outbreak of thirteen human plague cases in the Korean city of Musan on the Chinese border. In addition, forty-seven people had died of bubonic plague in northern Uganda’s West Nile region, and another four hundred and eighty were under treatment for the disease. The World Health Organization dispatched a five-member medical team to the area.

  21

  March 2021

  18,470,000

  Larry Parsons was waiting in the airport lobby. Vera figured he was in his mid-fifties. A circle of gray-brown hair surrounded his smooth round pate, and he was dressed in blue jeans and red plaid flannel shirt. She supposed she’d be unable to tell him from a local farmer if she met him on the street. Parsons drove them east on Interstate 80 to Grinnell.

  It rained heavily for most of the forty-mile trip through heartland cornfields and other crops Vera was unable to identify. To reach the Wilson farm, they had to travel a gravel road pocked with muddy chuckholes. Vera felt her swollen abdomen bounce in synchrony with the movement of the pickup. Whenever she saw a mud-hole ahead, she clenched her teeth and grabbed the sides of the seat.

  “When’s the baby due?” asked Parsons.

  “Late June, I think.”

  He nodded. “Sorry about the bumpy ride. You must be feeling every jolt.”

  “I’ll be okay.” She glanced at the man. He seems like a nice enough fellow, she thought. “I want to handle the cat as little as possible,” Vera said. “Because of my pregnancy, I don’t want to risk a cat scratch or bite. There’s also the possibility that I could be carrying FHF virus on me, and even though I’ll scrub with alcohol and Betadine, I think it’d be best if you hold the cat while I do the injection.”

  “Sure,” replied Parsons. “In fact, I have a portable decontamination chamber complete with air pump in the back of the van. I thought we could set that up outside the house, decontaminate the chamber, and then have Mr. or Mrs. Wilson bring the cat to me after I’ve scrubbed and disinfected myself.”