Reducing Toxoplasma input to coastal marine environments requires integrated land management approaches that address both domestic and wild cat fecal contamination pathways.
Sea otter Toxoplasma welfare management requires addressing the terrestrial sources of a marine wildlife disease — an integration of land and sea management that is organizationally challenging but necessary. Individual domestic cat management (indoor keeping, microchipping) reduces oocyst production near homes; feral cat management through TNR reduces local colony production; and stormwater infrastructure improvements reduce oocyst transport to marine environments. No single intervention is sufficient — the integrated approach addresses the problem at multiple points in the contamination pathway. The welfare return is measurable: Toxoplasma accounts for 15-25% of southern sea otter mortality, and reducing this pathogen source directly reduces welfare harm for a threatened population.