Untangling a cat’s cradle: Diphacinone, acetaminophen, trauma, and multiple deaths in a Kentucky cat colony

• Published in: Forensic science international. Animals and environments Vol. 1; p. 100012
• Main Authors: Romano, Megan C., Bryant, Uneeda K., Cassone, Lynne M.C., Janes, Jennifer G., Helm, Michelle N., Francis, Kyle A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.11.2021; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acetaminophen; Cats; Diphacinone; Malicious; Poisoning; Rodenticide; Cats; Poisoning; Diphacinone; Acetaminophen; Rodenticide; Malicious
• ISSN: 2666-9374; 2666-9374
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fsiae.2021.100012

•Free-roaming cats are subject to many causes of illness, injury, and death.•Cats are among the most common targets of malicious poisoning.•Diagnosis requires consideration of all findings/evidence.•Analytical results alone are insufficient to diagnose poisoning. This manuscript describes an animal cruelty investigation in which several cats from a feral colony were suspected of having been poisoned. Three of the cats were submitted for complete postmortem examination by a qualified veterinary pathologist, and appropriate toxicologic analyses were selected and interpreted by a qualified veterinary toxicologist. Diagnosis in poisoning cases requires communication and collaboration between the pathologists and the toxicologist. A truly definitive diagnosis is not always possible in poisoning cases, particularly in a forensic investigation – a court of law requires a higher standard to establish a cause of death than do routine diagnostic cases. This case series illustrates the importance of a thorough diagnostic workup in forensic animal death investigations.