Abstract
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.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-6-2021
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsiae.2021.100012
Repository Citation
Romano, Megan C.; Bryant, Uneeda K.; Cassone, Lynne M. C.; Janes, Jennifer G.; Helm, Michelle N.; and Francis, Kyle A., "Untangling a Cat’s Cradle: Diphacinone, Acetaminophen, Trauma, and Multiple Deaths in a Kentucky Cat Colony" (2021). Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Faculty Publications. 10.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/vdl_facpub/10
Notes/Citation Information
Published in Forensic Science International: Animals and Environments, v. 1, 100012.
© 2021 The Authors
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).