Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Non-accidental injuries found in necropsies of domestic cats: a review of 191 cases.
- Journal:
- Journal of feline medicine and surgery
- Year:
- 2012
- Authors:
- de Siqueira, Adriana et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Pathology · Brazil
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
In a study of 644 domestic cats that were examined after death in Brazil, researchers found that nearly 30% showed signs of abuse. The most common cause of these injuries was poisoning, specifically from a type of pesticide, while many others had injuries from blunt-force trauma. The cats affected were mostly young, between 7 months and 2 years old. This highlights a serious issue of animal cruelty in a society where violence is prevalent, indicating that these injuries were likely caused by intentional harm rather than accidents. The findings suggest a troubling pattern of abuse that needs to be addressed.
Abstract
Animal cruelty is defined as a deliberate action that causes pain and suffering to an animal. In Brazil, legislation known as the Environmental Crimes Law states that cruelty toward all animal species is criminal in nature. From 644 domestic cats necropsied between January 1998 and December 2009, 191 (29.66%) presented lesions highly suggestive of animal cruelty. The main necroscopic finding was exogenous carbamate poisoning (75.39%) followed by blunt-force trauma (21.99%). Cats from 7 months to 2 years of age were the most affected (50.79%). In Brazil, violence is a public health problem and there is a high prevalence of domestic violence. Therefore, even if laws provide for animal welfare and protection, animals are common targets for violent acts. Within a context of social violence, cruelty toward animals is an important parameter to be considered, and the non-accidental lesions that were found are evidence of malicious actions.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22694958/