February 6, 2025 Your Source for Brentwood News

Orphan Mountain Lion Kittens Found Last Year Test Positive for Rodenticide Poisoning, Feline Panleukopenia

A necropsy report shows that two kittens, P-100 and P-102, discovered last November in a Thousand Oaks office complex as part of an orphaned litter of four, had residues of three different types of anticoagulant rodenticide (AR) compounds in their livers, according to National Park Service (NPS) officials.

The pair had died a few days after being discovered. Postmortem examination found both kittens to be emaciated, with a heavy flea infestation. Microscopic examination of their tissues revealed inflammation in their brain as well, and the detection of feline parvovirus in numerous tissues.

Biologists from Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area have been studying the mountain lion population in the region since 2002. They say the necropsy report revealed several firsts for the study.

“This is the first time a mountain lion in the park’s 20-year study has been affected by parvo, and these two kittens are the youngest mountain lions in the study to have anticoagulant rodenticides in their system,” said Jeff Sikich, a biologist who has led the fieldwork for the mountain lion study for two decades. “Thirty-one of 32 mountain lions have tested positive for exposure to one or more AR’s, and seven have died directly from poisoning.”

Feline parvovirus is a highly contagious virus that can cause illness, called feline panleukopenia, and death, particularly in young kittens. The necropsy report noted signs of the disease that were seen before the kittens died, including seizures, and indicated panleukopenia as contributing to the cause of death.

After the kittens died, biologists with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) transported their remains to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS) in San Bernardino for a full postmortem examination, disease, and toxicology testing.Multiple anticoagulant rodenticides – brodifacoum, bromadiolone, and diphacinone – were detected in the tested liver samples for the two kittens.

Immunological tests revealed the feline parvovirus. Parvoviruses can infect a number of different mammals, and they can cause severe disease in canids (e.g., coyotes, foxes, and wolves) and felids (e.g., bobcats, mountain lions). They can last a long time in the environment and be spread by direct or indirect contact with feces. Vaccines can prevent infections, but wild animals do not typically get vaccinated.

In late November, NPS biologists and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) fitted the four kittens – P-100, P-101, P-102, and P-103 – with tracking collars and collected biological samples, thereby bringing them into the research study the NPS has conducted for the last two decades.

At the time of capture, the kittens appeared to be about six weeks old. The kittens’ mother was unknown and was not being tracked by the NPS. At that young age, they would not be able to survive on their own, so their best chance for surviving in the wild was if their mother continued to care for them.

The kittens were captured and collared in natural open space adjacent to the office park where they were initially discovered, and biologists monitored them, hoping their mother would return. When this didn’t happen, CDFW, with help from the NPS, retrieved them from the park area, and CDFW took the kittens to a local veterinarian, where two died overnight, P-100 and P-102.

P-101 and P-103 survived their ordeal and are now in captivity and cared for by the Orange County Zoo in Irvine.

The necropsy of a young, uncollared mountain lion found in a backyard in the western Santa Monica Mountains also showed the cause of death as anticoagulant rodenticide. A resident found the male cat, dubbed “P-R,” in his backyard in Newbury Park’s Dos Vientos community early on June 7, 2021.

This mountain lion had several anticoagulants in the liver, including brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difethialone, and diphacinone. This, coupled with hemorrhaging in the kidney area, confirmed a diagnosis of rodenticide anticoagulant intoxication. A non-anticoagulant rodenticide, bromethalin, was also detected in P-R, and residues of this toxicant have been found in a number of mountain lions over the last couple of years.

NPS has been studying mountain lions in and around the Santa Monica Mountains for the last two decades to determine how they survive in a fragmented and urbanized environment. CDFW is responsible for overseeing the management and conservation of mountain lions in the state.

in News
Related Posts

Best Spots to Celebrate Valentines, Galentines, or Have a Super Bowl Party on the Westside

February 5, 2025

February 5, 2025

Cocktails, Game Day Grub, Valentine’s Pasta, and a Lonely Heart’s Tea Service You will find many excellent ways to celebrate...

FDA Issues High-Risk Recall for Pre-Packaged Broccoli Florets Sold at Walmart

February 5, 2025

February 5, 2025

Recall Is Now Classified as Class I Due to Seriousness Of Contamination The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has classified...

Matū Kai Brings Its Signature Wagyu and Famous Cheesesteak to Brentwood

February 5, 2025

February 5, 2025

Team Behind Beverly Hills’ Acclaimed Matū Is Opening a Second Location One of Beverly Hills’s newest and most popular restaurants,...

Pan African Film and Arts Festival Returns for 2025 with Global Black Storytelling

February 5, 2025

February 5, 2025

Largest Black Film Festival in the U.S. Expands to Culver City With Over 150 Films The Pan African Film and...

Brentwood Has the Highest Priced Contract Among Increases in Luxury Home Sales

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

High-End Real Estate Rebounds With $186.8 Million in Contracts Signed Last Week Sales for luxury homes in Brentwood began to...

Influencer Florence Mirsky Responds After Her Racist Rant Is Caught in Video Footage

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Viral Footage Shows Mirsky Using Slurs and Berating Valet Workers in Beverly Hills Influencer and cannabis entrepreneur Florence Mirsky, who...

 State Farm Seeks Emergency Rate Hike, Citing Wildfire Losses—Consumer Advocates Push Back

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Insurer Requests up to a 38% Rate Increase, but Critics Call It an Unjustified Cash Grab In a press release...

(Video) Los Angeles Marathon Returns For 40th Anniversary

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2025

Register at mccourtfoundation.org Register at https://t.co/BSdsenmYSF pic.twitter.com/qsm2jMdDL8 — BrentwoodNewsLA (@BrentwoodNewsLA) February 4, 2025

CCPD Seek Public’s Help in Finding Missing Elderly Man with Dementia Last Seen in Culver City

February 3, 2025

February 3, 2025

Resident Last Seen on Washington Boulevard, Public Urged to Report Any Sightings Culver City’s Police Department is asking for the...

Los Angeles County Ramps Up Storm Protections in Fire Burn Areas As Two Storms Approach

February 3, 2025

February 3, 2025

Officials Install Flood Barriers and Urge Residents To Prepare As a storm system approaches California this week, Los Angeles County...

Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar Make History at the 2025 GRAMMY Awards

February 3, 2025

February 3, 2025

Beyoncé Wins Album of the Year, Kendrick Lamar Sweeps Five Categories The 2025 GRAMMY Awards delivered a night of historic...

Pacific Palisades Farmers Market Finds New Temporary Home in Brentwood After Fire

February 3, 2025

February 3, 2025

Displaced Vendors and Shoppers Reunite at the Brentwood Farmers Market. The Pacific Palisades Farmers Market, displaced by the recent Palisades...

High-End Beverly Hills Watch Dealer Sentenced to Over 5 Years for $5.6M Fraud

February 3, 2025

February 3, 2025

“The Timepiece Gentleman” Ran Luxury Watch Scheme, Defrauded Clients “The Timepiece Gentleman” was sentenced Wednesday to 70 months in federal...

Former Beverly Hills Mansion of Hollywood’s Most Private Star Now for Rent for $45K

February 2, 2025

February 2, 2025

Iconic Estate in Beverly Crest Is Now Available for Purchase and Lease Old Hollywood’s most mysterious star’s home is back...

Los Angeles Fire Department Puts Out Chimney Blaze in 25 Minutes in Brentwood

February 2, 2025

February 2, 2025

Firefighters Quickly Extinguishes Flames From a Residential Chimney Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters quickly contained a chimney fire at a...