5 cats caught from COVID-19 ward in Kerala die; Organs to be examined

Kasargod (Kerala), Apr 9 () Five stray cats caught froma COVID-19 ward of the general hospital here have died,prompting officials to send the vital organs of the animalsfor detailed examination in Thiruvananthapuram. Officials on Thursday said a preliminary postmortemcarried out here did not detect any "trace of COVID-19" andexperts opined stress could be the reason behind the death ofthe cats, which were kept in a crate with little aerationafter being caught.The animal husbandary department officials decided tosend their vital organs of the cats -- two male, a femaleand her two kittens -- to the State Institute of AnimalDisease Centre in Thiruvananthapuram for detailedexaminations, they said. "Since the cats were caught from the COVID ward, thepostmortem was conducted. No trace of COVID-19 could bedetected... we decided to send the internal organs toThiruvananthapuram," Dr Tito Joseph, who conducted thepostmortem, told .If needed, the organs would be sent to the NationalInstitute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) lab inBhopal for further examination, Joseph, who is the Kasargoddistrict coordinator of animal disease control project, said. The cats were found loitering in the COVID-19 wards beforebeing caught on March 28 by dog snatchers engaged by theDepartment of Animal Husbandry following a directive from theDistrict Collector based on complaints. They were then kept in a crate with little aeration.The female cat died two days after it was put up in the cratekept at the Animal Birth Control Centre in Kasaragod. Later,two more cats and the kittens died, officials said. Thomas said the workers engaged by the department hadprovided food, including milk, to the cats while being kept inthe crate. Experts, including Joseph, said they believe that stresscould be the reason for the death of the cats. "The stray cats were caged immediately. It is certain thatthey could not adapt to the situation in the crate. So webelieve stress could be the reason for their death. But sinceit happened during COVID-19 scare we cannot take a chance.That is the reason why a detailed examination of the internalorgans of the cats was decided," Joseph said. The Animal Husbandry Departments epidemiologist M JSethulakshmi, part of the team of doctors who conducted thepostmortem, said "no signs" of COVID-19 could be detectedduring the procedure. The death of the cats come at a time when the governmenthas put zoos in the country on highest alert and asked them tocollect samples fortnightly in suspected cases after a tigerat a US zoo tested positive for coronavirus. TGBVS VS