[Mike]

http://www.townonline.com/braintree/news/local_regional/bra_newbrbobca
tmystery03312004.htm

By Robert Aicardi
Wednesday, March 31, 2004

Disease, rather than originally suspected poisoning, may be the
solution to the mystery of what caused the deaths of at least 13
stray cats in Braintree.

“Although poisoning can’t be completely ruled out, preliminary
results of tests on a couple of these cats suggest that they weren’t
poisoned,” Animal Control Officer David Littlewood told the Forum on
Monday. “There could be a disease going through which kills off the
younger cats pretty quickly.”

Final results of the tests were not available at press time.

For several years, a Weymouth man who works nearby the Union Street
rotary has been putting out bowls of food for the cats who live there.

“He’s a nice guy who’s trying to do good,” Littlewood said.

After the dead cats were discovered at this feeding station,
Littlewood contacted the Tufts New England Veterinary Center.

“We did as much homework as we could about this,” he said. “We were
told that an autopsy wouldn’t show signs of poisoning. We were also
informed that a toxicology test would be the best way to find out
what happened.”

There is a drawback to such a test, according to Braintree Police Lt.
Russell Jenkins.

“A toxicology test is a several thousand dollar procedure, but we
can’t be sure that it would show that a cat was poisoned,” he said in
a March 26 interview with the Forum. “We might end up not knowing any
more than we do now. I don’t know where we’d come up with that kind
of money. We’re very concerned about the problem, and the animal
control officer is doing everything he can. We’ve had animals
poisoned in the past, but nothing of this magnitude.”

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