Cause of Mass Death of Stray Cats in Wando Identified as 'Infectious Disease'

36 Stray Cats Dead in Ten Days
Feline Panleukopenia... Mortality Rate 50~90%

The cause of the mass death of stray cats recently occurring in Wando, Jeonnam, has been identified as an infectious disease.

On the 9th, the Wando Police Station in Jeonnam announced that the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency confirmed the cause of death of 36 stray cats that died in groups was a combination of feline panleukopenia and colibacillary pneumonia. Feline panleukopenia, an infectious disease in cats, is a fatal illness with a mortality rate of 50 to 90%. However, it is not transmissible to humans.

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. A stray cat is resting in Seoul Forest, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The police received multiple reports from residents on the 1st that dozens of cats were found dead on the streets of Wando city and have been investigating the matter. Residents of Wando discovered 32 cat carcasses at four stray cat feeding stations along the Wando-eup walking trail from the 19th of last month to the 1st of this month. These feeding stations were known to be set up by residents, and citizens who usually fed and cared for the stray cats there reported the mass deaths to the police as they continued.

Police Close Investigation, No Suspicion of Crime

As the stray cats wandering the streets died mysteriously in large numbers, animal organizations and some residents raised suspicions of animal abuse, suggesting poisoning by toxic substances. In particular, some 'cat moms' claimed that pig fat was mixed in the cats' vomit, raising the possibility that someone might have put poison in the food. However, no signs of abuse were found on the cat carcasses at the time of discovery. Accordingly, the police sent two cat carcasses to the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency for autopsy and conducted investigations including reviewing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and interviewing nearby individuals.

The police found no external abnormalities on the cat carcasses and detected no drugs or poisons, concluding there was no suspicion of criminal activity and decided to close the investigation as is.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.