{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T10:47:21Z","timestamp":1782384441914,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":10,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782345600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>A forensic postmortem examination (FPME) was performed on two kittens. In each case, investigators were given conflicting stories describing how the kitten died. The goal for each FPME was to determine the cause of death with the hope of also determining which story was more plausible. In both cases, animal control officers responded to a call to retrieve a deceased kitten. In the first case, the kitten\u2019s owner reported the kitten had died when thrown to the floor by the owner\u2019s boyfriend; the boyfriend reported he had accidentally dropped the kitten. In the second case, an ex-girlfriend of the owner reported the owner had crushed the kitten\u2019s head against a wall; the owner stated the kitten had come between a wall and a piece of furniture being moved, causing its accidental death. Findings from the radiographs, FPME, and histopathology showed the cause of death in the first case to be blunt force trauma resulting in a non-pathological skull fracture and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The distribution and type of injuries were consistent with being thrown against the floor and were not consistent with an accidental fall. Findings from the radiographs and FPME of the second case also showed blunt force trauma to the head leading to TBI and death, but could not determine which story was more plausible due to a limited investigation resulting in a lack of information necessary to make the distinction. Together, the two cases demonstrate the importance of a FPME in cases of suspicious death while also demonstrating the limitations of FPME alone in determining whether a death is accidental or malicious. They also demonstrate the limitations of current literature on animal abuse and the need for more studies and case reports specific to animal maltreatment.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2026.1751730","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T09:53:09Z","timestamp":1782381189000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Case report: Injury plausibility for skull fractures in two kittens"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Jennifer A.","family":"Woolf","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Woolf Veterinary Forensics Consulting, Inc.","place":["Dublin, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1712","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2004-0614","article-title":"Femur fractures resulting from stair falls among children: an injury plausibility model","volume":"115","author":"Pierce","year":"2005","journal-title":"Pediatrics"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"77","DOI":"10.1007\/s11832-014-0551-x","article-title":"Stair falls: caregiver's \"missed step\" as a source of childhood fractures","volume":"8","author":"Pennock","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Child Orthop"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"166","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cpem.2012.06.009","article-title":"A practical guide to differentiating abusive from accidental fractures: an injury plausibility approach","volume":"13","author":"Pierce","year":"2012","journal-title":"Clin Pediatr Emerg Med"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"305","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfms.2003.07.001","article-title":"Feline high-rise syndrome: 119 cases (1998-2001)","volume":"6","author":"Vnuk","year":"2004","journal-title":"J Feline Med Surg"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"10","DOI":"10.1177\/089875641202900103","article-title":"Orofacial manifestations of high-rise syndrome in cats: a retrospective study of 84 cases","volume":"29","author":"Bonner","year":"2012","journal-title":"J Vet Dent"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1098612X251334096","article-title":"High-rise syndrome in cats (part 2): injury patterns and survival rate","volume":"27","author":"Candela Andrade","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Feline Med Surg"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1120","DOI":"10.1177\/1098612X18819183","article-title":"Feline head trauma: a CT analysis of skull fractures and their management in 75 cats","volume":"21","author":"Knight","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Feline Med Surg"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"493","DOI":"10.1016\/0014-4886(84)90084-0","article-title":"Development and maturation of postural reflexes in normal kittens","volume":"86","author":"Sechzer","year":"1984","journal-title":"Exp Neurol"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"571","DOI":"10.1111\/vec.13206","article-title":"High-rise syndrome in cats and dogs","volume":"32","author":"Lefman","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Vet Emerg Crit Care"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1098612X251334091","article-title":"High-rise syndrome in cats (part 1): epidemiology and risk factors","volume":"27","author":"Candela Andrade","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Feline Med Surg"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Veterinary Science"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fvets.2026.1751730\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T09:53:10Z","timestamp":1782381190000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fvets.2026.1751730\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]]},"references-count":10,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fvets.2026.1751730"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fvets.2026.1751730","relation":{},"ISSN":["2297-1769"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2297-1769","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]]},"article-number":"1751730"}}