Following Six Months of Recovery at UC Davis, Severely Burned Cat Gets Adopted

More than six months after being severely burned in California’s North Complex Fire, a cat treated at the UC Davis veterinary hospital has finally fully recovered and found his forever home. In the fall of 2020, thousands of animals were affected by the fire, and Jam, an approximately 2-year-old male cat, suffered some of the most horrific injuries of any of them.

Cat Burned in Wildfire Discharged After Three Months of Hospitalization

The UC Davis veterinary hospital has treated hundreds of animals over the years that were burned in wildfires. Every year, there is at least one that everyone at the hospital remembers. This year, one of the most memorable was Ned, a semi-feral cat who was rescued from the property he calls home a few days after the LNU Lightning Complex Fire swept through and destroyed everything. This week, Ned was finally discharged after being hospitalized for three months.

Newly Created Wildlife Disaster Network Aids Several Wildfire Victims

Earlier this week, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the joint formation of the Wildlife Disaster Network. The network is already aiding several animals injured in California’s latest wildfires. Network teams throughout Northern California are treating about a dozen animals at various facilities.

Teams Shelter, Treat Animals in Record Fire Season

Wildfires burned across the Western U.S. in August and September, killing at least 35 people and destroying more than 5,800 buildings. Veterinarians on emergency response teams treated injured animals, helped find and evacuate those in danger, and monitored animals staying on pastures after their owners evacuated.

Improving Disaster Response for Animals 

With the assistance of faculty mentors, John Madigan and Lais Costa, fourth-year student Hayley Dieckmann published “Implementation of an Animal Health Database in Response to the 2018 California Camp Fire,” which appears in this month’s Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Are Cats the ‘Canary in the Coal Mine’ for Wildfire Effects on Human Health?

Cats who suffered burns and smoke inhalation in recent California wildfires also had a high incidence of heart problems, according to a new study from researchers at the University of California, Davis, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. The study represents the first published research to come from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine on feline victims of California wildfires and was recently published in the journal Scientific Reports.