Data From: Light and Dark Fur Cats - Total Body Scores

Limited data exists within the forensic veterinary medicine discipline about the differences between the decomposition of animals with fur. Due to the sheer number of animals used as animal models and the number of animals that exist, determining the stages of decomposition that is applicable for all species is difficult. Typically, assessing what stage of decomposition a decedent is in is subjective due to the visual assessment of decompositional changes. A method developed to rectify this issue was the total body score (TBS) method, which assigns a numerical value based of the degree of decomposition to the head, torso, and limbs. The purpose of this study was to examine the decomposition of cats, identify any unique decomposition characteristics, and determine the rate of decomposition using total body score and accumulated degree days (ADD). Twelve domestic short haired cats were placed in a grassy field in West Lafayette, IN. An assessment of TBS was documented for each cat and each experimental group. An exponential relationship between TBS and ADD was documented. Overall, there was not a significant difference in the rate of decomposition or total body scores between the groups (Z = -91.00, p = 0.0672).法医兽医学领域内，关于带毛动物尸体腐败差异的相关研究数据十分有限。由于作为动物模型的动物总量及现存动物种类繁多，确定适用于所有物种的腐败阶段标准极具挑战。通常而言，通过视觉评估腐败变化来判断动物尸体所处的腐败阶段，这一方式具有较强主观性。为解决这一问题，研究者开发了全身评分法（total body score, TBS），该方法根据动物头部、躯干及四肢的腐败程度赋予相应数值。本研究旨在探究家猫的尸体腐败过程，识别其独特的腐败特征，并通过全身评分法与积温日数（accumulated degree days, ADD）来测算腐败速率。研究将12只短毛家猫放置于美国印第安纳州西拉法叶市的一片草地中。对每只家猫及每个实验组均进行了全身评分记录。研究显示，全身评分与积温日数之间存在指数关联。总体而言，各组间的腐败速率及全身评分均无显著差异（Z = -91.00，p = 0.0672）。