Cats rescued from wildfires at higher risk of deadly blood clots, scientists warn

Cats rescued in California wildfires that suffered burns and smoke inhalation are at risk of forming deadly blood clots, a new study finds.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, say their new findings could change the standard of care that cats rescued from wildfires receive, and hopefully save more lives.

The study, published last week in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science, assessed cats that were treated for their injuries from the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, specifically looking at their platelets – the cells that circulate in the blood and help stop bleeding or form blood clots.

Scientists found that cats with wildfire injuries had increased overactive platelets compared to healthy cats, or those with the heart disease subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM – the most common cardiac disease in cats and causes a thickening of the heart muscle.

“Cats with HCM are hypercoagulable, meaning they are more likely to form clots. We found cats exposed to wildfire smoke and injuries are even more prone to throwing clots, showing a direct association between wildfire injuries, platelet response, and clot formation,” study lead co-author Ava Tan explained.

In the wildfire-injured cats, researchers also found high amounts of microvesicles released by the platlets.

Scientists say these microscopic membranous bubble-like structures filled with proteins are associated with cardiovascular disease and an elevated risk of clotting.

“We found cats exposed to wildfire smoke and injuries are even more prone to throwing clots, showing a direct association between wildfire injuries, platelet response and clot formation,” Tan said.

Researchers believe the study could lead to bigger health implications for cats, and highlight the important role played by platelets in linking inflammation with the blood coagulation system.

They say the findings also “open a new door” to looking at how wildfires impact cardiovascular health in humans.

“This is the first study reporting the significant association between platelet priming and intracardiac thrombosis in domestic cats with naturally occurring wildfire-related injuries and smoke inhalation,” scientists wrote in the study.

Citing the limitations of the study, researchers said the research could unravel the specific mechanisms of platelet activation due to wildfire-related injuries and smoke exposure.

Due to the emergency presentation of the cat patients, scientists could also accurately determine the duration and extent of injuries and smoke inhalation in the felines.

In further studies, scientists hope to discover new cellular processes that may explain why feline platelets are so sensitive and prone to clotting, especially in cats with heart conditions or wildfire injuries.

They believe the data collected could be critical for developing early treatment plans for cats rescued from wildfires.