Anticoagulant exposure and notoedric mange in urban southern California bobcats and pumas

This study established a striking association between exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides and severe notoedric mange in bobcats and mountain lions across urban southern California. Necropsies and toxicological screening revealed that nearly all mange-afflicted cats carried residues of multiple anticoagulant compounds, suggesting that the poisons compromised immune function and predisposed animals to lethal mite infestation. The work linked a seemingly natural disease outbreak to a human chemical input moving up the food chain from poisoned rodents, reshaping understanding of how urban toxicants drive felid declines. It became a foundational reference for rodenticide policy debates and for the later documented poisoning of Los Angeles pumas.