Close up of a cat being shaved.Photo: Getty
Pet owners in England are on high alert because an unknown individual is targeting and shavingcatsin Kent and beyond.
The animal welfare charity created a map of the attacks, which it updates regularly. Based on the map, most of the shavings have taken place in Kent. Some incidents have also been reported in London and Scotland.
Close up of a cat being shaved.Getty
“As you can see, in some areas, it is more dense than others,“Animals Lost and Found in Kent sharedon its Facebook page last month. “There are roads where two or three attacks have happened to cats. I do update this map on a regular basis when a case has been confirmed.”
“It was almost like someone was sending a message — it was unsettling,” she told the paper. “If you can shave a cat, what are you going to move onto next?”
While some pet owners, like Collins, said their cats returned home uninjured with shave marks, others expressed that their felines had been physically harmed — returning home with missing claws. Police in Kent told thePostthat officers “liaise with the [Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals], who are the lead agency for investigating incidents involving cruelty or harm to animals” when they receive reports of a shaved cat.
“We would urge any owners whose cats have been victims of the shaving to book an appointment with their vet. A veterinary examination will determine if that cat has experienced any physical injuries, be it cuts and abrasions from the shaving or other injuries as a result of being held down,” Samantha Watson, an RSPCA cat expert, told the outlet. “Cat owners should also consider reporting the incident to the police as shaving a cat could be deemed as criminal damage.”
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“I am so angry and deeply shocked that people can do this kind of thing to a cat or any animal,” she said.
source: people.com
