By Tim Binnall
Cat owners in several British communities are on edge due to a sinister miscreant who has taken to shaving their pets. According to a local media report, the bizarre case began around Christmas in the town of Walderslade when a resident's feline friend returned home with a sizeable patch of fur missing. "I was so angry that some nasty human had decided to shave my cat," she recalled, "it was very distressing." However it soon became apparent that this was no isolated incident as, in the weeks and months that followed, the razor-wielding ne'er-do-well struck again in an array of neighboring communities within the British county of Kent.
While the total number of cats that have fallen victim to the phantom shaver is uncertain, an interactive map produced by the group 'Animals Lost and Found' suggests that dozens of animals have been on the receiving end of the troublemaker's handiwork. Speaking to the rascal's rather prolific nature, the organization's spokesperson, Natasha McPhee, noted that "there are roads where two or three attacks have happened." One unfortunate owner revealed that her cat has seemingly been singled out by the perpetrator for repeated shavings to the point that the animal is now particularly skittish around her. Based on the way the feline's behavior has changed, she argued that "it is obviously a human who is doing it."
With the cat shaver on the prowl and the attacks increasing in frequency, Animals Lost and Found are advising owners to keep a close eye on their feline friends lest they wind up with crossing paths with the scoundrel. The group are also urging people to install security cameras, if possible, so that they might catch the culprit in the act. "Without proper evidence of who is doing this," McPhee lamented, "then I fear it will keep happening and no one will be held accountable." Beyond that, one can't help but worry that the person may eventually grow bored with shaving cats and move on to targeting unsuspecting people.