A SCOTS cat owner has issued a warning after finding strange shaved markings on her moggy amid a twisted TikTok cat-killing trend.
Rosie Hughes was left bemused by the behaviour of her five-year-old black tabby cat Ally earlier this month, after spotting him cowering in the garden.
The 35-year-old couldn’t understand the change in Ally’s behaviour so scooped him up into her arms – where she then found that he appeared to have been shaved on his stomach and side.
Rosie from Kilsyth, North Lanarkshire looked into the markings and was left terrified after finding that her moggy appeared to have been ‘marked for death’ as part of a cruel online trend.
Shocking images show Rosie’s beloved Ally, who appears to have been shaved several times on the belly as well as a little clump taken from near his hip.
The markings left Rosie fearing the worst after seeing something similar on TikTok about cats being marked for death.
The sickening trend online has seen a number of cats go missing with some being found dead weeks later having been shaved or ‘marked’.
Rosie subsequently contacted the SSPCA and was advised to keep Ally indoors for a few days and not let him wander too far from home.
Rosie posted the images online, writing: “Cat owner warning – I have been in contact with the SSPCA as one of our cats has been targeted by a person/persons.
“There have been reports of someone marking cats by shaving them to come back to kill them.
“Below are the pictures of what has happened to our cat Ally.
“If this happens to your cat please report to the SSPCA to allow them to log the information and area you are from, then you will be contacted with further advice.”
Her post received dozens of likes and comments from concerned locals worried for their pets.
Mhairi Young said: “Omg, that’s shocking I hope Ally’s okay, surprised he didn’t lash out from fear, wouldn’t blame the cat one wee bit, hope they get caught, sickos.”
Hazey Gard said: “Holy s**t, Rosie.”
Corinne Fisher Wilson said: “Omg this is beyond shocking Rosie, I’m both angry and saddened by this barbaric act on our defenceless wee fur babies.”
Speaking today, Rosie said: “It was on May 5, I was coming back from an appointment and I noticed Ally cowering in the garden.
“I called my husband, as Ally is an extremely friendly cat and his behaviour was out of the ordinary.
“Myself and my nephew went to check him properly and he eventually let me lift him up and I found shavings on his front and a clump out his side.
“I thought it was extremely odd and random as to why anyone would do such a thing.
“Ally is a friendly cat and would go up to anyone so it was just bizarre, I googled why someone would shave my cat and saw what had happened in England because of a TikTok trend.
“I phoned the Scottish SPCA straight away for advice and they confirmed they had also heard about this happening.
“Ally hasn’t left the garden since, he’s just staying very close to home.
“The SSPCA said to keep him indoors and not let him go too far as well as checking him frequently for markings but thankfully there hasn’t been any more.
“My neighbour has had rat poison dropped into her garden for her dog to eat this week and she’s contacted the police as dogs are more covered than cats.”
A former Royal Navy gunner known as the ‘Brighton cat killer’ was jailed in July 2021 for five years and three months after fatally stabbing nine pets during a seven-month spree.
He died in January 2022 just six months into his sentence.
