The first case surfaced roughly a year ago in Niihama, Ehime prefecture, where a stray was spotted with a front leg severed just above the knee. Since then, similar injuries have been reported on multiple cats in the area, with the most recent victim brought to a veterinary clinic in August.
Kaoru Matsuo, a volunteer at the Ehime Dog and Cat Association, has been treating the injured animals and coordinating rescue efforts with local residents. She believes the wounds are too clean and consistent to be accidental.
“When cats are involved in traffic accidents or caught in hunters’ traps, their legs are still often partially connected,” she told Ehime Broadcasting Corp. “But the cats that we have treated had their legs completely torn off.”
The local hunting association has assured police that no traps for boars have been set in the area recently, while experts have also ruled out attacks by wild animals on the grounds that the cats all appear to have suffered virtually identical injuries.
At least three other cats with amputated legs have been reported in the area, according to Matsuo, suggesting it is very likely they are being deliberately harmed.
