Bizarre Coventry cat shaver strikes as pet comes home with 'chunk of fur missing'

A mysterious 'cat shaver' who trims fur from pets is feared to have made a return in Coventry. Lucy O'Donoghue claimed that her beloved cat was targeted near Teneriffe Road in Foleshill.

Lucy said she noticed that her 11-year-old cat Twinkle had returned home with a large patch shaved into her fur in April. She initially thought nothing of it but was shocked at what she discovered during a trip to the Coventry Cat Groomers in Coundon.

Employee Samantha told 40-year-old Lucy that Twinkle had been 'shaved.' Lucy described the situation as 'bizarre' and said the incident has left her young daughter feeling 'really upset.'

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Speaking to CoventryLive, Lucy said: “It was about a month ago, I suddenly noticed that my cat looked like it had been shaved. I was bewildered.

“I took her to get groomed and when I picked her up the lady who groomed her confirmed that she had been shaved. She said that it has been going on in Coventry since 2021.”

She added: “Nobody has reported it in Foleshill before so I thought I have got to get it out there so people know that it has happened here as well.” Lucy said her young daughter was left 'fuming' when she discovered what had happened to Twinkle.

She said: “She cannot handle her emotions, so it was like the end of the world to her.” Asked why she thought someone would do this to her beloved Twinkle, Lucy said: “Absolutely no idea! It is mystifying me.”

Lucy continued: “She is not really a people person and does not go to strangers, so I do not know how whoever it is has got near her, let alone held her down and done it! It is bizarre, but also really sinister because if someone is going to do that what else are they capable of?”

Residents have reported that the bizarre attacks have been happening over a number of years in various parts of Coventry, including Radford and Holbrooks. Cats are believed to have been targeted by an unknown person since 2021.

A spokesman for Cats Protection said: “Reports of cats returning home with shaved fur are concerning. Shaving and cutting cats' fur or whiskers can make them feel very stressed.

“Also the physical restraint required and the use of unfamiliar objects such as scissors or clippers can leave a cat feeling threatened and unsettled. At no point should a cat deliberately be put in a position to feel fear, anxiety, frustration or experience pain, for the benefit of human entertainment.

“Even if the experience is only brief, it is unethical and therefore should not be encouraged. In addition, causing a cat unnecessary suffering is a criminal offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and anybody harming cats, threatening to harm them or acting suspiciously around them should be reported to the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

“We would always recommend a checkup with a vet in cases where cats are found to be missing fur. For a variety of reasons, cats may overgroom or remove their fur, which in some cases can look almost identical to shaving.”

Have you been affected by this? Email: jaspreet.kaur@reachplc.com

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