WARNING: The pictures in this story might be disturbing to some readers.
An Edmonton man is calling for pet owners to be more vigilant after his cat was found dead after being attacked.
Don, who did not want his last name used for safety reasons, said he last saw his cat Bebe in the Montrose neighbourhood of Edmonton on July 6. Bebe is eight years old, and Don and his wife often let her roam around outside.
The next day, he received a stunning phone call.
“My wife phoned me. Some children had found the cat in a field here. Somebody had taken a knife to it and skinned it,” he said.
Don said his wife wrapped the cat up and brought it back to their house. The couple alerted Edmonton police.
He said police went door to door speaking with neighbours to see if they had seen anything. Cheryl Sheppard, a spokesperson with the Edmonton Police Service, said it is up to the complainant to decide whether to perform a necropsy.
Don said Bebe was one of six cats he and his wife own, but she was his favourite.
“Bebe was a shy cat, liked to be petted. It had a really raspy voice when it wanted to be petted,” he said.
“She was almost a child to us.”
Sheppard said police contacted animal bylaw and there are indications it was a predator attack and nothing to suggest there was any criminal activity. Don, however, does not agree with their findings.
“There was no predator. By the way the cat looked, there was no ripped skin. Everything was nice and smooth. If a dog had ripped the cat apart, there would be gouge marks around the cat. There was nothing – there was just nice, smooth skin,” he said.
Regardless, he is warning Edmontonians with pets to be more mindful.
“I’d like to say put your cats on a leash, but they have their own mind,” he said.
“[Be] more careful, watch out for each other’s animals.”
Sheppard said if more information comes forward, police will continue to investigate.