Bizarre Coventry cat shaver strikes when pet comes home with ‘piece of fur missing’

A mysterious ‘cat shaver’ that trims pet fur is feared to be back in Coventry. Lucy O’Donoghue claimed her beloved cat was targeted near Teneriffe Road in Foleshill.

Lucy said she noticed her cat Twinkle, 11, came home with a large shaved patch in her fur in April. She didn’t think much of it at first, but was shocked by what she discovered during a trip to Coventry Cat Groomers in Coundon.

Employee Samantha told Lucy, 40, that Twinkle had been ‘shaved’. Lucy described the situation as “bizarre” and said the incident had left her daughter “very upset”.

READ MORE: A man finds the Binley Mega Chippy closed after a 7,000-mile journey from Argentina

READ MORE: Dog owners rave about affordable, training-friendly treats that are ‘big hits with fussy pets’

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 puzzled.

“I took her to be groomed and when I picked her up, the lady who groomed her confirmed that she had shaved. She said it was happening in Coventry from 2021.”

She added: “No one has reported it in Foleshill so far so I thought I had to get it out there so people know it happened here too.” Lucy said her young daughter was left “furious” when she discovered what happened to Twinkle.

She said: “She can’t manage her emotions so it was like the end of the world for her.” Asked why she thought someone would do this to her beloved Twinkle, Lucy said: ‘Absolutely no idea! It mystifies me.”

Lucy continued: “She’s not really a person and she doesn’t go to strangers, so I don’t know how whoever she was got close to her, let alone kept her and did it! It’s bizarre, but also really sinister, because if someone is going to do this what else are they capable of?”

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

A spokesman for Cats Protection said: “Reports of cats coming home with shaved fur are worrying. Shaving and trimming 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 anxious. At no time should a cat be deliberately put in a position to feel fear, anxiety, frustration or 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 unnecessary suffering to a cat is an offense under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and anyone harming cats, threatening to harm them or acting suspiciously around them should be reported to the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

“We always recommend a vet check in cases where cats are missing fur. For a number of reasons, cats can overgroom or remove their fur, which in some cases can look almost identical to shaving.”

Were you affected by this? Email: [email protected]

Sign up here for our FREE daily newsletter for all the latest news on Coventry.