Cats being shaved in Poole as residents suspect criminal act

In Oakdale, Oreo the black and white cat ran away from home for more than two months after potentially being spooked by some visitors to her house. 

But when she returned last week, her owners were horrified to discover she had been starved, shaved in part and her tail requiring amputation.

Owner Melena Noah Messomo said: “I don’t know who has done this but something very sinister has happened.

Oreo (Image: Oreo)

“I’ve phoned up a lot of vets in the area and they haven’t heard of anything like this. The more people to put out more information and raise awareness the better.  

“I’ve been sharing it all over social media so if people have more information they can help and maybe stop something like this happening again.” 

After two months away, Oreo finally returned in the early hours of Thursday, October 6. “My son heard Oreo in the back garden and we gave her some tuna,” Melena added. 

Read more: Family cat 'punched to death' in Ringwood Road, Poole

“It was heartbreaking to see her, really, really tough. I don’t know what she has been through. It’s possible she has been hung. It’s harrowing, frankly. My daughter, who has autism, is particularly angry at this. 

“You’d suspect her to come back traumatised, but now she is more affectionate despite what she has been through.” 

Since coming back, vets have confirmed Oreo will need her tail amputated after part of it was cut off and the other part had a wound which suggests a wire had gone all around and cut into it. 

Izzy (Image: Izzy)

Oreo also returned one kilogram lighter and has been “wolfing down” all the food she can get. 

Canford Heath resident Cheryl Skelly had a similar incident happen to her cat Izzy in mid-September. 

Izzy went outside for no more than half an hour and returned home with two chunks of fur shaved from her body – though no injury to her tail. 

“She wasn’t overly distressed, but Izzy is usually soppy with us and timid with others,” Cheryl said. 

“It really puzzled me. I’ve been paranoid about who is around and what could happen to her when she goes out.” 

In August, police launched an investigation after a cat was punched to death in Ringwood Road, leaving its owners “devastated”. 

In an update, police have said there have been no arrests in relation to the incident.