Since May, dozens cats have disappeared from Guelph’s Westwood neighbourhood.
Nobody’s sure who or what is responsible, and rumours are flying around the neighbourhood suggesting everything from someone taking cats they mistakenly believe are strays to someone taking cats for more nefarious purposes.
A series of posters hung around the neighbourhood claims 25 cats have disappeared over the past four months.
“This is not a safe neighbourhood for cats to be outside unattended,” the poster reads, urging nearby residents to keep their cats indoors.
Alison Jones’ cat Eclipse is one of the latest Westwood cats to disappear.
Eclipse doesn’t normally go outdoors – Jones can only recall one previous attempt to leave the house, during which, scared, she didn’t leave the property.
But when Jones woke up Monday morning, Eclipse was nowhere to be found.
Jones says she doesn’t know what’s responsible for the disappearance of neighbourhood cats.
“It could honestly be anything,” she says.
Animal control officials have a working theory for the missing pets – coyotes.
Guelph Humane Society animal control officer Megan Swan says some dismembered cat corpses have been found, but mangled in such a way that they were likely attacked by an animal.
“We haven’t received any evidence to suggest that this was an act of animal cruelty,” she says.
The harsh winter of 2013-14 has killed off some smaller animals the coyotes normally feast on, the theory goes – and that’s sent the coyotes further into the city as they search for food.
“Peoples’ outdoor pets are becoming more at risk,” Swan says.
The Humane Society recommends pet owners don’t leave pets alone outdoors, register and identify their pets, and refrain from putting garbage out the night before pickup – because garbage sitting outside before dusk can attract coyotes.
