A woman has recounted the harrowing discovery of more than a dozen dead cats floating in the fish pond of an unoccupied house in Canley, Coventry. Paula Singleton, a local resident, made the gruesome find on Sunday after hearing reports of a deceased cat in the garden of a property that had been put up for sale.
Concerned for her own two missing cats, Ms. Singleton went to investigate and was confronted with a distressing scene. The large pond, measuring approximately 20 feet by 10 feet and with a depth of 6 feet, contained several dead animals. She immediately recognised her own cats among them. "I just went into pure shock. It instantly made me feel ill," she said.
Lack of Initial Support
Ms. Singleton contacted the RSPCA but claims she was told that because the cats were already dead, it was not their responsibility, and she should contact Coventry City Council. The council, in turn, directed her back to the RSPCA. Left without immediate assistance, she decided to remove the cats herself. It was then that the full extent of the horror became apparent. "When I started to get the cats out, the heads of other cats started to surface," she recounted. "By the night time I had found 11 heads, three whole cats and body parts everywhere."
Ms. Singleton believes as many as 16 cats may have ended up in the pond over time. The remains of one cat were found in the garden, with its head, tail, and legs removed. She spent the entire Sunday fishing out cat parts and placing rocks in the pool to prevent further animals from falling in.
Suspicions of Foul Play
Ms. Singleton noted that some of the injuries on the intact cats appeared suspicious. Combined with the large number of cats discovered, she suspects human involvement. "My ginger cat had part of his bottom jaw missing and another had blood around his face," she said. "All their claws were broken from struggling. It felt like foul play."
After further calls, the council opened a case involving the police, the homeowner, and the RSPCA. The property is understood to have been for sale for several months, having previously been rented out by the owner. An RSPCA inspector later attended and agreed that something untoward had occurred. "The lady who came out agreed there could be foul play," Ms. Singleton said. "She thought post-mortems should be done because of the injuries and the amount of cats found there."
However, Ms. Singleton was later informed that post-mortems would only be conducted if she paid privately, at a cost of £300 per cat. She is calling for a full investigation and for the pond to be made safe. She also hopes to link some of the dead cats to their owners through microchip scanning. "I want to be there when the pond is drained," she said. "I want them to scan for microchips so other owners can at least get some answers. It's left me completely in shock. I wasn't able to eat for days, every time I tried I just kept thinking of those poor cats."
Official Response
A West Midlands police spokesman said: "We were called to a vacant property in Howcotte Green, Coventry earlier this week after the remains of a number of cats were found. We are working with partners including Coventry City Council and the RSPCA, who are leading the investigation."
An RSPCA spokesperson added: "We’re very concerned about the discovery of deceased cats and our thoughts are with the owners. We’re investigating and are asking anyone with evidence or information to contact us on 0300 123 8018 quoting incident number 01804675."
