More than 100 people gathered at night for a vigil for Max, a missing rescue cat whose tail was posted through his owners’ letterbox in west Hull.
Owners Louise, 45, and Lisa, 47, last saw the tabby cat on September 14 in the shared garden of their flat on Appleton Road. Five days later, Max’s white-tipped tail was stashed in the communal letterbox. The couple found Max’s body in a woodland near Cropton Road on September 19.
Candle-lit tribute outside owners’ home
Yesterday, mourners paid tribute to Max at a candle-lit vigil outside Louise and Lisa’s building. ‘Max shone a light in our darkest days; we won’t give up until we get justice done,’ Lisa told well-wishers.
‘We have to remember the good memories and his cheeky face – not how he ended up but how he lived. He was an amazing cat.’ She added: ‘Max will never be forgotten, he’s leaving a legacy of pure love and joy that will never be replaced.’
Community response and forensic testing
Vigil-goers lit candles and placed them under Max’s favourite tree, wrapped with yellow ribbons scribbled with tributes. Lisa thanked police for ‘going above and beyond’ by analysing the tail for forensic testing.
Lisa said that the vigil showed that Max was ‘loved’, with Birmingham local Lydia D’Aulerio driving more than three hours to pay her respects. ‘We should stand together against animal abuse, it is horrific,’ she said.
Cat owners concerned over safety
Many cat owners said Max’s death has put them off letting their pets outside. This includes James Everett, of Cropton Road, whose grandmother found Max’s body. ‘It’s been tough for everyone, there’s been a very uneasy atmosphere,’ James said.
For neighbour Simone Robinson, Max was a ‘lovey cat’ whose death has ‘shaken’ the community. ‘Max was just a poor, innocent animal – it makes you think, what would they do next?’ she added. ‘I’ve got five cats and since we found out what happened to Max, I just hold them tight every day and every night.’
Fundraiser and police appeal
Lisa started a JustGiving page to raise money to get ‘justice for Max’, with more than 130 people chipping in £1,500 at the time of writing. ‘The dastardly coward who took our Max, killed, mutilated and then returned part of his body to us through our letterbox,’ she wrote on the fundraiser. ‘Someone out there must have information or evidence that can help arrest this evil entity who committed the heinous crime against an innocent, helpless animal.’
The police told Metro that anyone with information about Max should call the non-emergency number 101. The force said: ‘Officers were called to reports of a cat’s tail being pushed through the letterbox of an address on Appleton Road in Hull at around 12.30pm on September 19. ‘Officers attended the scene and an investigation was launched in an attempt to establish the full circumstances leading up to the incident, and officers are in contact with relevant partner organisations.’
More than 15,000 pet cats in the UK are missing, according to the National Peter Reigster at the time of writing.
