WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Paula Singleton was left horrified after reportedly discovering over a dozen dead cats in a disused fish pond at an empty Coventry home, including her own two missing pets
A woman from Coventry was left horrified and in shock after discovering her pets among over a dozen deceased cats in an abandoned fish pond at a vacant property.
Paula Singleton stumbled upon the gruesome scene on Sunday (17 May) following reports of a dead cat in the garden of a house up for sale in Canley. With two of her own cats missing, she decided to investigate – but nothing could have prepared her for the horrifying sight that awaited her.
She discovered several cats floating on the surface of a large pond, reportedly 20 ft long, 10ft wide and 6ft deep, instantly recognising her two missing pets.
“I just went into pure shock,” she confessed to Coventry Live. “It instantly made me feel ill.”
Initially, Paula reached out to the RSPCA but claims she was told that since the cats were already dead, it was ‘nothing to do with them’ and she should instead contact Coventry City Council. She said the council then redirected her back to the RSPCA.
Feeling she had no other option, Paula returned to the property and began the heartbreaking task of removing the cats from the pond herself. The distraught animal lover started retrieving her beloved pets, only to uncover more remains beneath the surface.
“When I started to get the cats out, the heads of other cats started to surface,” she revealed. “By the night time I had found 11 heads, three whole cats and body parts everywhere.”
Paula suspects as many as 16 cats may have ended up in the pond over time. The remains of one cat were found in the garden, its head, tail and legs removed.
“I spent the whole of Sunday fishing out parts of cats and putting rocks into the pool so if anything else fell in it could get out,” she said.
Paula suspects that some of the injuries she discovered on the intact cats seemed suspicious. Given the number of cats found dead, Paula believes someone might be to blame.
“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 making further calls, Paula said a case was opened by the council involving the police, the homeowner and the RSPCA. The house at the centre of the case is believed to have been on the market for several months after previously being let out by the owner.
An RSPCA inspector later visited the property and Paula says she concurred that something untoward had occurred.
“The lady who came out agreed there could be foul play,” Paula said. “She thought post-mortems should be done because of the injuries and the amount of cats found there.”
However, Paula says she was subsequently told there would be no post-mortems unless she paid privately, with a quote of £300 per cat.
Paula is calling for an investigation and for the pond to be made safe. She also hopes to connect some of the deceased cats with their owners.
“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.”
A West Midlands Police spokesperson told us: “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.”
A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “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.”
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