And you thought cat burglars were menacing.
Residents of Mifune, Kumamoto Prefecture, in Japan will be cat-proofing every window and door to their homes after this terrifying and downright incredulous crime.
According to Japan Today, the investigation into the attempted murder of an elderly Japanese woman has authorities pointing their fingers at an unlikely main suspect: a neighborhood stray cat.
The woman, Mayuko Matsumoto, 82, was found in her home by her daughter on Nov. 6 with nearly two dozen cuts to her face.
“When we found her, blood covered everything above her chin. Her face was soaked in blood. I didn’t know what had happened,” Matsumoto’s daughter told local broadcaster RKK.
Matsumoto is reportedly unable to speak, so she cannot name her attacker. Investigators have not found any evidence of forced entry. No people are suspected of entering or exiting the home during the time of the crime.
However, police soon realized that the lacerations on the victim’s face were strikingly similar to cat scratches. The “paw-printing” of furry suspects in close vicinity to the woman’s home eventually led to one suspicious feline. This particular stray cat was found with traces of human blood on its body.
“Police are analyzing a blood sample taken from the claw of the cat which might have scratched the victim,” national broadcaster NHK reports.
Although a police rep declined to directly comment on the case, AFP reports that investigators do not dispute the media claims.
Considering the nation’s love of cats, especially strays, we have no doubt the feline in custody will be given a fair trial: innocent until proven a guilty cat.