Cat owners have been warned over a spate of cruel and bizarre attacks whereby felines have been shaved of their fur.
The attacker has been targeting cats with hair clippers in Kent over recent weeks, with more than 50 reports of the pets being pruned.
While luckily none of the targets have yet come home physically hurt, animal welfare organisations have issued a warning in case the attacks escalate.
The odd chain of events began in December, said Medway organisation Animals Lost and Found, as people began reporting their cats coming home stripped of the fur.
"Everyone in the community is very worried about their cats," said the group's founder, Natasha McPhee.
"These sorts of things may seem small because the animals aren't coming home injured," she said.
"But, as everyone is aware, these sorts of things can escalate."
The majority of the attacks appear to have been clustered around the Chatham and Rochester area, according to a map drawn up by Ms McPhee to make cat owners aware.
However, shaving attacks have been reported further afield, stretching as far as Dover, Broadstairs and, in the other direction, Barking in east London.
Cat owners in the towns of Gillingham, Cranbrook, Ashford, and Ramsgate have also noticed their moggies having been shaved.
The RSPCA has since been made aware of the events, and has urged owners to keep cats indoors at night and to report incidents either to them, or to police.
Chief Inspector Patrick Hamby said: "We may not be able to do something right away as it's very difficult if you have no leads to go on, but it lets us know what is going on and the areas it is happening in, so we can concentrate more in those areas."
"If a cat has been shaved, it would have had to have been held down by someone they don't know, which would put a lot of stress on the cat," he added.
"Your cat may show signs of not wanting to go out anymore, or wanting to go out much less."
