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An unidentified woman has been arrested following a grisly discovery inside her home and inside a shed located on the premises.
At a press conference on June 10, representatives for the Kumamoto City Animal Protection Center announced that police arrested the woman, who belonged to an animal protection group, on suspicion of violating Japan’s Animal Protection Law. The investigation resulted in around 150 dead cats being found on her property in Kita Ward after a complaint against her was made in late May.
On May 27, a cat owner who had relinquished a cat to the woman contacted her to ask for the cat back. “I asked for the cat back,” they said, “but it was dead. I saw signs of abuse, such as the skin peeling off its legs.” According to Japanese media reports, the woman was reported to the Kumamoto City Animal Protection Center, but it wasn’t the first time.
The Kumamoto City Animal Protection Center reportedly received complaints about the woman in July and November of 2024. The woman had been volunteering for an organization that rehomes cats and dogs since 2020, and at the time, she’d had at least 20 cats in her care, including some that had reportedly died. Animal welfare officials claimed that they were only able to check the outside of the woman’s home last year, and that their investigations didn’t reveal signs of animal abuse.
The latest search resulted in 150 deceased cats, some thoroughly decomposed, and only 12 cats that were still alive.
