For the last three days the cats have been bringing in what look a bit like the last 3-4 inches of a fluffy cat's tail and leaving it on the lounge carpet. The first one had no blood on it, so I wrote it off as some toy they'd found. However, the one I found in the early hours of this morning looked raw at the severed part, a bit like meat.
I haven't seen Pebbles for two days. It's unusual for my cats not to come when called for food. They could miss one night (having been fed by a neighbour) but never two. Pebbles is one of Lucy's sons and doesn't have a white spot on the end of his tail, as the other two (Cydric and George) do.
I've been thinking lots about the severed tails. They are grey and very fluffy; a bit like squirrels' tails. I googled images of grey squirrel tails and they are identical to the ones the cats have brought in. So I wonder if one of the new student intake has been on a grey squirrel cull, chopping off the tails as trophies, and my cats have been pinching them?
If the squirrels are being shot or trapped, I can't help wondering whether Pebbles has been caught up in this, maybe caught in a trap and killed, or shot.
I've now locked the cat flap, intending to keep the other five in before I move house on November 14th. It's locked so that they can come in, but not go out, just in case Pebbles comes home.
I don't have any photos of Pebbles, but he looks very much like his mum Lucy, except for the position of their markings and facial expressions. Both are mostly white with patches of brownish tabby. Lucy has a serious expression, but Pebbles' is more playful.
I'm really worried about what has happened to him, especially with someone killing squirrels in the area.
I'd be grateful for ideas about action I can take and thoughts about the situation.