Is Someone Killing Cats In Oak Forest?

OAK FOREST, IL — Neighbors are concerned after two cats have been discovered deceased in Oak Forest in recent days, with no apparent or noticeable causes.

The cats have been found within the last 7-10 days, both in grassy areas, with no discernible injuries such as being hit by a car. The most recent cat was discovered near 155th Street and Natalie Drive. Residents fear that someone might be purposely poisoning or killing area cats, or inadvertently leaving out poison for vermin that the cats consume.

A member of a private Oak Forest neighborhood Facebook group shared an image of the most recently discovered cat, in hopes of alerting its family that their pet had potentially been found deceased.

"This doesn’t look like a natural death and it looks extremely similar to the last cat that was posted," one group member noted. "If someone is harming these cats something needs to be done ASAP."

The cat's condition is not necessarily obvious from the picture—there is no noticeable blood or injury as though it had been struck by a car or attacked by another animal.

The Facebook group is working to determine the most recent cat's owner, but also is vocalizing concerns that someone could be harming beloved local cats. Or it could be a result of people working to eradicate wildlife from their properties by leaving poison out for them to consume.

A grey tabby cat found deceased a week earlier appeared young, thin, and some surmised its death could have been heat-related. There was no obvious sign of injury, said commenter and feral cat caretaker Amanda Embree.

Embree said there have also been reports of missing feral colony cats, some which have been TNR'ed (trapped-neutured-returned), and registered, others that were not caught yet to do so. There is always a chance that they were caught by coyotes, one commenter said, though some of them disappeared right around the same time, so it's hard to know for certain what happened to them.

Embree encourages those with indoor cats to be increasingly vigilant and proactive in protecting their beloved pets.

"I think it's really important for people to understand the dangers behind allowing their indoor cats to roam, unsupervised, outside, including their cat's threat to local wildlife. There are so many risks they take by letting their pet wander the neighborhood, and there are people out there who don't appreciate cats being on their property," Embree said.

"Bigger predators, traffic, poison, fighting with feral cats, and disease are only a few things that can cut the life short of someone's pet cat when they are allowed to walk about unsupervised. Catios, pet strollers, and harnesses with leashes are excellent means of letting your pet enjoy the outdoors safely."

Embree—who helps trap feral cats and also cares for those in the TNR program—said she would not be surprised if someone is harming cats outdoor in their vicinity, making it imperative that those with indoor cats are keeping a watchful eye on them.

"All some of us want are for cat owners to be more responsible in this aspect, and to be extra vigilant in case there is something more devious at work," Embree said. "I will never put it past an annoyed or frustrated neighbor to harm a cat they dislike because it's a reality in many places."

Many group members recommended taking the deceased cat for testing to determine if it consumed something that caused its death.

"Some family somewhere is devastated right now," one group member wrote. "Let’s try to keep that in mind. Testing is a great idea as many homeowners get fed up with wild life for numerous reasons and decide to lay out poison. Sadly this cat could have simply eaten a mouse that had eaten poisonous bait and died."

Another resident is angry and wanting to get to the root of the problem.

"Neighbors, two cats have been found deceased in a very short amount of time in a similar fashion. If you are one to let your pets wander PLEASE keep them inside!" the group member wrote. "I have a strong feeling that someone is poisoning cats or putting out poison for rodents that the cats are then consuming, so it is killing them."