I found this story about 9 months ago. I just happened to follow up on the RSS feed. It looks like the art of cat ball shaving is alive and well in Virginia, USA. Hicks do the strangest things... then post them to Facebook.
Below this page break is the original article from this bizarre crime. I got an update asking me if there are any leads in this case. Maybe someone can help find the Notorious Cat Shaving Fiend of Waynesboro, Virginia.
I included the comment section of the Waynesboro-ians... Laugh your head off its ok...
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Virginia police look for person snatching, shaving neighborhood cats
At least 7 pets have been mysteriously shaved
Clint Davis
6:52 PM, Apr 28, 2017
12:10 PM, Apr 29, 2017
Police in Virginia are looking for the person who's been grabbing neighborhood cats and shaving them before turning them loose.
Waynesboro police said at least seven cats have been shaved without their owners' permission since December in the neighborhood of Tree Streets. According to The Roanoke Times, the felines being shaved are "clearly pets," based on the fact they are well groomed and wearing collars.
Flyers have been posted that warn residents of the Tree Streets that somebody is abducting cats and shaving their abdomen and groin areas.
As bizarre as this sounds, Waynesboro Police Department Captain Kelly Walker has confirmed that they have received reports of this happening, and that they appear to be valid. The flyers were posted with his approval.
This flyer was on Maple Avenue, near Fishburne Military School and the Catholic Church, and this picture was submitted by Sarah Dawn Norris.
Our world grows stranger and stranger, with each passing day.
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Fenia Lasair, Summer Brooke Sipe, Adam Wielgus and 37 others like this.
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Jan Miletich
Jan Miletich People are doing trap neuter and release. If your cat is roaming free it might get caught.
5 · April 27, 2017 at 3:53pm
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Dutch Waldbauer
Dutch Waldbauer Evidently the snowflakes have invaded the Tree Streets. Up on Fairway Hill, cats roam free. My neighbors' cats come by for breakfast. They'll come inside and take a nap with my cats. I'm sure my cat visits my neighbors' cats and gets the same treatment. People need to loosen up and let cats be cats. And yes, I do remember a day before leash laws and dogs could roam free. I miss having neighbors' dogs come by for a visit and a biscuit.
11 · April 27, 2017 at 4:25pm
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Waynesboro.Com
Waynesboro.Com The Tree Streets is a neighborhood in Waynesboro. Snowflake is a political term that is intended to irritate.
3 · April 29, 2017 at 6:11am · Edited
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Kaleb Litchfield
Kaleb Litchfield Macy Lee Robinson Joseph Peyton Sheridan
1 · April 27, 2017 at 4:58pm
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1 Reply
Amanda Barr
Amanda Barr Nick Walge
April 27, 2017 at 5:16pm
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Amanda Wiseman
Amanda Wiseman Sounds like some sicko has a little to much time on their hands. Probably a lot of scratch marks too. If they r holding cats down and shaving them. Get a job and a life people, geeeez.
2 · April 27, 2017 at 6:09pm
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Allen Mac
Allen Mac Rebecca
April 27, 2017 at 6:29pm
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Jo Anne Howell Sitterson
Jo Anne Howell Sitterson Sounds like they are getting them spayed to control the population. If you let your cats run free and they are NOT fixed, then you are an irresponsible pet owner!
18 · April 27, 2017 at 6:39pm
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7 Replies
Heather Edwards
Heather Edwards TNR will usually result in a left ear tipping ao people are aware that they have been fixed. Also a possibility.. Cats who have anxiety tend to start excessively grooming themselves which the loss of hair can defintely resemble that of shaving. As well as allergies. Especially flea hypersensitivity which typically cause the missing fur down the back and back legs too. Not to menrion.. 80 to 90 % of all cats carry Ringworm spores and when immune systems drop will cause either localized or generalized (all over) areas of alopecia...
8 · April 27, 2017 at 7:58pm · Edited
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Savannah Welch Strebeck
Savannah Welch Strebeck It's probably a rescue organization attempting to neuter/spay stray cats. After being fixed they are released as cats on streets are assumed feral if not chipped or collared.
6 · April 27, 2017 at 10:01pm
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Elaine Poole Ellinger
Elaine Poole Ellinger Yes, guessing they are going to spay or neuter them if not already done. My female rescue cat had been shaved by vet because he couldn't see the stitches where she had already been spayed a couple years ago. Guess someone is trying to keep down stray cat population.
1 · April 28, 2017 at 5:34am
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1 Reply
Debbie Garcia
Debbie Garcia Keep your cats indoors, simple solution
5 · April 28, 2017 at 6:47am
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Jessica Huffer
Jessica Huffer It sounds like a TNR thing to me...if so, who cares?!? Are you seriously going to complain that someone fixed your cat for free?!?
4 · April 28, 2017 at 6:54am
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4 Replies
Ansel Seeds
Ansel Seeds You are right strange stuff many satanic
April 28, 2017 at 9:10am
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Adin Brubaker
Adin Brubaker Isabella Jones
April 28, 2017 at 9:18am
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Rosemary Shepherd Wilcher
Rosemary Shepherd Wilcher This is bizarre and awful.
April 28, 2017 at 9:44am
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Amanda Forbes
Amanda Forbes Maybe they are being fixed or checked for spay scars.
April 28, 2017 at 10:01am
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1 Reply
Guy May
Guy May
April 28, 2017 at 10:38am
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Heather Miller
Heather Miller We have had to intentionally shave our long hair cats. They are indoor and outdoor cats. They come and go as they please. They are up to date on all shots and meds and fixed when they were old enough. They were strictly indoor cats until they became territorial. We had to put pet doors in so they could go in and out. With shedding so awful with my dog and 2 cats I'm ready to shave them all myself 😅
April 28, 2017 at 12:59pm
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Andrea Mook
Andrea Mook sick people
April 28, 2017 at 1:15pm
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Kiri Blakeley
Kiri Blakeley My theory would be someone who is shaving to check for a spay scar. Someone who would probably spay if the cat isn't spayed already.
6 · April 28, 2017 at 2:27pm
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Judith Johnson
Judith Johnson We own a male gray tabby. I had made 4 appointments to get him neutered with instructions not to feed him after midnight the night before each scheduled surgery. Every time he took off during the day before & couldnt be found. About a month ago he came...See More
12 · April 28, 2017 at 4:19pm
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Becky West Roder
Becky West Roder Growing up every cat we had was an indoor/outdoor cat and everyone of them was killed in the road. I saw one of them get hit. I knew, as an adult, that I would never let my cats go outdoors. They do just fine living indoors and enjoying fresh air when windows and doors are open. I hope you are able to figure out this mystery!
7 · April 28, 2017 at 4:26pm
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2 Replies
Kelly Dawson Hawker
Kelly Dawson Hawker Someone is randomly taking cats and having them fixed ???
2 · April 28, 2017 at 4:36pm
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1 Reply
Jessica Davis
Jessica Davis Sounds like TNR. Or some individual trapping and having them spayed or neutered. We have a lady in our neighborhood that traps them and pays for it herself.
4 · April 28, 2017 at 5:24pm
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1 Reply
Rosemary Stevens
Rosemary Stevens This story and Waynesboro.Com are in that model of good journalism, The Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/.../Mystery-Virginia-Someone...
2 · April 28, 2017 at 5:36pm
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Waynesboro.Com
Waynesboro.Com Oh mercy. Waynesboro could have used its 15 minutes of fame in a much more constructive manner.
3 · April 28, 2017 at 7:04pm · Edited
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Deb Saxe
Deb Saxe Umm, keep your cat indoors to keep stuff like this and worse from happening to them.
5 · April 28, 2017 at 6:22pm
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Kelli Waller
Kelli Waller http://www.snopes.com/2017/04/28/virginia-cat-shaving/...
2 · April 28, 2017 at 6:24pm
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2 Replies
Waynesboro.Com
Waynesboro.Com The story has reached New Zealand. http://www.newshub.co.nz/.../cat-shaving-mystery-baffles...
2 · April 28, 2017 at 7:37pm
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4 Replies
Renee L. Albright
Renee L. Albright Kitty, keep your pants on.
1 · April 28, 2017 at 7:43pm
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Gerald Anderson
Gerald Anderson Once caught, the person(s) should be charged with assault on the animals. No injury doesn't get them out of it. Not their companion, not their right; charge them with assault. - -DEA
April 28, 2017 at 8:34pm
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Waynesboro.Com
Waynesboro.Com Then, taxpayers would have to start paying for kitty prisons.
2 · April 29, 2017 at 3:22am
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Gerald Anderson
Gerald Anderson "The cats should be charged with trespassing." So, Jeff Nicholson, how is it you have such insight into the thoughts of the abductor(s)? --DEA
1 · April 28, 2017 at 10:12pm
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3 Replies
Robin Padgett
Robin Padgett Sounds like TNR, keep your pets indoors, and they won't get trapped.
2 · April 29, 2017 at 1:52am
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Nel Edwards
Nel Edwards Its news here in Tasmania Australia
2 · April 29, 2017 at 3:21am
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Ann Hubbard
Ann Hubbard My guess is that someone is trying to determine if the cats are spayed or neutered.
2 · April 29, 2017 at 4:13am
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Taylor DeWitt Johnson
Taylor DeWitt Johnson Lauren Conner 😅🤔🙄
3 · April 29, 2017 at 4:40am
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Waynesboro.Com
Waynesboro.Com Many thanks to People magazine for posting credit for the story to Waynesboro.Com. Some news outlets have neglected to do that. http://people.com/pets/police-investigate-shaved-cats/
4 · April 29, 2017 at 5:13am
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1 Reply
Terri Sears
Terri Sears Sounds to me like these cats have an allergy ( allergy season is in full swing in Waynesboro ) . See below :
"What is fur mowing? In short, the cat is licking off all his hair. Often the belly is nearly as bald as if it were shaved. Sometimes a Mohawk...See More
2 · April 29, 2017 at 5:15am · Edited
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2 Replies
Thomas Mcdonald
Thomas Mcdonald The cats are being spayed and neutered right.... that's why they are shaved. Am I crazy for thinking that
April 29, 2017 at 6:48am
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1 Reply
Aaron Grossman
Aaron Grossman Annie Layne, this is why I follow you!!!
April 29, 2017 at 6:57am
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1 Reply
Thomas McCartney
Thomas McCartney I have an alibi
2 · April 29, 2017 at 7:26am
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Craig Philemon
Craig Philemon Though I don't agree with this person's actions, I'll say this: it could be a whole hell of a lot worse! This person could be killing them. Thank goodness that is not the case. But again, it could be worse!
2 · April 29, 2017 at 8:44am
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1 Reply
Craig Philemon
Craig Philemon Why keep a cat indoors if it isn't an indoor cat??????!!!!!! For those of you who have litterboxes, more power to you. They freaking STINK AS HELL! I'd rather my cats go outside to do their poopy work!
April 29, 2017 at 8:45am
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3 Replies
Cheryl Sipe
Cheryl Sipe An employee of the Staunton SPCA has been trapping cats in the Tree Streets and has confirmed to the Waynesboro PD. It's part of a SNR (spay neuter release program) They received a large grant to trap and release cats as well as offer 20.00 spay/neute...See More
3 · April 30, 2017 at 5:59pm
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Bunni Gibson
Bunni Gibson Waynesboro.Com has been mentioned (sort of) on Snopes. http://www.snopes.com/2017/04/28/virginia-cat-shaving/
April 30, 2017 at 7:03pm
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2 Replies
Cheryl Turner
Cheryl Turner I am in Ashland. I have had cats that were shaved. My cats have 33 acres to roam. Someone came onto posted property to trap them and shave them. The very very pretty ones they kept. Mine are fixed. And it was repeated over and over. A clarification needs to be made. When a cat is spayed they do not shave the entire stomach and legs. Something very very weird is occurring.