Something is happening in Bangor, Maine. The cats are vanishing, and they’re not coming back. In the Fairmount neighborhood, 16 cats have disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again, which has devastated their owners. Previously, missing pets would be found—that’s not what’s happening here. The spike in the frequency of missing cats has also alarmed owners.
An officer with Bangor’s Animal Control told local media that she feels local wildlife is likely to blame. Cats running away or being stolen is also possible, but Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife does not believe it’s wildlife—foxes and coyotes have always been in the area. The Maine Wire, a project of the Maine Policy Institute, has more:
16 pet cats have suddenly disappeared in Bangor, Maine. No remains were found.
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 23, 2024
Experts don't believe an animal did this.
Bangor just had an influx of Haitians. pic.twitter.com/vUjPDHs0iR
As domestic animals, cats do not fall under within the jurisdiction of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW).
However, MDIFW does not believe that wildlife is to blame for this “sudden surge of cats disappearing.”
“We do not believe that wildlife is responsible,” said MDIFW Communications Director Mark Latti. “The neighborhood has had foxes, coyotes and fisher there for years without incident, yet during this recent time period of about two months, 16 cats disappeared.”
“If it were wildlife-related, you would not have seen that sudden surge of cats disappearing,” Latti said.
So, who or what is taking the cats? Since immigration has become a topic of discussion, one thing to keep an eye on is the influx of refugees into the area. There are scores of eyewitness accounts of pets being eaten in Ohio, with a 2023 video from Dayton showing cats being grilled. In Springfield, the city manager brought concerns about missing pets to the city council earlier this year. Then again, a bobcat was killed in the vicinity where the mass cat disappearances have been occurring.
Who’s taking the cats?