Residents Warned to Avoid Cat Which Fell Into Container of Toxic Chemicals

Residents in Fukuyama, Japan have been warned to stay away from a stray cat after officials determined it had fallen into a tank of dangerous chemicals at a local factory. BBC and local outlet Asahi Shimbun reported the news.

Employees at the Nomura Plating Fukuyama Factory, within the Hiroshima prefecture, were first tipped off to a strange occurrence on Monday morning when they found yellow paw prints leading away from a chemical tank. They reviewed security tape from the previous evening, which featured damning footage of a feline trespasser running from the scene, leaving tiny, toxic prints in its wake.

X (formerly Twitter) user Volcaholic posted footage of both the cat’s escape and the evidence it left behind.

Footprints that led away from the vat.... pic.twitter.com/Gfj9RhcyDT

— Volcaholic ???? (@volcaholic1) March 13, 2024

It’s believed that the cat made its way into a vat of hexavalent chromium, an orange-brown colored chemical which is used in metal plating. It’s extremely acidic and carcinogenic, and must be handled using gloves and face masks. It can cause lung cancer if inhaled, as well as skin irritation, diarrhea, heart failure, respiratory problems, and blindness.

A spokesperson for Nomura Plating admitted that the factory’s chemical safety protocols were lax, at best. The 11-foot-tall container of hexavalent chromium accessed by the curious feline was covered only with a sheet; and part of it had been turned over by the cat, spilling some of its contents on the floor.

"The incident woke us up to the need to take measures to prevent small animals like cats from sneaking in, which is something we had never anticipated before," the spokesperson told AFP (via BBC).

Officials at Fukuyama’s Environmental Conservation Division (ECD) are urging the public to steer clear of the cat, and to immediately contact local authorities if they see the animal lurking about. Nippon TV News reported that authorities went around to local schools telling students that they should by no means touch any felines they see.

“If you find a cat that appears abnormal, please do not touch it, and contact the city or police,” ECD officials told Asahi.

Unfortunately, officials couldn’t provide an exact description of the cat. While they told the public to simply not approach any feline that seemed at all suspicious, they admitted there was a chance the animal died after coming into contact with the chemical. There has been no official sighting of the cat since Tuesday afternoon.