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AIBU?

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Original poster

Found a cat paw in the raised bed

98 replies

ExpectingToFly · 28/04/2020 22:29

So we moved into our house 17 months ago. We had the back garden completely returfed and two raised beds put in for vegetables etc. They are about 6ft x 3ft.
At the weekend I was digging in one of the beds and I thought I saw a cats paw sticking out. I only let myself look for a brief second as I felt so freaked out so I quickly put mud back on top. I then went to sort the kids out and sort of forgot about it.
I mentioned to my husband in the evening that I thought something weird was in the vegetable patch and could he check but he just laughed it off and even I thought it was probably just a branch or something...

Yesterday I wanted to plant some seeds in and remembered about the weird thing so asked my husband to check. Which he did.. he went really quiet and said it really was a cats paw. Envy I felt so awful. How did it get there? Is it definitely a cat? Is it all of a cat? Who did it? It feels so sinister 😥
He did a bit more digging and said he found another paw but the kids were around so he stopped.
He rang the RSPCA but they couldn't do anything and said to contact local environmental health
Thry said to put it in a bag and they will collect it

I am too scared to dig it up and I think my husband is too. We just put a patio slab ontop for now Sad
WTF is going on?! Do you think someone climbed over our fence and buried a cat? We live in a seaside town....I joked maybe s seagull had done it

Confused
OP posts:
BillHadersNewWife · 29/04/2020 02:05

Just Googled and fixed scavenge dead cats. I know already that they bury their food to retrieve another day.

BillHadersNewWife · 29/04/2020 02:05

Foxes not fixed.

HoomanMoomin · 29/04/2020 02:05

Aren’t cats and rabbits quite similar? Could it be a rabbit that fox had killed and buried? Obviously it’s not impossible for fox to do the same with a cat, so I reckon it was that.

caringcarer · 29/04/2020 02:42

We buried our pet 17 year old cat in our garden, but in a box and 4 foot deep and then a paving slab on the top to stop dogs from digging it up. Sounds like someone has deliberately burried their cat in your raised bed. Very odd. It must be recent or it would have decomposed. Not much RSPCA can do once the cat is dead unless you have suspect.

Klonda · 29/04/2020 02:50

Just replant them. Kittens soon!

Worstyear2020 · 29/04/2020 02:51

I buried my dead hamsters in my mum's garden...

RandomSelection · 29/04/2020 07:03

I am too scared to dig it up and I think my husband is too. We just put a patio slab ontop for now

Why on earth would you be "scared" of a dead animal and feel the need to put a patio slab on top of it?! Pet Cemetery is NOT real you know!! Confused And how do you know it's a cat if it's just two paws? IS it just two solitary dismembered paws or is there the rest of the body? Is there fur or just bones? It's probably either a pet that was buried there and with the digging has come up or a fox has buried it's dinner...

Just dig it up and either rebury it somewhere you aren't planning on digging in or wrap it up well in a black bin liner and shove it in your bin. It's no different to a chicken carcass.

Gtugccbjb · 29/04/2020 07:09

I don’t know why but this thread made me laugh out loud. It would terrify me if it happened to me but I think you’ll have to chalk it up to something you will never get the answer to. But it won’t stop you wondering whether there’s a psycho cat killer roaming your garden. Or even worse zombie suicidal cats.

Gtugccbjb · 29/04/2020 07:10

You’re going to have to dig it up though... when the kids arnt looking.

Peppafrig · 29/04/2020 07:12

Did you think the RSPCA could come out and revive it?

SnapAndFartAllDayLong · 29/04/2020 07:14

Is it just the paws you found? Very odd if just the paws and not the whole cat.

ScreamingKid · 29/04/2020 07:16

I'd say it's a fox.

covetingthepreciousthings · 29/04/2020 07:21

Not wanting to point blame... but another thought I'd had was could it be a scenario where your DH (or kids if there teens?) has accidentally killed a cat - backed car over it maybe? And then panicked and buried it in the raised bed? But too ashamed to own up?

Probably too far fetched for an explanation, but possibly more likely than a complete random burying a cat in your back garden in the last 17 months.

teqcar · 29/04/2020 07:22

I thought chips went into neck flesh, not paws, so scanning won't be any use.

I presumed the whole cat was there but only paws unearthed so far.

It probably was a fox.

Mucklowe · 29/04/2020 07:23

Just replant them. Kittens soon!

😂😂😂

EdwinaMay · 29/04/2020 07:33

I would say fox.
A human wouldn't 'hide' something in an obviously new veg bed. Nor would you bother to bury your cat in someone else's garden knowing it might be dug up.

Daisydoesnt · 29/04/2020 07:38

Oh my god some of the responses on here are bonkers!! I am sorry but if you accidentally killed/ ran over a cat and wanted to get rid of the body, wouldn't you sling it in a hedge, or put it in a bin liner and chuck it in a wheelie bin? Not go to the trouble of digging a hole in someone's back garden?

I'd lay money on the paws coming in with the new soil for the raised beds.

That top soil could have been taken from a garden - say when they were landscaping their garden, or digging out the footings for a new extension. Digger disturbs remains of buried pet cat, which are then deposited in your raised bed.

okiedokieme · 29/04/2020 07:48

It's probably the previous owners pet they buried, there's two dogs in my garden, complete with roughly hewn gravestones

ponchek · 29/04/2020 07:55

*Klondike:
Just replant them - kittens soon!!

😂😂😂😂😂👌

Literally made me cry with laughter.

donquixotedelamancha · 29/04/2020 07:55

Just replant them. Kittens soon!

:-)

ponchek · 29/04/2020 07:56

Klonda!!!!! 😅 autocorrect got me as eyes still blurred with tears of laughter!

KnobwithaK · 29/04/2020 07:56

Most likely a buried pet. Sorry to be gross but a cats paw is a lot of bony stuff and fur, but not much flesh, so prob takes a while to rot away. Could have been cut off by your spade or by a fox etc.

When I saw the title I was thinking of a high sleeper bed, so was actually quite relieved when I realised you meant in the garden!

KnobwithaK · 29/04/2020 07:58

@Klonda you are a terrible person Grin

Handsnotwands · 29/04/2020 08:26

A fox buried our neighbours rabbit in our veg patch

Original poster
ExpectingToFly · 29/04/2020 08:36

Hi everyone, thank you so much for all your replies. Sorry I have left it so long to answer your questions!

We live on the Kent coast
Yes I'm not sure why we called the RSPCA first, my husband called them! They were very kind though and suggested we report to our council but the guy did say he had never heard of anything like this :( - I was hoping they might reassure us and say it happens all the time?! haha - sorry i know it isn't funny but I have to keep a sense of humour about this otherwise it is just so f*ing sinister!

Last March we got a garden company to come an returf the garden. The rotavated the existing grass etc first and then dug out and levelled the garen because we are on a slight hill. They then brought in the railway sleepers to build the two raised beds. I am not sure where they got the soil to fill the planters from. I will message them.
Then they used new turf to lay the rest of the lawn

The paw was still furry

My husband has had a look and confirmed that there are two paws (furry and black) but we have not yet been brave enough to dig further

I only planted some cauliflower plugs there two weeks ago so I genuinely think it was recently put there?

I like the suggestions about foxes. Great idea about cats protection league might call them later

Agree that it would be good to scan the chip if it is a cat so hoping our council will do that

Just spoken to my husband and he has promised to dig it out today so I will keep you all posted in this grim story 🙀😅

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