A man has been arrested after around a dozen cats went missing in Liège province, sparking growing concern among pet owners in the region.
Over the past couple of weeks, between 10 and 15 cats vanished within days around Seraing and Saint-Nicolas in Liège region, SudInfo reports.
It all started on 10 April, when a six-year-old cat named Shenzi was abducted in Ougrée. The animal’s owner reported that “a man arrived on a scooter, grabbed the cat by the head and put it in his trunk” before fleeing. Two days later, the cat was found dead and mutilated in Saint-Nicolas.
In the days that followed, similar reports multiplied on social media. Witnesses repeatedly described a man riding a grey scooter, suspected of luring cats with food before taking them away. “Between 10 and 15 animals are believed to have disappeared in the same neighbourhood in about ten days,” Valérie Maes, mayor of Saint-Nicolas, told Sudinfo.
Local residents expressed growing fear, particularly as the missing animals were not strays but domestic pets.
Investigation and arrest
Faced with the surge in reports, the Ans/Saint-Nicolas police launched an investigation, which the mayor said was being taken “very seriously”. The case quickly escalated to the judicial level.
The Liège public prosecutor’s office confirmed that a judicial investigation was opened on 17 April to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incidents. In that context, a man born in 2002 – already known to the authorities – was identified and taken into custody. During questioning, he admitted to stealing several cats and to killing at least one.
The suspect has since been charged with theft and violations of the Walloon Animal Welfare Code. He has been placed under an arrest warrant by an investigating judge and faces up to 10 years in prison, along with a significant fine.
