When Larissa and Greg Robinson’s cat Bosco went missing early last week they were concerned. 

When the Persian x Mainecoon turned up the next day, their initial relief quickly gave way to concern, as Bosco’s stomach had been shaved. 

Bosco then disappeared again, and when he returned over 24 hours later, he was sporting a new look – his mane had been cut and his long hair trimmed all over. 

While Bosco obviously can’t tell them what happened, his behaviour since his return clearly indicates that however he got his haircut, it was traumatic for him. 

He’s more skittish, said Larissa, and no longer happy to sleep with their 10-year-old daughter at night as he’s less relaxed than he used to be. 

Larissa said there’s no way Bosco would have happily let someone do this to him. 

“The thing that concerns me is that we have pet clippers, and he does not like them even with someone holding him, so I wonder how they have managed to do this to him twice. I hope they haven’t sedated him.” 

Bosco before his mane was cut. 

The couple, who live in Roslyn, spoke to their vet about the mystery, and also posted on Facebook about it. 

While the vet hadn’t heard of any other cases of cats coming home with haircuts, several other cat owners on Facebook had similar stories of their cat disappearing for a while and returning home with part of their fur shaved. 

One such owner was Shannyn Harris who lives in the West End area of Palmerston North. 

Her cat Hissy, a domestic white short hair, has had several run-ins with the phantom cat-shaver, she said. 

He’s gone missing a few times in the past six months and each time has returned with sections of his fur shaved, with shaved patches ranging in size from 10 to 30cm. 

It’s not just the mysterious shaving that worries her, but that whoever is doing this is actually hurting him in doing so. 

“Sometimes he would come home bleeding from where he had been shaved and it had caught his skin – his shaved patches were always right down to the skin.” 

As Hissy’s name implies, he’s not the sort of cat who would willingly approach a stranger, she said. 

“He is a very unfriendly cat, hence the name, and would never approach a human he didn’t know.” 

Karen Grantley's mother was confused when her cat Koda came home with his stomach shaved. 

Harris said each time Hissy returned after a run-in with the phantom cat barber, he would behave differently for a while, staying inside for the next few days which he never normally does. 

She put a tracking collar on him but the first time he went out afterwards he came home without it and she was never able to track it again. 

“The shaving went on for around 6 months, going from days to weeks between episodes.” 

She said the last time it happened Hissy came home with a large area around his bottom shaved, so she went door knocking and asked her neighbours if their cats were also being shaved. 

“No one around us was having issues with their cats, however, it hasn’t happened since.” 

Koda was friendly before the incident but has since been nervier. 

Harris is concerned by the motivation of whoever is doing it. 

“Shaving a side of a cat is one thing but shaving a bottom area is quite alarming and this seems to be becoming quite common.” 

Karen Grantley said her 82-year-old mother’s tabby cat, Koda, was another victim of unwanted grooming. 

She said her mother, who lives in Awapuni, first noticed Koda had been shaved in April, and since then it has happened three or four times. 

“Each time he has come home he is sore from obviously being held down. It was strange because the shaving is from the top of his belly down to his back legs – very clearly shaved.” 

Just like Bosco and Hissy, Koda behaved noticeably differently after he had been shaved, said Grantley. 

Koda had been hand-raised and bottle-fed from when he was 2 weeks old, so he was very friendly and loved people. 

Since he has been shaved, however, he has become much nervier and on edge. 

“To have this happen to Koda is both distressing and disturbing.” 

SPCA scientific officer Dr Alison Vaughan said the organisation has received a complaint about a cat being shaved in Palmerston North and they are making inquiries. 

She said the process of shaving has the potential to create welfare and health issues for the cat. 

“The catching, restraining, clipper noises and the sensation could be distressing experiences for a cat. Cats may also be hurt during the restraining and clipping if it’s rough.” 

She said the SPCA recommends that anyone whose cats appear to have been shaved take them to their veterinarian for a once-over to check for injury as cats can be very stoic and may hide their pain. 

“We also encourage cat owners to consider keeping their cat at home to help reduce the likelihood of risks to their cat’s welfare, such as these encounters.”