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23 cats die from alleged poisoning, shocking Balikpapan residents
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Local residents, accompanied by a police man, remove the bodies of cats in a housing complex in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on Feb 25. (JP/N. Adri)
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early two dozen cats, both domesticated and stray, have been found dead on the main street of a housing complex in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, leaving local residents concerned that they might have been poisoned.
At least 23 cats as of Monday afternoon were found by residents of upscale Mahogany Cluster in the Wijaya Karya housing complex in Gunung Samarinda Baru subdistrict, North Balikpapan.
“The incident started last week,” neighborhood unit (RT) 09 chief Hery Purwadi said on Monday.
Residents first found the bodies of two stray cats last Tuesday near a security post in the housing complex, but no suspicions were raised then.
“They are stray cats, they eat everything,” Hery said, initially assuming that they died of normal causes.
Locals then buried the two cats in an empty lot in the neighborhood.
However, residents started to grow concerned the next day when pet cats began to fall sick and die.
“I saw Helo vomiting blood and feces was coming out of its anus,” Rusmawati said, speaking about her own cat.
Eight of Rusmawati's nine cats died on Wednesday, with Helo being the only survivor.
A total of 13 cats died that day, including Rusmawati’s cats, pet cats that belonged to her neighbors and stray cats.
One cat that belonged to resident Ewi died after vomiting on Thursday. She brought samples of the vomit to a local veterinarian.
“The vet said that it could be poison. The type of poison is the same type used on wild boars,” Ewi said.
Another resident, Vevi, was shocked to find all five of her pet cats dead near her house.
“They were innocent cats. What did they do wrong?” Vevi said.
Local residents then scheduled a gathering to discuss the incident.
To prevent more deaths, residents have been keeping their cats in cages inside their homes.
Local chief Hery said the residents believed that someone could have poisoned the cats because they were irritated by their presence, whether it be their feces, the smell of the their pee or the tendency for them to wander in neighbor's houses.
He said there were many stray cats that roamed the complex, prompting complaints from some residents.
Residents, he added, urgently called for an end to the alleged poisoning. There are no leads on the identity of the perpetrator.
“Cats come because there is food, then they stay around for the source of the food,” Lina Indrapraja of the Balikpapan Cat Lovers club said.
The case was reported to the subdistrict administration, which then reported it to the Balikpapan Marine, Agriculture, Husbandry and Fisheries Agency.
“Hopefully there will be answers soon,” said Gunung Samarainda Baru subdistrict chief Slamet Riyadi.
