Cat escapes factory, Japanese city issues warning

Dogs are man’s best friend, but we still can’t get enough of cats. Many can’t help but pet them whenever possible, and these critters inspired many fictional characters over the years.

Yet, Fukuyama City officials warned residents to hold off their petting instincts for a specific feline that recently escaped a factory. 

The BBC reported that factory workers found yellow paw prints from a tank of hazardous chemicals.

They reviewed security footage that revealed a feline running away leaving a trail behind. Consequently, authorities warned people not to touch “ a cat that seems abnormal.”

What do we know about the toxic cat?

The feline fell into a vat of hexavalent chromium, which can cause cancer and harm the eyes, skin, and respiratory systems. CBS News says the 2000 film “Erin Brockovich” featured it prominently.

A Nomura Plating Fukuyama Factory representative told Agence France-Presse: “We immediately alerted police, the Fukuyama city, and neighbors near our factory.”

Interesting Engineering says people haven’t located the toxic cat and tracking it will be difficult. Also, they suspect the feline may have died from exposure to this toxic substance. 

That is why Fukuyama City officials warned the public not to touch the cat. More importantly, the factory representative said the incident showed the need for increased security.

“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 person stated.

Another cool animal discovery in Japan

The Land of the Rising Sun also found new animal species in its territory: the Ryukyuan Pygmy Squid and Hannan’s Pygmy Squid. This Inquirer Tech article says their names drew inspiration from Japanese folklore characters. 

They gave the Ryukyuan Pygmy Squid the scientific name Idiosepius kijimuna. The “kijimuna” is a short, red-haired forest fairy that lives in the banyan trees of Okinawa. 

Like its namesake, the Ryukyuan Pygmy Squid is a tiny, red creature that usually spends time in its forest habitat. It latches onto vegetation in shallow seagrass beds near the coast.

On the other hand, Hannan’s Pygmy Squid’s scientific name is Kodama jujutsu. The “Kodama” is a round-headed spirit that lives in ancient trees. Seeing them indicates a healthy forest. 

The “Jujutsu” refers to the Hannan’s Pygmy Squid’s preying behavior. Also, it alludes to the Japanese martial art, “jiujutsu.” Phys.org says it “revolves around grappling and using your opponent’s strength.”

Similarly, the pygmy squid species prey on larger shrimp by grappling with its small arms. OIST’s Jeffrey Folly also said he and his colleagues noticed it adopts a martial-arts-like pose.

READ: Check out this NASA cat video

It raises its arms and curls them above its head. Moreover, the researchers said it was tricky to spot these critters. Both species have a maximum length of roughly an inch or 1.2 cm.

They are only active at night, and the Ryukyuan only appears in winter. Researchers found the latter in 2018 but did not have enough specimens to write a formal description at the time. 

The Hannan’s is more elusive because it only stays in coral reefs. Jolly explains, “There are so many other things to look at that finding a small squid the size of a pinky fingernail is not easy.”