The Japanese city of Fukuyama is on high alert after a cat fell into a vat of hazardous chemicals before scampering off into the night. Residents have been warned to keep their distance should they come across the unfortunate feline, which is covered in the highly acidic carcinogen hexavalent chromium.
According to the Japanese newspaper , the cat fell into a tank containing the toxic substance at a metal plating factory in the city. On Monday morning, a factory worker found a set of yellow pawprints, believed to belong to the cat, near the tank. In security camera footage, a cat can be seen escaping the factory at around 9.30 pm the previous evening, though its current whereabouts are unknown.
There’s no footage of the cat falling into the vat, which was reportedly 3 meters (10 feet) deep and covered by a sheet that appeared to have been turned over.
Hexavalent chromium is extremely dangerous if touched or inhaled. It can cause skin irritation and respiratory problems, as well as a whole host of other , including kidney and liver damage, lung cancer, and even death.
We really hope the cat had all of its nine lives when it took the plunge.
The city’s Environmental Conservation Division has said that it may be dead, but advised that people steer clear of any “cat that seems abnormal” and contact the city or police if they come across one.
In another, far less tragic, tale of an ill-fated animal’s run-in with a vat of yellowy liquid, a seagull and turned orange back in 2016. Thankfully, “Gullfrezi” made it out unharmed, though the same probably can’t be said of Fukuyama’s feline friend.