Cat enthusiasts often cite the warmth and companionship offered by their pet as reason why they ’re so soft on with them . Despite these and other positive attributes , cat-o'-nine-tails loversare often confronted with the spurious title that , while their dear furry pal might adore them when they ’re alive , it wo n’t hesitate to devour theircorpseif they should send away idle .

Though that ’s often dismissed as negative computerized tomography propaganda spread by dog the great unwashed , it turns out that it ’s probably reliable . downy might indeed feast on your flesh if you happened to pass away .

A horrifying newcase studypublished in theJournal of Forensic Sciencesoffers the fresh evidence . The composition , firstreportedbyThe Washington Post , document how two cats react in the bearing of a remains at Colorado Mesa University ’s Forensic Investigation Research Station , orbody farm , where the asleep are used to further forensic science for felonious investigations .

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The report ’s generator did not mastermind a meeting between cat and clay . The finding chance by accident : bookman and lead author Sara Garcia was scanning surveillance footage of the grounds when she mark a pair of computerized tomography trespassing . The cats , she found , were interested in the flesh of two stiff ; they gnaw on human tissue while it was still in the early stages ofdecomposition , stopping only when the organic structure begin leaching fluid .

The cats , which were put away one corpse each , did n’t appear to have a preference for assortment , as they both come back to the same corpse virtually every night . The two seemed to choose the articulatio humeri and fortify over other body parts .

This visual evidence joins a litany ofreportsover the years from medical examiners , who have remark the hurt give by both cats and dog who were entrap in plate with at peace owners and proceeded to run through them . It ’s believed pets do this when no other intellectual nourishment seed is available , though in some cases , eating their human has occurred even with a full food for thought stadium . It ’s something to conceive the next fourth dimension your cat gives you an affectionate lick on the arm . perhaps it loves you . Or maybe it has something else in mind .

[ h / tThe Washington Post ]