WARNING: This story contains disturbing descriptions of alleged animal abuse
RCMP are looking into allegations that someone is trapping and harming cats in the small village of Big Valley, Alta.
Mounties say they’ve received many reports — including calls from as far away as Florida — about a video posted to TikTok and Facebook that shows a man and woman rescuing a cat that had apparently been put in a cage and placed into a large bucket filled with water.
People in the village say the cat in the video is now recovering and doing well.
The video, which was posted by Wyatt Chalifoux, starts with a drenched cat in a cage and the sound of the feline in distress can be heard throughout.
The people in the video confront a man, accusing him of attempting to drown the cat, and question him, saying, “How could you do that to a living creature?”
CTV News visited the property of the man accused in the video, but nobody responded to questions.
We are not naming the man accused or showing his face because no one has been charged.
Only about 340 people live in Big Valley, which is about two hours northeast of Calgary, and people who live there were hesitant to speak on camera because it is a small community.
People in the village say several cats have gone missing in the past year.
RCMP say the investigation is in its early stages and no one has been arrested.