Dead Japanese woman eaten to the bone by her cats

This is the story of an 85-year-old Japanese woman found dead in her Tokyo apartment. The octogenarian lived surrounded by eight cats in a house filled with clutter and filth. When her remains were found, only fragments of her skeleton remained: her skull lay near the bed, while her long bones were scattered throughout the living room and hallway.

Mariko Kazuta, Kana Unuma and their colleagues from the Department of Forensic Medicine at the Tokyo University of Medicine and Dentistry report this gruesome discovery in an article published on August 27, 2025 in the Journal of Forensic Sciences .

For some time, neighbors had been concerned about a persistent odor coming from an unsanitary environment and the presence of cat feces. At the time of the tragedy, all doors and windows were locked from the inside, a sign that no one had entered or left.

The last time the old lady was seen was when she was hospitalized a few months earlier for a subdural hematoma, characterized by an accumulation of blood between the skull and the outermost membrane (dura mater) that protects the brain.

When the police arrived, the apartment was saturated with garbage and animal droppings, and the smell of ammonia was strong. The deceased's bones were completely disarticulated and scattered throughout the living room and hallway. Numerous necrophagous insects—dead maggots and pupae—were found around the body. Investigators also discovered several cat bodies, mummified or reduced to skeletons, and noticed scratches on the walls.

To confirm the identity of the deceased, a DNA analysis of the human remains was carried out, establishing that she was indeed the resident of the apartment. During the forensic autopsy, however, doctors were unable to determine the cause of death, as the body was in a very advanced state of decomposition and most of the soft tissue had already been consumed.

The cats did indeed devour their owners, even going so far as to attack many of the skeletal bones. Studies of scavenging stray cats show that these animals primarily eat the skin and soft tissues, leaving the bones intact.

But here, the cats, who were probably suffering from extreme starvation at the time of the old lady's death, attacked the bones, especially those of the face, most of the vertebrae and the ends of the long bones. As a result, most of the bones of the deceased's trunk, arms and legs were gone. More specifically, the upper and lower ends (epiphyses) of the long bones of the upper and lower limbs (humerus, radius, ulna, femurs, tibias, fibulae) were destroyed.

As for the remaining bones, they are all partially destroyed. They bear clear signs of trauma: some bone sections located behind the ears and at the cheekbones are missing, as is a large part of the first cervical vertebra (atlas). Both ends of the right clavicle and part of the right scapula have been nibbled away. The edges of the other bones show cuts and grooves, typical of canine bites. On the ends of the long bones, the periosteum has been partially torn away. The pelvic bones are partially preserved.

All of this evidence suggests that the cats engaged in scavenging behavior. The consumption of skeletal elements suggests a high level of distress among these scavenging cats. This observation is corroborated by the discovery of mummified cat remains in the same room, indicating the absence of any other food source.

The death dates back several months, even six months, a period consistent with the last trace of life of the old lady.

At the neck, only the vertical outgrowth of the second cervical vertebra, the axis, remains. This part, called the odontoid process , allows the head to turn and articulates with the first vertebra, the atlas. Remarkably, forensic scientists observe that, despite the degradation, part of the articulation between the axis and the atlas is preserved. This suggests that the bodies of these two vertebrae were not hard enough to withstand the force of the cats' jaws, but that the odontoid and other very compact elements of the skeleton were too strong. It appears that the cats tried to gnaw on these bones, but eventually gave up and died of starvation.

Forensic scientists compared the shape of the perforations on the deceased's pelvic bone with those of the canines of a cat found dead. The traces left by the feline's teeth matched the perforations, confirming that the cats had been scavenging.

Furthermore, bone analysis revealed that the teeth marks are mainly found on the ends of the long bones, while the cylindrical body of the bone is almost intact. This aspect differs from what is observed when dogs attack a human skeleton. In this case, canids can crush the bones and reach the bone marrow. Finally, on the bodies of the long bones (diaphyses) , no grooves or striations are found, probably because the bite force of felines is less than that of canids.

This is a rare case of postmortem scavenging by domestic cats in an enclosed environment, leading to extensive skeletal destruction. According to forensic pathologists at the University of Tokyo and their anthropologist colleagues, this is the first documented case in which indoor cats, driven by hunger, preyed on numerous bony elements in addition to soft tissue. Domestic cats are not the only animals to engage in scavenging behavior in extreme situations. Dogs are no exception, if I may say so!

Anthropologists and forensic scientists from the University of Bern (Switzerland) reported in 2024 in the journal Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology seven cases of indoor scavenging by cats and dogs, two of which are particularly noteworthy.

First case: A 60-year-old woman is found dead on the bed of her studio apartment. She is wearing a long-sleeved sweater but no other clothing. The body is in the early stages of decomposition. Soft tissue has disappeared from the lower part of the face and the front of the neck, taking with it the organs located in this area. Part of the lower jaw bone is partially exposed. Skin lesions are observed in the genital area, particularly on the inner thighs and mons pubis. A small dog, a miniature pinscher, is in the apartment and has clearly had access to the body.

The second case involves a 58-year-old woman found dead in her locked apartment. Her body lies on the floor, wearing a T-shirt, sweater, panties, and pants. The pants have slipped down to her ankles, and her underwear has fallen to mid-thigh. Examination of the body reveals the beginnings of active decomposition. Based on the condition of the body and the last entry in her diary, forensic scientists estimate the postmortem interval at several days or even weeks, with a likely maximum of one month.

Their findings are particularly striking in the genital and anal regions. The skin of the lower abdomen, genitals, and anus has completely disappeared, revealing subcutaneous fat and some internal organs. A Border Collie–Rottweiler crossbreed, which had free access to the body, was in the apartment at the time of the discovery.

A 2020 study by a forensic pathologist at the University of Adelaide (Australia) illustrates how massive the loss of soft tissue, bones, and organs can be when many animals participate in scavenging simultaneously.

The case concerns a 69-year-old man found lying on the floor of a house overrun with rubbish, where about thirty cats lived. The body showed considerable injuries, due to post-mortem predation. The chest cavity was empty: nothing remained of the heart or lungs.

The neck showed comparable lesions: the esophagus, trachea, bronchi, larynx, and thyroid were missing. The abdomen showed exposed viscera. The liver had been almost entirely devoured. The right kidney, stomach, transverse colon, and cecum were also injured.

The face had been completely exposed, with the disappearance of the soft tissues of the forehead, anterior scalp and face, as well as the loss of the right ear and both eyes.

In 2023, Brazilian forensic scientists reported a case of scavenging by dogs on an octogenarian who died at home. The man lived as a recluse in Curitiba, in the state of Paraná. The city's animal protection services were called in under gruesome circumstances: the man had just been found dead in his home, and his ten dogs had survived for a week by feeding on his corpse.

The house presents a spectacle of extreme neglect: piles of garbage, soiled clothes, dog excrement and various objects litter the floors of every room.

Under the house, ten dogs are hiding, terrified, while three others lie already dead, in an advanced state of putrefaction. The surviving dogs are unable to tolerate any human contact. They appear fearful and aggressive.

The medical examiner's report describes a gruesome scene. The octogenarian's skull remains intact, with no trace of bone trauma, but his face is severely altered: his eyes, tongue, and almost all of his soft tissue are gone. Both femurs are completely missing: they have been completely consumed.

Disturbingly, a humerus had been torn off and displaced. It was discovered in a different room from the one where the body lay. Almost nothing remained of the octogenarian's digestive tract, nor of most of the muscle mass of the arms and legs.

The advanced state of putrefaction and the extent of tissue consumption by the dogs prevent any autopsy and make it impossible to precisely determine the date of death, which is nevertheless estimated at about two weeks before the discovery of the body. The presence of worms on the soft tissue covering the skull confirms this delay.

The three dead dogs are also in an advanced state of decomposition. As for the ten surviving dogs, their condition raises serious public health concerns: their rabies vaccination status remains unknown. As a precautionary measure and in accordance with protocols established by the Brazilian Veterinary Association, the dogs are being sedated, anesthetized, and then euthanized. The threat they pose to the public, particularly to children, the elderly, and vulnerable people, due to their aggressiveness and the possible presence of rabies, is deemed too great.

In this unsanitary house, the death of the octogenarian, devoured by his dogs, which he never took out and who lived without any outside activity, sealed the fate of the pack, transforming this already chaotic home into a true scene of horror.

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