A mutilated cat found at a local apartment complex this weekend has some students worried for their safety.

A group of students say they are not sure if the skinned and decapitated cat they found hanging from their door knob Saturday night is meant to be interpreted as a threat.

The mutilated animal was discovered hanging from a tendon in its leg on a door in building 10 of University Meadows, 4310 Sterling Way around 8:30 p.m.

One of the apartment’s four residents, a Central Michigan University junior who preferred to remain nameless for security reasons, said he first noticed the cat after it brushed his arm while on his way to let his dog outside.

“I walked out, not thinking about it and it was just hanging there. I don’t know how to react. I don’t know if it’s a sign or if it’s directed toward my dog or if it’s a practical joke played on the wrong person,” he said. “We don’t have any enemies.”

He believes the animal was on his door for a maximum of 30 minutes before it was discovered, he said.

Police responded to the call around 9 p.m., searched around the building and disposed of the cat. The student said officers told him an investigation will begin if similar instances become more prevalent.

The Isabella County Sheriff’s Office could not be reached for comment.

Bonnie Baker, property manager for University Meadows, also did not return phone calls Sunday.

Katie Ketchum, a Northville junior who lives across the hall from the room where the cat was found, said she has not felt safe sleeping in her bed for a week and a half.

Ketchum and her roommates have reported seeing and hearing people outside their window three times in the past week. A laptop computer also was stolen from one of the roommate’s bedrooms in the early hours of Thursday morning.

“My roommates and I did not sleep in our apartments last night. I’m extremely concerned for my safety and well-being,” Ketchum said. “It’s one thing to take a glance at someone when they are changing, but someone that is disturbed enough to skin and decapitate a cat and hang it on your door is a whole new level.”

Ketchum complained to University Meadows property management last week about their concerns. “She (Baker) told me I shouldn’t be so upset, and my dad and I got the impression that she was making light of the situation,” Ketchum said. “She was cracking jokes. She basically told us that it says in our lease it’s not her job to ensure our safety.”

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