Urban diary: Man and Beast in Camden

There follows a grisly tale not for the faint-hearted, be warned.

Walking home from the election night celebrations I approached what looked a little like a stuffed toy lying on the pavement. Sadly, as I got closer I realised it was a very stationary cat.

I was about to say hello to it, in the hope that it wasn’t dead, when I made a grim discovery. The cat was missing its head and had clearly met with murder most foul.

I looked around wondering what I should do and I realised we were not alone, M. Renard was staring at me from the shadows.

Now, this fox may have chanced upon the already dead cat, but it’s more probable that he/she had done the deed. While foxes are carnivores,  as are many of God’s creatures, I was still sad for someone’s beloved pet who probably was not expecting to be devoured tonight. I love foxes but have no illusions that they confine themselves to a diet of discarded kebabs and scrumped sausages.

Of course, I took a picture of the fiend who seemed very relaxed and did not look in the least bit ashamed of himself. No reason why he should I suppose. As much as I love cats I understand foxes need to eat. Some poor family is no doubt worried sick about their missing and much loved pet and my heart goes out to them. I know these are contradictory feelings, but that’s life.

I walked away, no need to deprive the fox of his meal and force him to kill another cat to make up for it, and he was waiting very patiently. Fifty yards up the road I turned round to see if fox was going to pull the body into the dark or eat it there on the pavement. Bit grisly – but that’s urban nature.

I saw instead was another late night pedestrian looking down at the body. What he did next I found utterly shocking. He took out his phone, took a picture of the body and then crouched in and took a close-up of the bloody stump where the head used to be. This is something that would have never occurred to me anyone would do in a million years.

What I’m disconcerted by is that someone decided taking a close up picture of the mutilated corpse was something they wanted to do.

I hope he was drunk and in the morning will delete the gruesome image. It’s not illegal, but to my mind, it somehow feels… uncivilised. Maybe leaving the cat’s body to the mercy of the fox was too though. I’m not sure where this tale of man and beast in Camden leaves us, except with a mild feeling of distaste for my fellow human beings.