A woman was attacked while walking her poodle; the assailant? A gang of tough street cats.
The incident occurred in France, where the woman claimed six feral cats dragged her to the ground and attacked her, severing an artery in the process, The Independent reported.
In addition to the slashed artery, the 31-year-old woman bite wounds on her arms and legs. Her dog was badly injured as well.
"My daughter thought it was a living nightmare. She's still traumatized and is bordering on depression," Josette Galliot, the victim's mother, said, LiveScience reported.
Researchers and locals are unsure about what caused the incident; one theory is the recent heat wave raised the cat's tempers.
Valerie Dramard, a veterinary specialist, believes the cats were just trying to defend their territory from the intruding poodle.
"Cats are not new zombies of the apocalypse," Dramard said. "They are just very territorial and unfriendly with unknown species."
Felines are skilled hunters; a recent study found the animals kill up to 4.7 billion birds and up to 20.7 billion small mammals yearly in the U.S. alone.
Certain conservationists have even suggested a loose-cat ban that would ask people to keep their feline friends indoors where they wouldn't be able to harm local wildlife.
"We have long accepted the fact that you can't let your dog run free, and yet cat owners seem to take offense at the idea that they would be asked to keep their cats indoors," Stanley Temple, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor, told LiveScience.
France has no shortage of feral cats, about 8,000 are born in the country every day.
"We must get rid of this scourge," Galliot said. "There are too many cats in the neighborhood, many of which are strays. There are also lots of children here. We don't want it to happen again."
Galliot warned tourists should beware of the cats, and should never try to feed them, The Independent reported.
