Item #: SCP-1868-JP
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: Since efforts to completely remove headless feline carcasses from the area affected by SCP-1868-JP have been unsuccessful, the Foundation has evacuated all residents via Area Procedure 5A-B71, which promotes the depopulation of the surrounding community. Any attempt to enter the area must be stopped by patrolling plainclothes security guards, and the headless feline carcasses in the area are to be kept under observation via automated drones. Human exploration has now been suspended.
All personnel involved in the containment of SCP-1868-JP are to be administered Class-Y mnestic drugs2 on a weekly basis.
Description: SCP-1868-JP refers to a series of anomalous phenomena associated with all headless feline carcasses which appears in an approximate 2.3 km2 area centered around ██-██-██ in █████ City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
Primary physical anomalies included in SCP-1868-JP are as follows.
- In the area, there are far more headless feline carcasses than would normally be expected (at least more than thirty-five), and new ones are generated by unknown mechanisms. Any attempt to remove these headless feline carcasses is futile since the same headless feline carcasses as those removed reappear in their original locations.
- Headless feline carcasses tend to be located at the edge of streets, public parks, back entrances of restaurants, under the elevated railway tracks of ██████████ Line, and in vacant rooms of residential buildings. Tarpaulins, cardboard boxes, rearcars, glass bottles and empty cans are the most common items found with headless feline carcasses.
- Despite the lack of unusual activity, headless feline carcasses often change their position in the area. The moment of repositioning has not been observed. The repositioning mainly takes place around inhabited houses, many of which show signs of broken doors and windows, consumption of stored food, and use of various infrastructure systems.
- Most headless feline carcasses in the area do not show any signs of decomposition, nor do they attract decomposers such as flies. However, some headless feline carcasses have been observed to be decomposing as usual; these tend to reposition themselves to the ███████ River that flows through the area within a few days and remain in place thereafter. Many of these "dead" headless feline carcasses are immature kitten headless carcasses, with various types of severe damage visible on their bodies.
- Papers and books messily stained with the blood of headless feline carcasses, photographs and videos depicting headless feline carcasses, and audio recordings and outgoing phone calls consisting of purrs presumably originating from headless feline carcasses are found in the area. The owners of the papers or cameras used for these recordings, or the cell phone from which the audio calls were made, if identified, have no memory of these actions. These items are mostly found in residential buildings where headless feline carcasses have previously been located and where there is evidence of intrusion.
- Approaching headless feline carcasses can frequently result in injury from unknown causes. In most cases, the injuries closely resemble those caused by a hard, heavy object or a sharp blade.
Due to its cognitohazardous nature, the interest directed towards headless feline carcasses appearing in the area, as well as towards information about them, has been significantly diluted. Due to this anomalous property, research through interviews with residents has been unsuccessful. The Foundation has maintained its containment by reducing this influence with Class-Y mnestic drugs.
SCP-1868-JP was brought to the Foundation's attention in 1999 due to an unnatural and rapid decline in population3 and an increase in unarrested crimes in the area in question; the discovery of numerous headless feline carcasses triggered a full-scale investigation. Although residents were aware of the decline in population, especially among the younger generation, they were unable to name any specific individuals who had left the area. When the Foundation conducted investigations of unarrested crimes through mnestic methods, most of the crime scenes revealed signs of headless feline carcasses. Although the connection between these phenomena and headless feline carcasses is still unexplained, it has been suggested that there is some kind of causal relationship.
Addendum: A portion of the video recorded inside a police station in the area in question4. The recording was made prior to the Foundation's attention to SCP-1868-JP, and the police officer in the video stated that he had no recollection of such an interview. In the video, the officer appears to be interacting with a relatively juvenile headless feline carcass positioned in a chair - what appears to be the same instance was later found in the ███████ River with severe injuries.
Officer: So, what's going on?
Officer: Yeah, yeah.
Officer: Yeah. No, you'll have to call the health center for that, later. And then?
Officer: That doesn't really tell us much. Did they hit you?
Officer: I see. So, do you have any… evidence that these guys were involved?
Officer: I mean, without evidence there is no way to respond. We can't investigate based on assumptions.
Officer: All people have the right to freedom of assembly, didn't you learn that in school? Did they declare in advance that they were going to leave dead cats at your house? You talk about their gaze, but the point is, didn't you just judge them by their appearance?
Officer: No, we can't. Anyways, if there's something wrong again, please bring a video or a photo or… some kind of evidence. Okay?
Addendum-2: After the area residents' evacuation prompted by the Foundation, the headless feline carcasses began to frequently relocate themselves near the area boundaries. In the following weeks, the number of "dead" headless feline carcasses in the river increased dramatically. Around this point, papers stained with the blood of headless feline carcasses began to be found immediately outside the area boundaries, and outgoing calls were frequently made from payphones in the area. As a response, the Foundation strengthened its surveillance and removed the papers found outside the area and the payphones inside the area.
103 days after the completion of Procedure 5A-B7, all headless feline carcasses were exposed to the normal decomposition process. Most of food left in the area had been consumed by the end of the incident.
No further appearances or location shifts of headless feline carcasses, as well as no new discoveries of media involving headless feline carcasses, have been confirmed since then. As the immobility of headless feline carcasses and the cognitohazardous property of SCP-1868-JP itself which dilutes people's interest still remains, no changes have been made to the containment procedures and Object Class.