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 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.
- Within the area, there are a far greater number of headless feline carcasses than would normally be expected (at least thirty-five), and new ones are generated by an unknown mechanism. Any attempt to remove these headless feline carcasses is futile, as identical headless feline carcasses reappear in their original locations.
- Headless feline carcasses tend to be found at the edges of streets, public parks, back entrances of restaurants, under the elevated tracks of the ██████████ Line, and in vacant rooms of residential buildings. Tarpaulins, cardboard boxes, handcarts, glass bottles, and empty cans are often discovered alongside headless feline carcasses.
- Despite exhibiting no anomalous mobility, headless feline carcasses frequently change their location within the area. The moment of relocation has not been observed. These relocations primarily target 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 within the area show no signs of decomposition, nor do they attract flies or similar scavengers. However, some headless feline carcasses have been observed to undergo normal decay and decomposition; these tend to relocate themselves within a few days to ███████ River flowing through the area and remain stationary thereafter. Many of these "dead" headless feline carcasses are those of immature kittens, with severe and varied damage visible on their bodies.
- Items found within the area included papers and books messily stained with blood from headless feline carcasses, photographs and videos depicting headless feline carcasses, and audio recordings and outgoing phone calls consisting of meows presumably originating from headless feline carcasses. The owners of the paper, cameras, or cell phones used to create these records are either unknown or have no recollection of engaging in such activities. These items are primarily found in houses where headless feline carcasses were previously located and where there are signs of forced entry.
- 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.
The cognitohazardous nature of the phenomenon has significantly diminished public interest in the headless feline carcasses appearing within the area, as well as in any related information. This anomalous effect has rendered interviews with local residents ineffective. The Foundation has maintained containment by mitigating this effect with Class-Y mnestic drugs.
SCP-1868-JP was first brought to the Foundation’s attention in 1999 due to an unnatural and rapid decline in the local population3 and an increase of unsolved crime rates within the affected area; the discovery of numerous headless feline carcasses triggered a full-scale investigation. Although local residents were aware of the population decline primarily affecting the younger demographic, they were unable to provide specific names of individuals who had left the area. When the Foundation conducted investigations into the unsolved crimes using mnestic methods, it was revealed that most crime scenes contained signs of headless feline carcasses. Although the relationship between these phenomena and headless feline carcasses remains unexplained, the existence of some causal relationship has been suggested.
Addendum: A portion of footage recorded inside a police station4 within the affected area. The recording was made prior to the Foundation’s attention to SCP-1868-JP, and the police officer in the footage stated that he had no recollection of such an interview. In the footage, the police officer appears to be conversing with a relatively young headless feline carcass positioned on a chair; what is believed to be the same instance was discovered in ███████ River with severe injuries.
Officer: So, what's going on?
Officer: Yeah, yeah.
Officer: Yeah. No, you'll have to call the public 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 evacuation of local residents prompted by the Foundation, headless feline carcasses began to frequently relocate themselves to the vicinity of the affected area's boundary. In the following weeks, the number of "dead" headless feline carcasses found in the river rapidly increased. Around this point, papers stained with blood from headless feline carcasses began to be discovered immediately outside the boundaries, and outgoing calls became frequent from public pay phones within the affected area. In response, the Foundation intensified surveillance, collected the papers found outside the area, and removed the pay phones from within the affected area.
103 days after the completion of Procedure 5A-B7, all headless feline carcasses were exposed to normal decomposition processes. Most of the food left within the area had been consumed by the end of this incident.
No further appearance of headless feline carcasses, changes in their locations, or new media discoveries related to them have been reported since then. As the immobility of these headless feline carcasses and the cognitohazardous nature of SCP-1868-JP itself which dampens public interest remain active, there are no changes to containment procedures or its Object Class.