A supposed “Killer Cat in the Hat” has prompted a response from local police after a man told residents to “lock their doors” in a major UK city.
South Yorkshire Police denied the existence of the killer after social media users reported suspicious behaviour in the Meadowhall area.
Videos and posts about alleged sightings have been circulating on TikTok, with some videos attracting hundreds of thousands of views.
The videos show a man dressed as Dr Seuss’ Cat in The Hat with a knife and claimed he is stabbing and killing people.
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A fake account pretending to be South Yorkshire Police claimed the force is taking the incident seriously, urging people to lock their windows and doors and claiming extra police patrols had been ordered.
South Yorkshire Police has since offered an official statement, saying: “To confirm, we have not had any reports of a ‘cat in a hat’ in Meadowhall, or anywhere else in South Yorkshire for that matter.
“We can also confirm no recent sightings of his associates Thing One and Thing Two.”
The fake post claimed that: “Officers are aware of a number of reports regarding a suspicious figure described as a ‘cat in the hat’ seen walking in the Meadowhall area at approximately 2:30am this morning.
“A member of the public in the area took the below photo and has forwarded it to us.
“We are taking this matter seriously, and extra patrols are in the area. While there is no cause for alarm at this time, we are asking everyone to remain vigilant.
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“Please lock all doors and windows, keep valuables out of sight, and avoid the Meadowhall area and the surrounding streets overnight if possible.
“If you see anything unusual or have any information, please contact us immediately.”
A police spokesman said: “On a serious note, if you do see posts online providing policing updates and advice, please check that they are from an official policing account.
“The cat is not out of the hat on this one…we don’t have a new account or a new logo.
“Please don’t believe everything you read on social media.”
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