- A cat snuck into a factory in Fukuyama, Japan, and fell into a toxic vat before escaping.
- The city was put on alert, with officials advising residents not to pet any abnormal-looking cats.
- The factory plans to enhance security measures to prevent animal intrusions in the future.
Officials in Fukuyama, Japan, put the city on alert after a cat snuck into a metal plating factory and fell into a toxic vat before then escaping.
The factory, Nomura Plating, now plans to ramp up security measures to prevent animals from causing problems in the future.
On Monday morning, a tan-colored trail of claw prints was found leading away from an 11-foot-tall vat of metal plating solution containing hexavalent chromium, according to Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper.
Breathing in the toxic chemical, also known as chromium 6, can lead to swelling of the lungs and airways, and touching it can cause ulcerations, per the UK Health Security Agency.
A factory spokesperson told Agence France-Press that "the incident woke us up to the need to take measures to prevent small animals like cats from sneaking in, which is something we had never anticipated before."
Asahi Shimbun reported that surveillance footage showed the cat leaving the factory on Sunday night.
The factory believes a sheet over the vat had been partially turned over, allowing the cat to fall in, the newspaper said.
The factory did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
A spokesperson told AFP that it immediately alerted police, city officials, and neighboring buildings.
In turn, the city's environmental division warned residents of the potential health risks, urging them to keep their distance if they spotted the toxic cat.
Exposure to hexavalent chromium can lead to an increased risk of lung, nose, and sinus cancers, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
"If you find a cat that seems abnormal, please do not touch it and contact the city or police," the environmental division said, per Asahi Shimbun.
City officials also provided guidance to elementary schools near the factory, advising children not to pet any cats that looked unwell, according to Japan's Nippon TV News.
As of Thursday, the whereabouts of the cat was still unknown, though the city's environment division noted to the AFP that it may have died from chemical exposure.
