Cats scratch back through lawsuit after minister blames felines for election night power cuts

ISTANBUL

A cat lobby, until now shrouded in mystery, might be behind a nationwide conspiracy to cut the electricity, social media users suggested after the energy minister's statements.

Felines have now become united to clean their name and defend their rights after being declared by Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız as the culprits for the widespread power blackouts during the elections.

The head of the Warriors for Nature Association, Zafer Murat Çetintaş, has filed a complaint against Yıldız, who said the cause of the power blackout in Ankara was a cat that entered a power distribution unit in Ankara.

Çetintaş not only demanded the launch of a lawsuit on charges of “misconduct,” but also accused the government of “causing the death of animals” by not implementing sufficient security measures along power distribution lines.

“Government officials and Yıldız, who are accustomed to accuse environmentalists as scapegoats on every occasion, have confessed their crime. [With Yıldız’s statement,] it has been revealed that there were no security measures taken for the power distribution units. He has confessed that cats, birds and other animals have been dying without our knowledge,” Çetintaş told reporters after filing a complaint to the Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Yıldız’s comments in the wake of the elections had triggered suspicions that a cat lobby, until now shrouded in mystery, might be behind a nationwide conspiracy to cut the electricity in 40 provinces while votes were being counted.

But Çetintaş expressed indignation about the suggestion that cats could be responsible for the blackouts during the elections, a serious affair which might have even opened the doors to a manipulation of the results.

“The minister should be punished. The statement he made is very unfortunate and terrifying. He has mocked everyone. I invite all environmentalists and animal lovers to react,” he said.

It will now be up to Istanbul prosecutors to either make the felines purr, or leave them sans Whiskas regarding one of the incidents which caused much controversy after the elections.