Chew on this: An Italian man who adopted at least 15 cats over a two-year period is now being accused of cooking and eating them.

The man, identified only as Francesco F., allegedly traveled to various animal shelters in the province of Brianza and adopted black cats with very specific characteristics, according to Lorenzo Croce, the president of the Italian Association for the Defense of Animals and the Environment.

"They had to be around three years old, and quite plump," Croce said according to TheLocal.It.

After receiving a number of reports from various catteries, officials began to suspect the suspect was involved in some sort of Satanist group, Croce said.

The accused cat killer was allegedly caught red-handed as he was about to kill a cat for dinner, the Independent reported.

Investigators said that when the suspect was confronted, he seemed confused and asked if killing and eating cats was against the law.

Cat consumption is rare but not uncommon in Italy, according to Croce, who estimates Italians eat between 500-600 cats a year. He said his group files about 20-25 complaints a year against people who eat cats, Business-Standard.com reported.