20 cats butchered by killer with a machete
POLICE are hunting a cat killer who is believed to have used a machete to dismember up to 20 pets and even to have kept body parts as ‘trophies’.
Owners have been urged to keep cats indoors after two more were found butchered in the Croydon area of south London in the past week.
One pet called Amber was beheaded and her tail chopped off. Her owner, Wayne Bryant, 47, said he found her remains just a day after she disappeared. ‘I couldn’t find Amber’s head or tail and think maybe the person who did it kept
‘It is a terrible level of violence’
them as a trophy,’ he said. ‘I don’t understand how somebody could go around doing that to pet cats. It is sick.’
Another victim, a four-year-old ragdoll cat called Ukiyo, was dismembered and dumped near his owner’s home.
Boudicca Rising, 44, who runs the local South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty centre, said all of the cats’ injuries appeared to have been inflicted with a machete. ‘ That is the only thing that would have had the force to go through with such a clean cut,’ she said. ‘It is all getting a little bit creepy. It is horrible what this person is doing.
‘It is a terrible level of violence. Amber had wounds that matched some of the other cats found over the past two years and one in particular that seems to be a signature of this person. ‘There have been lots of disappearances and cats being killed and bits being left on owners’ doorsteps or near their homes. It’s almost like they want the owner to see the effect of their behaviour.
‘We will continue to advise people to keep their cats inside.’
There have been reports of up to 20 missing cats in the area in recent weeks, leading to fears that the number of victims could be much higher.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said officers were working with the RSPCA to investigate the reports.