Mutilated Cat Found in Northolt

Believed to be victim of serial killer

A 'serial cat killer' is believed to have struck again after the mutilated body of a tortoisehell was found in Northolt.

The body of the cat - which wasn't microchipped - was found late on Tuesday night in the UB5 area by a member of the public and the RSPCA were alerted.

Officers then contacted South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (Snarl) who have been dealing with similar cases including one in Hayes two weeks ago.

The feline was found with injuries consistent with the others that have been found.

The charity say ''If you are missing a female, long haired tortoiseshell cat from the UB5 5 area of Northolt please can you give us a call on 07961 030064 or 07957 830490.''

Snarl believe the culprit may be behind the death and mutilation of around 280 cats, as well as dozens of foxes and rabbits, since October 2015.

Operation Takahe is the police operation investigating the ongoing cases. The post-mortems by a specialist vet that were carried out following the first spate of attacks in late 2015 (October onwards) found that the cats died from blunt force trauma, but the mutilations occurred after death with a 'sharp implement'.

Originally dubbed the ' Croydon cat killer' but when bodies began to turn up in other areas of London and beyond the capital, the charity urged people to drop the label. Attacks have now been reported in Manchester, Birmingham, Brighton and the Isle of Wight.

Police believe an individual or a group of individuals - they are keeping an open mind - are responsible for both the deaths and mutilations and have been working closely with the RSPCA and SNARL and in liaison constabularies outside of the capital to establish if similar incidents that have been reported may be linked to the London cases.

To date there have been no arrests, and no specific suspects identified.

DS Andy Collin, from Croydon CID, said, "We are investigating a number of leads, and are keeping an open mind re suspects, while following up different lines of enquiry. We are now convinced the cats are being killed then mutilated - and would be really keen to hear any relevant information from members of the public who believe they can help us."

Anyone with information is asked to call the Metropolitan Police Service on 101, the RSPCA on 0300 123 8018 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The animal charities Peta UK and Outpaced are offering a reward of £10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person “responsible for the killing and mutilation of cats and foxes”.

18th October 2017