‘Cat Ripper Of Croydon’: South London Serial Cat Killer Hunted By Police

Police in South London, U.K., are on the hunt for a serial cat killer who has been slaughtering cats, possibly with a machete, cutting them up and taking trophies of his fuzzy victims. So far, an estimated 20 cats may have been targeted by the killer, and residents of Croydon (in South London) are urged to keep their cat friends indoors until the pet killer is apprehended.

According to the Daily Mail, one of the four-legged victims, affectionately named Amber, was discovered by her grieving owner, Wayne Bryant, a day after the cat went missing. The killer brutally beheaded the cat and sliced off her tail.

“I couldn’t find Amber’s head or tail and think maybe the person who did it kept them as a trophy. I don’t understand how somebody could go around doing that to pet cats. It is sick.”

Boudicca Rising of the South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL) is alarmed by the murder and mutilation of cats that is happening, and suspects, given the way the animals have been chopped, that most likely a machete is being used by the cat killer, as quoted by The Express.

“It looked like a machete to the cat. That is the only thing that would have had the force to go through with such a clean cut. It is all getting a little bit creepy and odd, to be honest. It is horrible what this person is doing.”

Along with the efforts being made by SNARL, The Metropolitan Police Department is working with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) to find the cat killer. At the moment, there are four confirmed kills, with many more cats missing, and a concern that up to 20 cats could have been victim to the cat killer.

The serial cat killer seems to have a further cruel streak in that the person will sometimes leave parts of the cat doorsteps or in parks. SNARL’s Boudicca Rising is quoted in the Mirror, describing the absolutely gruesome findings being uncovered by some shocked feline owners.

“We put a warning out on Facebook and what then happened is we got deluged with loads of information – people whose cats had gone missing and one whose cat had been found on a neighbour’s doorstep. We’ve got three that have been reported by vets as coming back either decapitated or with slits tummy-to-tummy and a slit neck. We have also got a very high incidence of people reporting whiskers cut.”

Experts say that people who kill or mutilate animals may eventually start killing humans. According to Psychology Today, many infamous serial killers committed their first acts of violence against animals — a warning sign that something was drastically wrong. This includes notorious cannibal Jeffery Dahmer, the “Son of Sam” David Berkowitz, “the Boston Strangler” Albert DeSalvo, and Carroll Edward Cole, a man who murdered 35 people. Also to be added to the gory list of animal abusers and killers who graduated into the sordid world of serial killing of humans is Ted Bundy, murderer of 30 or more women, and the BTK killer, Dennis Rader, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Also troubling is the link between harming or killing pets and domestic violence. One study sourced by the Humane Society reports that up to 83 percent of women who enter shelters say that their abuser also hurt or killed their family pets.

In the meantime, with the cat ripper still on the loose, Corydon, South London, pet owners will sit on pins and needles while keeping their cats in to protect them from the cold-blooded feline killer.

[Photo by Monty Fresco/Getty Images]