What do you do about crimes against animals?

[undeterred]

This morning a friend of mine saw that her basset hound was rolling in a dead animal in the dog park. Not terribly unusual, as this is a wooded area, until she realized that the dead animal was a cat... a house cat, whose head had been cleanly severed off. The head was nowhere to be found, and the body had been dumped in the park. This cat had apparently been killed/decapitated by a human being. From the looks of it, this was not a feral cat, but someone's pet.

She called the parks department about it and they came to get the cat. Talking to people later on she heard that there had been two other decapitated cat bodies found in the neighborhood. Not exactly in the same area, but within a few blocks.

Why would someone do this to cats? How could they get access to the cats?

You always hear about how serial killers start out by practicing on animals. I guess I couldn't help but wonder if there is a criminal working up to more serious crimes in the neighborhood.

[zonkers]

1. Discuss with neighbors, especially those with pets. Put posters up. Maybe offer a reward.

[alphafemale]

2. I'd at least try to get someone to see if the kitty was "chipped"

Awful news for the owner to receive, but probably better than looking out your window every morning for months on end.

Also alert the news media.

And put the word out to all area internet blogs with an interest in the story.

[undeterred]

3. Thanks, good ideas.

I hope the parks dept did try to locate the pet owners with the bodies. I haven't seen it on the news but sometimes they don't get that something is a "crime" when pets are involved. It seems to me that there must have been break-ins for these cats to come to harm. People in the city don't usually have outdoor cats.

Its just bizarre and horrible.