Cat killer fears in Elm after pet's 'brutal' mutilation

Pam Bower (right), pictured with her daughter Julie, said her cat Simba was found mutilated

A community is rallying amid fears the "brutal" killing of a cat in a village was "not a one-off".

Pam Bower, 82, of Elm, near Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, found the mutilated body of her cat Simba in her front garden on 18 June.

A social media forum set up in the Fenland village has since had reports of "injured, maimed and missing" cats, prompting fears of a targeted spate.

Police said they were "investigating the circumstances" of the incident.

Mrs Bower said Simba was a "loving and gentle" cat and a vet told her the animal had been kicked violently, breaking its jaw and losing its eyes.

The cat's tail had also been cut into pieces, she said.

"The vet told me it was brutal, he would have been killed instantly," said Mrs Bower, adding the attack had not been carried out by another animal.

"I'm so broken-hearted he's gone," she said.

She told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire another of her cats, a female called Tinker, had also disappeared.

Simba the cat had been violently kicked and his tail cut into pieces, Mrs Bower said

Mrs Bower's daughter Julie set up an online discussion forum and said other people in the area had reported cats were "injured, maimed, disappeared never to come home, with bits of tail found in neighbours' gardens".

"This is not an isolated incident," she said. "Someone is targeting cats."

'Safe space'

Local resident Amy Hinch, who has five cats, said it was "worrying and unsettling" that owners felt unable to let their cats roam free.

"There is a sense that this might not be a one-off," she said.

She has set up the Elm Missing or Injured Cat community group to support cat owners, offer advice and provide a "safe space" for anyone fearing for their felines.

The group has had several reports of mutilations and missing animals locally, she said.

"There is nothing within me that can understand why anyone would want to do this, or think about doing it - let alone carry it out," she said.

A spokesperson from Cambridgeshire Police said it had received a report from a woman who found the body of her cat in Elm that was "suspected to have been killed".

"We're investigating the circumstances of the incident, which took place between 17 and 18 June, and an investigation has been launched."

The force said the inquiry would include "regular local patrols" and appealed for people with information to come forward.

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