Cat serial killer on the lose

Four more dead cats were found in Denver, adding to the previous total of 40, heightening fear among pet owners that a serial cat killer is in their midst.

Authorities say at least 40 mutilated cats were discovered in Denver and its suburbs in the past year, including four killed over the weekend. The toll in Salt Lake City is 10 cats and another unidentified animal.

Christy Hughes had stopped reading stories about the attacks. Then her husband found the eviscerated body of their 15-year-old cat, Bugsy, outside the front door of their Aurora home two weeks ago.

“I blame myself, because had I read it, I never would have let my cat outside,” she said Monday. “I’ve had a hard time forgiving myself for that.”

Authorities are worried that despite the attacks, pet owners still are letting their cats roam outside.

“I’ve had people say, ‘They don’t like to stay inside,”’ said Temma Martin, spokeswoman for Salt Lake County Animal Services. “Well, look at the stakes here.”

In several cases, it appears the attacker kills the cat, then taunts the owner by bringing back the remains. Some of the animals were cut with surgical precision. —AP

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