It's happened again. For the fourth time in two weeks, a cat has been found mutilated in Aurora.

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What Cat Owners Are Doing About Recent Animal Mutilations

The latest dead cat turned up Tuesday night near the intersection of Chenago and Dunkirk Way at a park close to Peak View Elementary School.

The animal's carcass was taken to a veterinarian, who confirmed that the injuries on the cat were inflicted by a human and not another animal, Aurora's Animal Control Department said. They do not have information about the cat's owner.

Tuesday's discovery makes it the 15th cat mutilation case in Aurora since last June, but the 19th case in the metro area. Denver is investigating the cases of three mutilated cats and one mutilated cat was found in Centennial just last week.

The recent spate of cat mutilations has forced animal control officers in Denver and Aurora to form a task force to share information and hopefully, crack the case.

The group will bring in a criminal profiler who could help sketch out the type of person who could do such an act, and possibly where that person lives since most of the cats were found not that far from one other.

"There's just so many that we've found and the method in which they are being mutilated is very concerning, so we're very concerned that they're going to move on to humans, possibly, at some point," said Barbara Novoryta with Denver Animal Control.

Pet owners are encouraged to keep their cats indoors, and the public is being asked to be on the lookout for people who may be in areas they normally wouldn't be and on the lookout for anyone trying to catch any animals. Residents in Aurora and Centennial are asked to report tips to the police department at (303) 344-2455.

One child psychologist said these cat mutilations aren't casual acts. He said they're indicative of someone who is acting out aggressive fantasies and needs help before their crimes get worse.

"This is the cycle of abuse. It starts with this kind of luring and grooming, if you will, of innocent animals. It could move to children, could move on to adults acting out," said Dr. Jeffrey Dolgan of Children's Hospital.

A $12,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is behind recent the cat killings.

Additional Resource:

Where To Report Animal Cruelty