Police: Animals Likely Cause Of Cat Mutilations
Foxes Behind Utah Cat Killings
POSTED: 6:36 a.m. MDT July 30, 2003
UPDATED: 3:40 p.m. MDT July 30, 2003
DENVER -- There's been a rash of cat mutilations in the metro area over the past year and investigators now believe that most of them weren't caused by deranged humans but by predatory animals, 7NEWS reported.
Investigators in Colorado have been working with officials from Salt Lake City, where similar incidents have been reported. On Tuesday, investigators in Salt Lake City said nearly a dozen cats, originally thought to have been mutilated by humans, were probably killed by hungry foxes. A day later, investigators in Aurora said that they believe something similar happened to the cats in Colorado.
"At this point it appears the majority of the cases are due to predation. However, we are looking at each case individually," said Kathleen Walsh, spokeswoman for the Aurora Police Department.
Salt Lake officials said they recently found a fox den near where many of their cats turned up dead, pointing their answer toward predators.
For Aurora residents living in a neighborhood that backs up to a field where one of the mutilated cats was found, there's a palpable sense of relief.
"That's very good news," said pet owner Ron Seagren.
Residents said this latest news isn't a shock because local wildlife is plentiful.
"Foxes, I've seen foxes and racoons," Seagren said.
Investigators aren't commenting on initial reports that most of the mutilations appeared to be done with surgical precision.
"We are talking about the death of an animal caused by another animal," Walsh said.
There have been nearly 50 incidents in the metro area in the past year, beginning November 2002. The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a Colorado suspect was at $14,500.
At one point, the fear that a person or persons were responsible was so intense that
authorities even stopped giving out information about the cases saying it might spur more mutilations.
The cat mutilations in Salt Lake City began in May 2002. Some cats were found with holes in their sides or half their bodies missing. Some of the animals had also been decapitated and some were gutted. Investigators initially thought it was some sort of grisly prank.
Temma Martin, spokeswoman for the Salt Lake County Animal
Services, said it's a relief to find there's probably not a
deranged criminal out there torturing cats.
Additional Resource:
Investigators in Colorado have been working with officials from Salt Lake City, where similar incidents have been reported. On Tuesday, investigators in Salt Lake City said nearly a dozen cats, originally thought to have been mutilated by humans, were probably killed by hungry foxes. A day later, investigators in Aurora said that they believe something similar happened to the cats in Colorado.
"At this point it appears the majority of the cases are due to predation. However, we are looking at each case individually," said Kathleen Walsh, spokeswoman for the Aurora Police Department.
Salt Lake officials said they recently found a fox den near where many of their cats turned up dead, pointing their answer toward predators.
For Aurora residents living in a neighborhood that backs up to a field where one of the mutilated cats was found, there's a palpable sense of relief.
"That's very good news," said pet owner Ron Seagren.
Residents said this latest news isn't a shock because local wildlife is plentiful.
"Foxes, I've seen foxes and racoons," Seagren said.
Investigators aren't commenting on initial reports that most of the mutilations appeared to be done with surgical precision.
"We are talking about the death of an animal caused by another animal," Walsh said.
There have been nearly 50 incidents in the metro area in the past year, beginning November 2002. The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a Colorado suspect was at $14,500.
At one point, the fear that a person or persons were responsible was so intense that
authorities even stopped giving out information about the cases saying it might spur more mutilations.
The cat mutilations in Salt Lake City began in May 2002. Some cats were found with holes in their sides or half their bodies missing. Some of the animals had also been decapitated and some were gutted. Investigators initially thought it was some sort of grisly prank.
Temma Martin, spokeswoman for the Salt Lake County Animal
Services, said it's a relief to find there's probably not a
deranged criminal out there torturing cats.
Additional Resource:
Previous Stories:
- July 14, 2003: Mutilated Cat Found At Sloans Lake
- July 1, 2003: Cat Found Mutilated In Jefferson County
- June 26, 2003: Is a Mutilated Cat In Lafayette Linked To Denver Attacks?
- June 18, 2003: Task Force Formed After Another Cat Found Mutilated
- June 17, 2003: Third Cat In 10 Days Found Mutilated
- June 12, 2003: More Mutilated Cats Discovered In Aurora
- December 10, 2002: Cat Mutilations In Parker May Be Linked To Aurora's
- November 12, 2002: Experts: Surgical Precision Of Cat Mutilations Worrisome
Copyright 2003 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
