To think that the idea that the Croydon Cat killer is actually a Fox is a load of b*ll**cks

[mumof2andsurviving]

^^just that really. I'm not buying this fox theory. Mutilated cats left on owners doorsteps...don't think even the most intelligent foxes could manage that.

AIBU to feel that either a) the police no longer have resources to spend on this or b) it is a tactic used to try and lull the perpetrator into a false sense of security?

*attacking

Foxes do weird stuff- I have several times found partial animals stashed in my back garden for later eating. But the descriptions in some of these cases seem a bit far fetched for their behaviour.

No-one said it was foxes killing cats. The Police and Royal Veterinary College suggest it is cats already dead - often by being hit by cars - then foxes preying on the bodies. Backed up by post mortems of cats and CCTV footage of foxes carrying body parts of cats.

Descriptions from what source, though? There are no reliable reports that I’m aware of that say things have been done to corpses that foxes couldn’t do, but a lot of rumour and gossip. The head of forensic pathology at the Royal Veterinary College doesn’t agree that the mutilations are beyond the work of a fox.

Even if there are a few cases where it seems that a human must have been involved (beyond driving the car that hit the poor cat), that only means there’s an isolated case or two of nastiness, not a serial killer.

But the couple behind SNARL are not experts. They are cat rescuers who visit a scene and decide if the cat has been dismembered by a knife. They have yet to quote any of their so called experts, only saying that there were “obviously knife wounds” on some victims. Well obviously.

They run a tiny rescue, one of them has an office job and is allowed to work from home and/or leave early if she gets a call regarding a dead cat, they “fundraise” regularly to help them with their “investigation”, they’ve done many interviews with journalists, their page has 28k followers on Facebook. So it’s very convenient for them to propagate the myth of a sadistic cat killer.

And who needs experts in brave new Brexit Britain eh?

Isn’t SNARL just south Norwood animal rescue league or similar- a woman who ran a small cat rescue out of her house?

Why is anyone listening to them?

Sorry Cross posted with Cadbury- what they said!

I don't know anything about Croydon cases but fwiw I have experienced foxes killing chickens. A fox, given plenty of choice, will definitely take small body parts quite cleanly and consistently, for example, a neighbour had three hens taken and then every other hen in the enclosure had had their heads removed.

www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/snarlchristmasgifts2017

SNARL got nearly four thousand pounds as a Christmas present in 2017 as thanks from their supporters. That might suggest to some that they have a vested interest in keeping the idea of a cat killer alive.

My question is surely the police would have looked into natural causes IE a fox doing it before coming to the conclusion that there was a cat killer? Also why the sudden increase? And the areas etc? All seems to coincidental to me.

I think police can’t find whoever it is/was and now need to save face. They can’t really say “we know there’s a highly disturbed individual(s) out there doing this BUT we can’t find him/her/them”

Sudden increase could be down to a number of things - a council clampdown on food waste disposal for instance meaning foxes cut off from their usual food, for instance. Or a housing development cutting them off from woodland or something. Who knows, but there could well be a rational explanation. It could also well be that cats have always been killed locally but no-one was looking for a pattern before. Not sure what you mean about the area, as it seems to be taking place simultaneously in a highly localised area and right across the country . schrodingers cat perhaps

My question is surely the police would have looked into natural causes IE a fox doing it before coming to the conclusion that there was a cat killer?

Eh? That’s precisely what the police did. They tested several hypotheses, including serial killer and death by accident then predation by fox, and their investigations showed the latter to be the case.

Someone I know had the tail of one of the mutilated cats potted like a plant in their front garden. Not a fox.

We live in an area where its believed the Croydon killer has come - (we're not near Croydon) or someone has copied him - because two cats were recently found mutilated.

Dsis found one of the cats dead: she thinks hit by a car. She knocked on the doors and found a neighbour who said, I know whose it is, I will let her know when she's back. But by the time, the owner was back, 2 hrs or so later - the cat had lost its head.

The post went out on FB, 1000s of people heard about it and SNARL were involved. Dsis contacted the owner when she saw the posts, and said, 'its small consolation, I know, but whatever happened, at least cat wasn't murdered intentionally.'

I waited for them to maybe change the cat-killer theory but it hasn't been. So everyone in our town is adamant a cat had its head sliced off - while alive.

Of course, we don't know what actually happened, but just wanted to point out there is a lot of misinformation out there.

Snarl did say before that the killer was luring them with meat and using traps. He was also waiting for the blood to congeal inside hence why you never ever see blood trails or splatters where the victim was found. Surely if it was a fox there would be blood somewhere

<a class="break-all" href="http://go.mumsnet.com/?xs=1&id=470X1554755&url=www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/snarlchristmasgifts2017" target="_blank">https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/snarlchristmasgifts2017

SNARL got nearly four thousand pounds as a Christmas present in 2017 as thanks from their supporters. That might suggest to some that they have a vested interest in keeping the idea of a cat killer alive.

This is so bloody rude you have no idea the stress they have doing this. When I found them they had been up all night driving miles and miles all night to bring this animal back to check it over, then coming straight on to mine have some fucking respect. They are the most kindest people I've ever come across.

Stress that’s totally unnecessary as they’re looking for something that doesn’t exist.

Where’s the evidence that cats are being lured with meat and using traps? It’s just a theory. There’s no evidence of this, it’s not exactly unheard of to find meat in a dead cat’s stomach.

They've lost contact with reality and got carried away with whatever TV programmes about serial killers that they've been watching.

Foxes will attack weaker cats and kittens and they often attack so savagely that parts of the body will be left behind

And they will kill more than one animal but only take one

But there isn’t more than one cat being killed at a time and I have heard many people call in on radio shows saying their cat was left on their doorstep or neighbors with a body part missing no signs of a fight

I think police just don’t have the resources south London/Croydon area has a lot of crime incidents to deal with

www.theargus.co.uk/news/16895690.sussex-mutilation-proves-m25-killer-is-not-foxes-says-charity/

I have no connection with the rescue but if anyone thinks ppl who work in rescue have the time or resources to exaggerate stories like this, (I would hope) you're very wrong. They are the type of people who go out at the dead of night and deal with things that the RSPCA don't give a toss about.

They are many, many comments from owners (of dead cats) who don't believe the police statement either. Body parts were arranged, intestines taken course with a clean cut, rabbits found dead in closed hutches, just weird things that just don't seem possible if you believe the fox theory.

I don't think the vets (see pic) have any reason to post this - as far as I can see, they don't stand to gain anything.

Snarl did say before that the killer was luring them with meat and using traps

How the fuck do they know that, given that the individual hasn't been caught?

The vets have been very publicly disavowed by their professional body and are coming out fighting. But since they don't seem to have read the police statement, I'm not sure they're the most thorough or reliable source anyway.

So according to the Sussex Argus, the cat killer travelled sixty miles from Croydon to Linda's house in St Leonards, killed her pet rabbit, then hung around watching the scene without being spotted for twenty-four hours so he could pop a collar under a plant pot?

Loving the comment that it's probably a cult on the dark web.

So these cat killing foxes..... why isn't it happening in broad daylight,with witnesses?

Foxes are out and about in daylight,so.... why no daytime activity?