Croydon cat killer - three more cats killed in London area in the past week.

[WannaBe]

Unable to link atmk] as on my phone but according to my local cat rescue FB page another cat was killed in Archway last night. One in Forest walk on Tuesday and one in Petts wood (which is only about half a mile from me) last week.

How is it the police have been unable to catch this vile individual? .

My previous cats were always allowed out at night but then my last cat had her accident at night. I honestly don't know if she was hit by a car or hurt in some other way but she was badly hurt and had managed to make it home. So even before all this I said that if I got another cat it wouldn't be allowed out at night.

Agree that on the whole cats like going out at night but that is also when they're most vulnerable.

I'd imagine this bastard strikes at night because he's not visible then. He'd have to be pretty brazen to strike during the day....

Wow. It sounds incredibly 'sophisticated' for want of a better word. I too would worry that the behaviour might escalate to humans. Psychopathic enough to go to that level of effort to kill cats, psychopathic enough to progress to humans. Hope they catch the freak soon.

Bumping this because another three casualties this week one in Orpington, one in Mottingham and I can't recall where the other one was.

But according to one of the cat rescue sites on FB the last one didn't come home in the evening and was found the next night. Does that mean he's changed his tactic of striking only at night?

I'm not sure that they invariably strike at night - just mostly. Nor, it seems, is it invariably cats.

Dreadful.

God this is awful. If I were living there my cats would stay inside all the time.

My first thought was that this could progress to killing people.

I read an article recently which suggested exactly that, although this particular individual has been doing the same for two years and his MO hasn't really changed. But the general feeling seemed to be that it is most likely someone who is abusive to people around him and possibly other animals as well.

I have a recent rescue who will be able to be let out in another week or so and I'm incredibly nervous about the thought of letting her out - and being sure she comes home at night.

I would keep her in. At least until this person is caught. I've only just read the news report and it is a lot of animals who've been killed.

The actions sound as if they're opportunistic.

Are they all areas in south london op?

No, they have now taken place in 4 counties outside of London, I've just read.

I believe that the crimes have been carried out in quite a wide area. So No - I don't think it's only South London.

One theory is that they run the cat over first and then 'catnap' it. Which would explain why most occurrences are at night because roads are quieter so cats are on/near them and he can swerve or accelerate to hit them because no other traffic.
However, some reports of the cats being left on the owners doorsteps or property hints towards him planning his victims (I know they are cats but they are still victims). This is far scarier in my opinion.
I'm glad it's being taken so seriously by the police. We live in the area and were planning on getting a cat but I've held back because I'm worried about this, that's probably a bit silly but I'd feel awful about getting one knowing there was even a slight danger if anything did happen to it.

The newspaper article is from February and it mentions it had been happening since September 2015. It's really worrying that he/she hasn't been caught and what else they could be doing

Well that's a lot of ground to cover. I've clearly watched too much Criminal Minds, but what sort of a job would take someone around those areas?
They clearly have a lot of time on their hands to cover such distance or otherwise they travel with work.
Putting the cats on the owner's doorsteps really is a whole other level of scary!

metro.co.uk/2016/04/25/croydon-cat-killers-trail-of-destruction-yet-another-pet-has-been-slaughtered-5838728/

Just found this article which has a map of where the cats were killed.
They're scattered everywhere!

Article here suggests it's been happening for three years but that the attacks are becoming more frequent.

Another article I read suggested that they're lured wth raw chicken and then strangled before being taken away and then returned later. .

Bloody awful, but even as a person the idea of wandering around at night while someone might be out there with such intentions makes me uncomfortable .

news.sky.com/story/1645237/croydon-cat-ripper-may-be-keeping-trophies

I'm sure that the police would be taking it very seriously indeed.

I am so scared of this happening to my cats. One point to consider is this isn't just an attack on animals - it's an attack on humans because the remains were displayed in such a way as to be discovered by the owners and cause them maximum hurt.

Some points I've found out from reading every article I could on it…

*Attacks tend to happen mainly at night
*Attacks happen any day of the week, but is more likely to be a weekend

• Many of the animals had eaten chicken before their death which suggests the killer lures them with bait
• Blunt force trauma is the cause of death - they are either being run over or hit with a heavy object/thrown against a wall to kill them.
• The killer isn't just taking them from the streets - they've been found in gardens too
• Attacks are happening over a 60 mile area. Could it be a cab driver or a van driver? *Foxes, rabbits, birds and puppies have also been victims

SNARL are working closely with the police on this, so if you have any leads you can report it to them on here: www.facebook.com/South-Norwood-Animal-Rescue-and-Liberty-SNARL-624100301029007/

Just wish there was something I could do to help/make sure my cats are kept safe. I'm keeping them in for now but there's no guarantee the killer will be caught :(

One of the cats was killed fairly close to me and I really panicked. Mine has always been kept in at night and, since his broken jaw, doesn't go too far from home. We thought about cat proofing the garden (well I did, DH was just going to do the work!) but we've got an alley running alongside the house (it's gated but can still be accessed) so I was worried he could end up trapped in the garden if he couldn't get to the cat flap in time.

I do think it's probably a cab driver, possibly based at one of the airports so would have a larger route, or a van driver. If anyone is covering for him they are just as bad as far as I'm concerned.

It's really frightening - the type of behaviour suggests this person is definitely a psychopath. I agree it's also an attack on humans.

This has stepped up and happenning back in the original areas again now - please keep an eye out for anyone behaving weirdly around cats, esp in South London/Surrey and report to 999 immediately (as requested by the police involved)