May 14, 2009 8:07 pm US/Eastern
CBS4 Exclusive: Cats Found Mutilated & Murdered
Bodies Of 18 Older Cats Found Mutilated
CUTLER BAY (CBS4) ―
Some homeowners in the Whispering Pines section of Cutler Bay say they are on edge. They say as many as 18 cats have been horribly mutilated and left in front yards and on doorsteps in the past few weeks. Most are older cats whose owners had them a long time. And they want the killer or killers caught.
"It was horrible. My cat was lying there with his head crashed open," said Barbara Mesa of her 13-year-old white cat named Caspar. "His face was crushed in, perhaps from a gun or smashed on the street. And his back thigh was sliced open. Imagine what I had to tell my daughter. She's had Caspar her whole life. She's in 5th grade."
Caspar was found in Mesa's front yard on Wednesday morning.
"The person who did this deserves whatever they can give him," Mesa said. "It was like a homicide. It is like that for a family that has had a cat that long. It's just so terrible. What is that person going to turn to next? Is it going to be people? Where will he stop?"
Another pet owner, who only identified himself as Dave, said he heard from other pet owners and neighbors that as many as 18 cats have been killed in the past few weeks. Some may have been skinned alive. One cat's skin was actually found in one neighbor's yard. Some cats have been cut with some sort of knife from head to toe. Dave's 13-year-old cat named Petey was found Wednesday morning in front of his home.
"He was a real friendly cat," said Dave. "When I looked at his injuries, it appeared he was mutilated. It's just alarming to do this to a cat. This was a very affectionate cat. This was unnerving."
A Miami-Dade Animal Service officer who made in Whispering Pines confirmed to CBS4 Exclusive that he had picked up three mutilated cats on Wednesday.
Paul Wiesinger said his wife found their 14-year-old cat Tammy some three houses away from their home on Wednesday afternoon. Tammy had been butchered.
"He kills them. He mutilates them," said Wiesinger. "He leaves them out in the open so everyone can see them. There's somebody out there that has to be stopped. Yes, it would mean a lot to me to find him."
Other residents said they were very concerned and worried. Miami-Dade Police said they are investigating and have spoken to neighbors. But it's not known if they have any leads or suspects. They will not say if they have an official estimate of the number of cats that have been killed.
Local realtor Mike Shuler has been warning residents by telephone about the killing spree involving cats.
"I'm going to keep my two other cats including Chuckie indoors. At least until the killer is caught. Anybody with information has to call. We need to arrest this person and catch this beast," said Mesa.
Some neighbors said they thought that the killer had attacked so many cats that he must have been scratched by some of them. They urged residents to call Miami-Dade Police if they think they might have seen someone in the Cutler Bay area with a series of cat-like scratches on them.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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