Three cats mutilated and cut in half found in Houston's East End

HOUSTON – WARNING: THE IMAGES IN THIS ARTICLE MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME VIEWERS

Several dead cats, cut in half, were found in Houston's East End district.

Houston Police need your help to determine if someone is killing cats or if this is the result of an animal attack.

According to police, at least three cases of dead cats have been found mutilated in the area in recent days.

Animal welfare investigators believe that at least two cats were found dead, possibly even a third.

The first case was reported on August 26, the second just last Sunday and the third case was reported by neighbors on Wednesday.

In all cases, dead cats were found, their remains cut in half and laid out for the public to see.

“My mother was walking her dog and when she passed by she saw that the black cat was cut in half,” said Jackson Hime. “It doesn't look natural to me.”

One of the most recent cases occurred at the corner of South Lockwood Drive and Park Drive.

Neighbors told KPRC 2's Gage Goulding that all of the dead cats were found within a one-block radius of the area.

According to Hime, the second cat killed was a tri-colored cat named Stella.

“It's disgusting. It's scary,” Hime said. “For something like this to happen three times in two weeks, when we haven't seen anything like this in 30 years, I find it hard to believe that this is just a random animal attack.”

Neighbors along Park Drive have filed at least three separate reports with Houston police.

Animal cruelty investigators are currently investigating and say there is simply not enough evidence to say with certainty whether the crime was committed by an animal or a human.

KPRC 2's Gage Goulding was in the area when BARC workers arrived to collect the cat's remains, a full day after neighbors called 911. They will perform an autopsy on the remains.

“We spoke to the officials yesterday and as you can see, the body is still lying out here being eaten by flies,” Hime said.

A BARC representative also told Goulding that the evidence suggests the mutilation was carried out by a human.

Later Thursday, a BARC spokesperson shared the following information with KPRC: “We currently have no indication that the incident was human-caused and currently agree with the SPCA who suspect wildlife, specifically coyotes, as the cause.”

Meanwhile, the Houston SCPA believes it could be an animal attack:

“Earlier this week, an animal cruelty investigator from the Houston SPCA came to the East End after the rescue organization received a report of animal cruelty that two dead cats had been dismembered. After an initial investigation, it is believed this was caused by an animal attack, possibly by coyotes, as the area where the incident occurred has a very high population of feral cats.

The Houston SPCA has been notified of a third similar incident. Based on the facts currently gathered, it is believed this was also caused by an animal attack. The case remains open pending further investigation, if necessary.

The Houston SPCA is urging the public to file a report of suspected animal cruelty at 713.869.7722 or HoustonSPCA.org.”

Police are also asking for help as there is no surveillance footage or witnesses who saw the incident. Anyone with information about what or who is doing this should contact Houston Police.