Mutilated cat found dead on Hayling Island linked to notorious cat killer

Father-of-four Simon Vine says his family is ‘hysterical’ after their three-year-old ginger cat, Millie, was found brutally killed near Meath Close, Hayling Island, on Sunday morning.

The animal – one of the family’s two pets – was discovered with open wounds and a nearly-decapitated head by a neighbour.

Rescuers say the fatal injuries look to have been inflicted by a human in the early hours of the morning.

Describing the impact the incident has had on his family, Mr Vine, 51, said: ‘This is an extremely difficult situation for us – the feeling is not good at all.

‘The sickest thing for our family to get its head around is the fact someone could kill a defenceless animal like that, in cold blood.

‘My children and my partner were absolutely hysterical when they heard the news.

‘I would do anything to see this horrible person caught for what they have done.’

After Millie’s body was discovered, it was examined by island vets and rescuers from Croydon-based charity South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (Snarl).

While the Vine family initially assumed Millie had been killed by another animal before a post-mortem, findings showed that the incident could be linked to the so-called ‘M25 cat killer’, – who has been connected with the deaths of more than 400 animals across the nation since 2014, through the Met Police’s Operation Takahe.