Predators may be S.L. cat mutilators

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jul 18, 2003 | by Josh Loftin Deseret Morning News

Foxes and coyotes, not a demented person, have become the focus for an investigation into the multiple cat mutilations in the Salt Lake valley.

Troy Wood, who is leading the investigation of the cat deaths for Salt Lake County Animal Control, said that the possibility of predator attacks is "the strongest lead" right now and could be the official cause of the most recent death.

In that July 2 attack, when the front half of a cat was found on the Willow Creek County Club golf course, hair from the cat's claws that looked to be from another animal was sent for testing, with results expected by the end of the month.

Wood has been hesitant to blame predators, primarily without indisputable evidence, people would still suspect the killings were the work of a psychopath.

"I've seen what people do to animals," he said. "None of these would resemble anything a human would do."

The Humane Society, which did not return phone calls Thursday evening, continues to offer an $8,500 reward for information that leads to the arrest of any person involved in cat mutilations. They are also running radio ads urging people to keep their pet cats safely inside a home or fenced yard.

Wood said that predators such as foxes and coyotes are known to hunt in the valley, especially in the Avenues area of Salt Lake City. There, eight cats have been killed, many in the area around H Street, which ends near the start of multiple hiking and animal trails.

"The Avenues are full of cats, so they know where to get dinner," he said. "Plus it's near the foothills."

Since the first killings, animal control officers have asked veterinarians for their opinions about the mutilated cats and have also contacted experts with the Humane Society. Now, they also plan to turn to Dr. Lawrence McGill, a veterinary pathologist who has studied cattle mutilations throughout the West.

McGill said that from the descriptions of the cat carcasses that he has heard and the pictures that have been published in local media, he cannot imagine it is anything besides an animal doing the killing. While he has not actually looked at a mutilated cat, he did expect to examine the next one.

The ritualistic nature of the killings actually reinforces the possibility of predators, especially foxes, which have razor-sharp teeth and will often open the body to eat the organs, he said. When only half a cat is found, it is most likely because the fox is not big enough to carry a whole cat, so it tore it in half and returned to the den.

"These guys can make very precise, sharp cuts with their teeth," McGill said. "It can look surgical."

He also suspected that the killings have been occurring for decades, but that people have not noticed because the animals have been able to stay out of highly populated areas. Spotting them can also be extremely difficult because of their night hunting hours, and because they would flee at the first noise -- such as a dog barking - - which might bring people to the cat's body.

"It's been going on for hundreds of years, but we just haven't seen it in our back yards," McGill said. "If people want to protect their cats, they need to keep them inside."

E-mail: jloftin@desnews.com