Family traumatised after pet cat mutilated

The sadistic killing of a pet cat and a hedgehog has appalled police and a Timaru family.

Smudge, a small, long-haired, black cat was found outside the Macfarlane family's Waimataitai home on Tuesday morning.

Constable Tig Payne said the family cat had been dismembered. The body of a beheaded hedgehog was close by.

Payne said police had no line of inquiry on the case.

There was no evidence to say the killing was connected to the recent attack on a cat at Caroline Bay that spent two days crawling home after her back leg was cut off in a suspected machete attack, but the events could be related, he said.

"We have seen sick jokes and that, but this is something quite premeditated and sadistic," he said.

Nils Macfarlane's mother, Viv, made the grisly discovery when the 17-year-old cat did not arrive for breakfast.

Smudge was a small, frail house cat that did not move quickly and did not roam far.

"I got up about 7.30am to feed her and she didn't come which she normally does, so my mum went around and saw she had been chopped in half and just placed on the section. It was pretty disturbing," Nils Macfarlane said.

He was also upset for the hedgehog, which he said had been "scalped and left to die".

Macfarlane said he thought hard before agreeing to talk to the media. The last thing he wanted was the culprit receiving recognition for the killing.

"They are obviously not in a good state of mind. I don't want them thinking, 'I've made it'," he said.

"I feel sorry for whoever's done it. They obviously need help."

The killing has left the Macfarlanes concerned. Their property has a large hedge around it, Macfarlane said.

They believe the killings happened in the early hours, and whoever committed them had to enter their property through gates that were usually locked.

"It's very unnerving to know someone has been on your property."

Macfarlane said they had visited neighbours to let them know what had happened and to warn them.

"We ran into one who had heard dogs between 6am and 6.30am. She heard wailing."

At first the Macfarlanes worried the sound was Smudge, but the neighbour said the sound was definitely a dog, Macfarlane said.

Police are keen to hear from anyone with information about the attack or if anyone has noticed anything unusual about their pets.

"If anybody has had something happen to their animal in that area; if they notice their dog has been hurt abnormally."

Payne said the cuts to Smudge had been done with some skill.

"If somebody is out there, they are probably going to do it again."

If you have any information, contact the Timaru police on (03) 687 9808.

- © Fairfax NZ News