Buttercup, a Maple Ridge calico that was set to turn two, was killed last week, parts of its body scattered around the community beneath posters reporting she was missing.
Photograph by: Submitted , TIMES
Maple Ridge resident Erich Wernicke was shocked Sunday morning when he saw a piece of the missing family cat, Buttercup, a block from his house while he was out for a bike ride with his two young sons.
The calico cat had gone missing last Wednesday night, and on Saturday, after his wife posted a missing notice on Craigslist - a horrified neighbour contacted the Wernickes when she found the cat's decapitated head beneath a poster about a missing cat about four blocks away.
Lisa Simons, whose own cat has been missing since May 9, was 99 per cent sure it was Buttercup and sent a picture to the family via email.
Kim Wernicke confirmed it was her family's pet.
Disturbingly, Buttercup's tail was what was found by her husband on Sunday, and it was beneath a different missing cat's poster.
"Obviously we are dealing with a very disturbed person," said SPCA spokeswoman Lorie Chortyk.
Buttercup is one of seven mutilated cats found in the area in the past two weeks, and one of 22 reported dismembered or mutilated by the SPCA in the community since last June.
"We are doing a necropsy on the animals to see if there is any physical evidence left behind," said Chortyk.
There are no defensive wounds that normally indicate an attack by a predator.
"They're sliced in half with what looks like a saw or a sharp knife," Chortyk added.
The rash of killings has residents worried for their cats, and the BC SPCA struggling in its investigation as it admit that it has no suspects and is relying on the public for help.
"It is rare when we need to rely on the community to be our eyes and ears," said Chortyk.
"We want to hear about every piece of information. The only way these killings are going to stop is if we find a lead and catch the person."
Meanwhile, the Wernickes are faced with telling their children that Buttercup is not coming home.
"I don't really know how to tell them - my oldest boy was just in love with this cat," Wernicke said. "She was very attached to my older son; they slept together every night.
"It's very stressful. I haven't seen any police patrolling our neighbourhood. I want people to know and to watch out for their animals and their community."
editorial@mrtimes.com
Buttercup, a Maple Ridge calico that was set to turn two, was killed last week, parts of its body scattered around the community beneath posters reporting she was missing.
Photograph by: Submitted , TIMES
