Forensic vet to examine most recent mutilated cat

A forensic veterinarian from Atlanta will examine the latest mutilated cat found in northwest Spokane to try to determine who or what is responsible for the grisly killings.

The veterinarian may analyze DNA material collected from the claws of the cat, which was discovered Tuesday morning in the 5600 block of North Elgin Street, said SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. Executive Director Gail Mackie. Apparently cut in half like the other victims, the mutilated cat is one of eight reported to the humane organization since July 4.

Mackie wouldn’t identify the veterinarian until the vet has a chance to examine the cat and report back Wednesday.

A Spokane police detective was assigned to the cases Tuesday, said Spokane Police Department spokesman Cpl. Tom Lee.

Mackie said the cases are important to investigate because they may represent a cycle of violence. Adults sometimes abuse animals to exert control over partners, and children may mimic that behavior, she said.

Many serial killers have histories of animal abuse, she said.

“Every animal abuser doesn’t turn out to be a serial killer, but the link is there,” she said.

Lee said it was “way too soon to even discuss” that potential aspect of the cases, but it could “very well be one step in a multistep investigation.”

All of the cats have been found within three miles of the latest one. None of the cats has had significant amounts of blood near them, suggesting they were killed elsewhere and placed where they were found.

SpokAnimal workers sent the latest cat remains via overnight mail to Georgia on Tuesday night, Mackie said. Unlike the other mutilated cats, of which only the hind portion remained, the tabby is intact from middle to front.

SpokAnimal investigator Ken Trambitas said sending the cat to an animal forensic expert was “definitely something out of the ordinary, and it’s specific to just this case.”

Trambitas said he’s received tips about people suspected of having a history of animal abuse, and he’s passing reports to police.

A woman in the 6200 block of North Cambridge Drive also reported a mutilated cat Tuesday. She found her dog chewing on the gray and white tabby’s hindquarters in her backyard weeks ago.

A collar lying nearby appeared to have been sliced off the cat. The collar identified the cat as belonging to the woman’s next door neighbors, Mackie said.

A newspaper carrier Sunday found a black and white female cat cut in half in the 3200 block of West Monticello Place.