Cat owners, be alert.

[LondonMix]

Perhaps alerting the two local vets and have them contact all their patients? I'll put a call in to the neighbourhood vets where I'm registered to see if they'll agree to that.

[Mustard]

I have heard this discussed on BBC London, on the Vanessa Feltz Breakfast programme.

[LadyNorwood]

Please contact SNARL (Tony or Boudicca) on 07957 830490 or 07961 030064 if you find/see/know anything - thank you....

[katanita]

Good idea, I've messaged Lordship Lane vets. I'm also checked with SNARL for confirmation, and they said that they are aware of the one from a few days ago. So grim.

[singalto]

I spoke to the lady from Snarl this morning and she is providing me with leaflets to distribute locally. The police now have a unit dedicated to this problem. The Rodwell rd kitten had last been seen late evening on Thursday and was found in Pellattt on Friday. Bethdate, can you describe the cat you found? Thanks.

[bethdate]

Singalto, the cat we found was a small tabby. I saw your earlier message and will contact 101 when I get home. It's reassuring to know that the police now have a unit dedicated to the problem. Great idea about the leaflets - please let me know if you need any help distributing them.

[singalto]

Bethdate, thank you. I think that means that the RSPCA got the wrong road when they told the owner her cat was found in Pellatt rd. I think the cat you saw was the one I posted about when I started this thread. I will contact you about helping with leaflets. Thank you for the offer.

[selondonjournal]

Hi all,

South East London Journal goes to print in a few days, we'll make sure to put the info / warning in. Will contact Snarl for the up to date information.

We have a distribution of 10,000 free physical journals at more than 100 stockists in SE... and lots more online readers, so will hopefully get the word out.

Wish we could do more... it's horrific.

[singalto]

selondonjournal that is brilliant. Thank you.

[sedm]

Thankyou so much for all this information. I had heard about the cats killed in Croydon but didn't realise it was a danger here too. Let me know if you need any help delivering leaflets.

[lindylou]

Could posters be put up in public places such as the library, local pubs, fitness centre etc to alert people to this?

[phobic3000]

Does anyone know what would happen if the person gets caught? It seems people can do horrific things to animals and just get banned from keeping pets! I'd be interested to know what sort of punishment could actually be dished out by law. I guess they've killed probably more than 40 pets by now...

I would hope they chuck 'em in a high security psychiatric unit and never let them out. Very disturbing.

[Jennys]

Perhaps ask everyone to post something on Facebook etc. Good idea to try and get vets, pet shops etc to put up posters. Libraries and supermarkets might be willing to put up a poster as well. I did put something on E D forum when the nearest incident was in West Norwood but my post was lounged. Now it is happening right in East Dulwich I hope more people can be made aware of this.

[Saffron]

Under the 2006 reforms and consolidation of animal welfare legislation, a criminal prosecution can bring up to a year in prison. If they prosecuted each case separately, then I guess a lengthy prison sentence could follow considering the scale of the current crime. However, I suspect what you suggest about psychiatric detention is probably more likely given the nature of the crime.

[singalto]

Thank you all for great ideas on where to warn people. I will ask the lovely people at the Silvester Rd sorting office to put a leaflet up too. Please warn people in any way you can. According to the Sunday Times, there have been more than 50 incidents so far. The post Mortensen done on 8 cats have shown that they were all killed by the same person.

[Penguin68]

If you wish to warn cat-owning people, the most likely warning point would be shop shelves where cat food is sold - as that is the most common point where cat owners might expect to find themselves. As long as any poster is not too horrific (so that it might frighten children) I am sure most shop owners would be prepared to allow such posters to be displayed, if they are not doing so already. Perhaps using language which is carefully muted (again because of children) and placing the posters quite high (again so that children do not readily read them). I suspect that for some children the idea that their (or other people's) cats might be so at risk could be very disturbing and frightening (well, it probably is to adults as well, but they have better coping mechanisms).

What concerns me is the ritualistic way in which (some of) the cats are reported as being displayed. This does suggest someone who is very deeply disturbed. As others have commented, psychiatric care rather than prison may well be the appropriate remedy here, once the offender is caught.

[Sue]

Also please tell people you know with cats.

I've just texted them.

[Angelina]

I can print leaflets - if there's a standard one? Not very creative, but will do what I can to help.

[CocoC]

Yes thank you very much to Sue for letting me know. This is so horrible.

[Nigello]

Do it digitally and in person; posters about pyschotic cat torturers around primary schools is not a great idea.

[pr5ined]

Think this has been going on for a while but the killer seems to be more prolific in recent weeks

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3441416/Martin-Clunes-joins-hunt-Cat-Ripper-Croydon-TV-actor-urges-Met-step-investigation-person-killed-35-pets.html

[se22cat]

I'd like to help in any way that I can with this, as, well, I love cats.

[singalto]

I now have lots of leaflets delivered to me by someone from Snarl if any of you are interested..

[se22cat]

I can post some door to door, around, no problem.

[Saffron]

Nigello Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Do it digitally and in person; posters about

> pyschotic cat torturers around primary schools is

> not a great idea.

Also -- sorry to even be thinking about this! -- is the 'wrong' type of publicity going to give this criminal a sick thrill, or inspire other creeps to commit similar crimes? How do we minimise that but still get the news out? :( xx