I suspect someone in my village is hurting cats, help!

So I moved to a village I'm September 2013, my cat went out in November 2013 and was not seen again by anyone I did everything the RSPCA told me to do to find her. I then found out 4 other people in the village had recently had cats that disappeared without a trace. Today my other cat came shooting in and her whiskers had been burnt. I have been told rumours about two people in the village who have hurt/killed cats before. Is there anything I can do? thanks!

the best solution in this case would be to keep your cats indoors, where they are safest from harm- people, animal or otherwise.

Unless you have proof of who's harming the cats, I don't think there's much you can do.

and welcome!

Get in touch with the RSPCA and the police. There might not be anything they can do at the moment, but if they have a record of cats going missing or being injured it will help to build a case if they manage to find out who is doing this.

You could also try putting up a notice warning other pet owners of what happened to your cats in your vets, post office, town hall etc. Ask other pet owners to report any thing that happens to their pets to the RSPCA too.

The RSPCA will prosecute whenever possible but you need to make sure they are fully informed about what is happening in your village.

Last year, we had a horrible case of someone beheading cats in the next town over from me.    The police were informed and the story made the local news and newspapers.

Fortunately the incidents subsided after that.  The rumor was that it was an emotionally disturbed high-school kid but nobody was detained as far as I know.

The points are :

1) Get the word out into flyers, newspapers, and the local media.   The perpetrator will hopefully take notice and stop.

2) Report extreme animal cruelty to the police not just the ASPCA.   The belief is that people who go on to be murderers have at times started out killing animals.   They form a psychological profile which disrespects life whether it be animal or human.