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Another mutilated cat was found in Denver Sunday, bringing the total of cat mutilations in the metro area over the past year to 39, according to Aurora police.
The dead cat was found at 8th Avenue Park, 8th Avenue and Syracuse Street, about a mile west of Aurora - the city where most of cat killings have occurred.
Denver police declined to release specifics about the condition of the cat, other than that a Denver police officer found the carcass about 8:30 a.m.
'We are not releasing any of the details of how the cats were found,' Aurora police spokeswoman Kathleen Walsh said. 'We are considering this a suspicious occurrence. We can't determine the exact cause of death until the necropsy.'
Aurora police are leading a task force that is investigating the string of cat mutilations. The task force includes animal control officers and representatives from area police departments and the Denver Dumb Friends League.
Meanwhile, it was determined that one of two maimed cats found Saturday in Aurora was killed by an animal and will not be counted in the string of cat slayings, Walsh said. The other cat will be included, however.
In most of the cases, the cats have been sliced open and their internal organs removed.
'We have seen a pattern,' Walsh said. 'This is a crime and we need to find who is responsible.'
The cat mutilation cases are being taken so seriously, in part, because animal mutilation is one of three childhood symptoms that criminologists say are major danger signals that someone could grow up to be a serial killer.
The other two are bed-wetting and fire-starting.
In Utah, authorities in the Salt Lake City area also are investigating a string of a dozen or so similar cat mutilations.
Walsh said citizens should take Aurora's cat-at-large ordinance seriously. The municipal law requires cat owners to keep their pets on their property.
Walsh urged citizens to contact their local police department if a mutilated cat is found.
'If you come across a carcass, we ask you don't touch it,' Walsh said. 'We like the public to be our eyes and ears.'
Anyone with information about these or other mutilation cases should call the Aurora Police Department at (303) 365-2844.
The Denver Dumb Friends League is offering a $12,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people
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