Cat's Severed Head Found in Kids Playground: 'Uniquely Disturbing'

A dismembered cat's head that was found facing upwards beneath a children's play apparatus has sparked concern that it was deliberately placed in that manner.

The head was found by an employee of the Homerton Grove Adventure Playground in London, U.K., on April 24.

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) inspectors who were called to the scene believed that the head was placed in that location on purpose, but because the body had not yet been found, it was unclear if the cat had been deliberately killed.

"This is a truly horrifying story. We were alerted to the discovery of a dismembered black and white cat head at a children's playground on Monday last week," Michael Harrington, an RSPCA animal rescue officer, said in a statement on Wednesday, as reported by local news MyLondon.

"The investigation is ongoing, but first impressions appear to indicate that this was a deliberate act. The head was very carefully placed at the bottom of a children's play apparatus and left in a way that it would be easily found," he said. "There is a uniquely disturbing situation and we are keen to get to the bottom of what happened here."

Harrington said that the equipment that the head was found under is one of the most popular with the children that use the playground.

"This must have been a shocking discovery for the member of staff who stumbled upon it, but we are profoundly grateful that it was not found by a small child who could have been deeply traumatized," he said.

The killing of pets like cats is illegal in the U.K., with animal abusers potentially facing up to five years in prison. It is still unclear if the culprit did indeed kill the animal, with there being a possibility that they encountered the animal after it had died and then removed the head.

Animals being mutilated and left in public places occurs fairly frequently. In July 2022, 23 bags containing decapitated farm animals were discovered near an apartment complex in the state of Georgia, while a decapitated rabbit and speared fish were found, also in a U.K. park.

One study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law in 2002 showed that a history of animal cruelty during childhood was significantly associated with having an antisocial personality disorder, antisocial personality traits and substance abuse. In fact, many of the most notorious serial killers in history, including Jeffrey Dahmer, British child murderer Mary Bell and the Columbine shooters, were known to have mutilated animals during their younger years.

There is no CCTV footage of the incident in the London park, however, the RSPCA believes that the head was placed in the park between 6 p.m. when the playground closed on April 23 and when it opened again at 3:30 p.m. the next day. The owner of the cat has not yet been found.

"This is a completely unthinkable act and we very much hope someone will have seen or heard something that can help us with our investigation," Harrington said.

Newsweek has contacted the RSPCA via email for more details regarding the incident.

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