Dozens of dead cats found hanging from trees in shopping bags in Yonkers may be weird trophies placed there by a sadistic cat killer, investigators said Friday.
Results of the first three kitty-autopsies show they all suffered “blunt trauma” to the head — a sign that the sicko, or sickos, killed all of them in the same ritualistic way, animal cruelty cops said.
“All three had blunt trauma to the head. Because of the sheer number, we don’t think it was accidental … We’re treating this crime as a felony. It’s very unusual,” said SPCA officer Ernest Lungaro, who began investigating after the 25 cats were discovered in an abandoned lot on Thursday.
Creepy clues also reveal the heartless killer may have been murdering the poor creatures for up to a year, Lungaro said.
Some of the cat corpses were a year old and “in skeleton form” while others were as fresh as three days old, he said.
“The cats were in varying stages of decomposition. Some were skeletons. Some were freshly killed within three days … I’ve never confronted something like this. It’s very disturbing to me,” Lungaro said.
The cats were different breeds and ages and may have been strays.
“I don’t want to rule out pets. But knowing this street there are a lot of feral cats around here and people who feed them,” he said.
Whoever did it probably brought the cats to the abandoned lot in the middle of the night, neighbors said.
“I walk my dog right by there and I never noticed the bags hanging so I think the guy must have brought the cats in the middle of the night,” said Robert Atkins, 18, who lives across the street.
Will Sanchez, 27, added, “The person has to be a psycho. Usually we see a lot of cats but not so much any more. Only homeless people go in there. They sleep in there.”
The Yonkers Public Works Department, which cleans the lot once a year, discovered the cats.
Aside from bashed in skulls, there were no other signs of torture. The crime is considered aggravated animal cruelty, which is a felony.
It’s unclear if the killer had dumped the bodies in one run or visited the site multiple times.
Anyone with tips about the crime should call the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals tip line at 914-941-7797.