Miami police hunt killer who mutilates, skins cats

MIAMI (Reuters) - Police are searching for a person who has mutilated more than 20 cats in two of Miami's southern suburbs in the past month.

Frightened pet owners in Cutler Bay and Palmetto Bay have been told to take their own cats indoors and to round up neighborhood strays at night, which is when the killer strikes.

"Someone is mutilating these cats. They are having their innards removed and sometimes their pelts are removed," Miami-Dade Police Officer Rebeca Perez said.

The killer dumps the carcasses, sometimes on the owner's property, sometimes nearby, Perez said.

"It's awful. He's definitely not a well person," said Dee Chess, founder of a local animal rescue center called Friends Forever.

"People who do these kinds of things usually graduate to do other things. They go after children. That's how Ted Bundy began," she said, referring to the notorious serial killer executed by Florida in 1989.

Police said they would not speculate on a motive for the killings. The Humane Society and Crimestoppers have offered a reward of up to $3,500 for information leading to the killer's capture.