'Horrific' Cat Killing: Animal Protection Looking For Witnesses

DENVER (CBS4) -- Denver Animal Protection is looking for witnesses to the "horrific" killing of a cat in the Lowry neighborhood. A resident found the one-year-old cat dead in the street across from Verbena Park at 1151 Verbena Street on Friday.

The cat named Charlie belongs to Terry Kimrey.

"I noticed this morning he wasn't around for breakfast and shortly after that I got a knock on my front door," she said.

Charlie was found dead about 5 a.m. Friday.

"He was the first kitten that I've had and so he loved to cuddle and would always sleep at my feet so tonight is going to be different," Kimrey said.

"We found the collar laying next to the cat," Jenna Humphreys with DAP said. They also found blood on some rocks nearby.

"It breaks my heart," Humphreys said.

She said that it was clear the death was not an accident.

Neighbors say it was gruesome scene and while Humphreys did not share exactly how the cat died, she says it's important they do a full investigation.

"There's a clear link between animal abuse and elder abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, and we want to make sure that this doesn't elevate and that anybody that commits these types of acts we want to find these people… absolutely," Humphreys said.

Kimrey echoes that importance and says she hopes no one else will suffer a loss, "I have plants and I have cats, they are my family."

Officers want to talk to anyone who saw or heard anything unusual Thursday night or early Friday morning. They say it is important to find the person behind the attack because there's a clear link between animal abuse and abuse against people.

They are also asking neighbors to check their surveillance cameras in that area.