TEMPE, AZ — It started out as a horrifying discovery. Bob Garside says he came home from work earlier this month to find several pieces of a cat's body scattered across his front yard.
"There was a tail, part of a tail in our front yard," said Garside. "There was a head, completely severed head that was missing a left ear for whatever reason, and there were two legs."
When he looked across the street, he says his neighbors had almost an identical scene outside their homes.
"It was clear that it wasn't done by another cat or another animal, so it's shocking," he added.
Garside says he's not sure who would torture the animals, but adds several nearby neighborhoods see dozens of stray cats on a daily basis.
He filed a report with Tempe police, but quickly learned this is not the first time they've heard of dismembered cats.
Several posts online show homeowners in Tempe warning others of similar findings near their homes.
One Nextdoor user posted a photo of what he says are several pieces of a cat's body outside McClintock High School. Others say cats were also found in alleys behind nearby homes.
Homeowners in the area say they plan on keeping their pets indoors, unsure if someone nearby may be responsible for the brutal acts.
Tempe police told ABC15 in a statement on Tuesday, saying:
Tempe Police Officers responded to and investigated multiple incidents of calls for service regarding dismembered cats. The investigations into all of those incidents initially indicate that the cats were consumed by larger predators and no foul play was observed or noted.
