A couple in Hull fear their eight-year-old tabby cat, Max, was "murdered" after he vanished and his severed tail was posted through their letterbox. Owners Louise, 45, and Lisa, 47, found the tail, which has a distinctive white tip, five days after Max disappeared from their home on September 14.
Humberside Police are investigating the incident. The tail has been sent to a specialist vet in Liverpool for DNA analysis, and forensics have checked the letterbox for clues. Police have told the couple they do not believe it was an "animal attack".
Discovery at the letterbox
On Saturday morning, Lisa went to collect their mail from the shared post area at their block of flats and made the discovery. Louise described hearing Lisa screaming and crying, and initially thought she had found Max collapsed on the floor. Instead, she found just his tail.
Louise said: "We are devastated and heartbroken - who could do such a thing to an animal. He was murdered for no reason at all. It's not normal for him to go missing, so we knew something was wrong."
She added: "It's definitely his - he's a tabby cat with a white tip on the tail. It looks like a paintbrush."
Impact on the family
Max was described as "full of character" and a "huge part of her family". He spent most of his time sleeping on his bed and was a "patient big brother" to the couple's other cat, three-year-old Maple, who has been sent to stay with a friend because the couple no longer feel safe keeping her at the flat.
The ordeal has also affected Louise and Lisa's wedding plans. They are still going ahead with the ceremony but have cancelled the celebration they had planned afterwards. Louise said: "It has put a massive shadow over it. We've told all of our guests that we aren't doing anything afterwards now, we're just going to the registry office and then for one drink."
Appeal for information
Humberside Police were called at around 12.30pm on September 19 after a cat's tail was pushed through the letterbox of an address on Appleton Road. Anyone with CCTV or information has been urged to call 101 quoting reference 26132718.
A GoFundMe page has been set up, with the money offered as a reward for information leading to an arrest or conviction. A vigil will be held in front of the couple's Appleton Road home at 7pm on Sunday, September 27, with yellow ribbons tied on Max's favourite tree in his memory. The whereabouts of Max remains unknown.
