Authorities are looking for suspects in the killings of two feral cats found dead on a Long Island lawn, including a kitten that had been cut in half.
The Suffolk County Police Department says the cats were killed sometime between 11 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday. They were found on the lawn of a person who had been caring for them, on Corbin Avenue in Patchogue.
"This is a vicious, heinous act of animal cruelty and how anyone could do this to these innocent cats is beyond reason," the Suffolk County SPCA said in a statement.
Animal care officials say a necropsy showed one of the cats, a 6- to 8-week-old kitten, had been severed in half; they said the damage was done by a human, not by another animal. The other feline, an adult male, died from blunt force trauma, officials said. It was not hit by a car.
Several organizations are offering rewards totaling $8,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction of a suspect.
