The body of a cat with its head and tail missing has been found in Golders Green sparking fears that the Croydon cat killer is at large in the area.

The mutilated black cat was found lying in Park Drive with its head and tail cut off at around 5pm this afternoon - in an attack bearing all the hallmarks of the serial killer of cats who has eluded capture for two years.

Cat owner Kirsten Dhar was walking home in Park Drive when she and her partner saw the body of the animal by a postbox near the junction with North End Road.

She said: “We saw what looked like a black furry thing. When we got closer we realised it was a black cat with its head cut clean off and its tail ripped off.

“It was quite, quite disturbing to see and was so obviously done deliberately. The head had been cut clean off. But the tail looked like it had been ripped off.

“We searched the area for the head and tail but found nothing. There was also not a drop of blood. It may have been done somewhere else and then dumped.”

The couple rushed home and called the police and the RSPCA.

The pet serial killer, dubbed the Croydon cat killer and then the M25 cat killer, is suspected of mutilating over 300 pets in a two-year spree.

Most of the victims are pet cats, though foxes and the occasional rabbit or puppy are sometimes reported.

Since the first killing in late 2015, the carcass found near the alleys of a Croydon neighbourhood south of London, more than 370 animals are believed to have been mutilated by the same suspect, the BBC has reported.

The killings have since spread from Croydon to several areas around the M25.

As reported in the Ham&High in April last year, a five-month-old black kitten named Daffy was found mutilated in Archway.

Animal shelter South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (Snarl) said at the time: “Daffy’s death bears all the hallmarks of the animal killer who has been confirmed responsible for the ‘murders’ of over 20 cats, rabbits and foxes since September 2015,”

Boudicca Rising, who works at Snarl, said they would visit the scene of the latest mutilation in Golders Green this evening.

She advised pet owners to keep animals indoors until the perpetrator is caught.

“Definitely keep cats indoors at night and report anything to us immediately.”

But Ms Dhar, who has two cats and lives yards away from where she found the most recent feline victim, said: “It is very scary for us as it is on our doorstep but it is really difficult as a cat owner to know how to react. I do not believe it is a solution to keep your cat inside and lock the cat flap.”

The most recent mutilated cat has not yet been identified.

Anyone who finds an animal’s body with obvious mutilations is asked to call the Snarl on 07961 030 064 or 07957 830 490. Staff will then come out to collect any bodies that bear the hallmarks of the killings they are investigating.