Residents of Sheraton Park believe someone is hunting and killing cats in the area at night after at least nine feline bodies have been found since March.
According to residents, a man has been seen walking around late at night with two Rottweilers.
But they are afraid to approach him due to the aggressive nature of the dogs.
It is not the first time a neighbourhood in the Kaap has been terrorised by a cat killer, after over 40 katte were found viciously slaughtered in Manenberg last year.
The Daily Voice reported that the prime suspect in the killings, Jonathan Wilson, passed away from stomach cancer in September and since his death, there have been no reports of cat killings – until now.
Kurt Collins, a Sheraton Park resident, says: “I think it was around mid-March when we started seeing cat bodies lying on the ground in the morning and it was just brutal to see.
“I heard from neighbours that their cats were also attacked. After the first few attacks, a few of the guys started noticing somebody walking around the area late at night with two dogs and then people started hearing the cats being attacked.
“When we asked around, people said they first thought the cats were just fighting or making noises like normal, but after seeing the bodies and the dogs walking around, they realised it was a guy hunting them.
“Some of the cats were so badly mauled that you could not even recognise them.
“There was a picture of one that was shared but most of the discoveries were too bloody to even think of taking your phone out, just too much blood.”
The Steenvilla Housing Complex is also located in the area and residents say it has become a hunting ground for the cat killer.
“In that complex, the cats often gather by the bins looking for food, and the guy has been seen walking close by.
“In one week there were four bodies found there and last week another two were found, while people are saying their cats have been badly injured,” says a resident who asked not to be named.
“Two people said they had to put their cats down at the SPCA because the injuries were too bad and another one is now blind.”
SPCA chief inspector Jaco Pieterse said the organisation is not aware of the killings in Sheraton Park but will definitely be investigating now.
Animal Welfare Society SA spokesperson Allan Perrins said their organisation was also not informed.
“We learnt a lot from the Manenberg killings and we would like to offer our services to both the SPCA and the Steenberg residents to help stop this diabolical act,” he says.