Weymouth woman devastated after lost cat is found beheaded

Angela Starling, of Littlemoor Road, Preston, said she called the vet after her cat, Treacle, went missing for a few days and was disturbed to hear that her 'sweet little girl' had been brought in after she was found 'dumped' on someone else's front garden decapitated.

Ms Starling said that she had taken in Treacle when she was abandoned as a kitten 13 months ago and had been a part of the family ever since.

She said she had let Treacle out at around 6pm on Thursday, October 14 and became worried when she didn't return to the home when called to come back inside a few hours later. Ms Starling said she thought she had lost her and started to put up posters in the local area before her daughter recommended she contact a vet.

The cat, Treacle, was found on a front garden beheaded. Pictures: Angela Starling and Marie-Claire Alfonso

She called Medivet on Dorchester Road, Weymouth, on Saturday, October 16, two days after Treacle had first disappeared.

She said: "I phoned them and they told me somebody had taken her head off and then took her and dumped her in somebody's front garden. The vet very kindly phoned the police.

"I don’t know where she was found other than she was on somebody's front lawn. I still can’t believe that somebody could do that to an animal.

"I couldn’t take the phone call from the vet, my daughter had to do it. I just screamed in total frustration."

It comes after a very similar incident in the same area, involving a pet cat which had been found beheaded in Preston, which was reported just over a year ago on September 5, 2020.

Ms Starling added: "She could be so timid and doesn’t go near to people, I don’t know how she got into this situation.

"She meant the world to me, she was part of the family. It’s unbelievable - I can’t believe it’s really happened, I’m totally devastated."

Ms Starling said she wanted to speak out and let other people in the area know what had happened as a warning.

She said: "I wanted to say something as a warning to other people in the area, I think they should be aware of it."

A spokesman for Dorset Police said: "We received a report at 8.58pm on Saturday 16 October 2021 from a vet in relation to a body of a cat that had reportedly been found in a garden in Weymouth following an incident of suspected animal cruelty.

"Local officers have been made aware and enquiries into the matter are ongoing."