Cats 'sprayed with acid' in series of attacks in Paris suburb

Leader of local stray cat association said: 'I have all the photos of the cats who were burned – it is not a pretty sight'

One of the cats targeted in the attacks

Parisian cat owners have been left horrified after at least five cats were found with serious acid burns in the eastern suburb of Bagnolet.

The first feline victim of the attacks was discovered screaming in agony, with half its skin burned away and its bones exposed, on 28 February by a resident named Maria.

Due to the severity of its injuries, the cat was put down. "The location of the burns lead us to believe that they were caused by splashes of acid," wrote local vet Sébastien Marti in a veterinary report, according to Le Parisien.

Since then three more cats have been found in a similar state, and there may be more, the Bagnolet stray cat association L’Ecole Du Chat told The Independent.

“I hope that the person is arrested,” said the president of the association, who preferred not to give her name. “I’ve lodged a complaint with the police. I have all the photos of the cats who were burned - it’s not a pretty sight,” she said.

Warning: Some readers may find the below image distressing

A brown male tabby cat called Moustache, belonging to an 11-year-old boy, was found with third-degree burns to 40 per cent of its body. It is now in recovery after two operations.

The third cat to be attacked with acid was a female kitten, which was discovered on 10 March and operated on for over an hour. One more pet has been seen in a similar state of distress.

Some cats were badly burned but survived the attacks

“We hope that will be the last. The perpetrator hasn’t yet been found, but we have a description,” said the president of L’Ecole Du Chat. “We’ve put leaflets with photos through letterboxes, urging people to look out for their cats and those of their neighbours’.”

On this side of the channel, a recent spate of violent cat deaths in south London has sparked a search for the culprit, known as the ‘Croydon cat killer’. More than 50 pet cats had reportedly been found dead in suspicious circumstances.