Report: A 9th mutilated cat has been found in Olympia

The number of mutilated cats found in Thurston County has grown to nine, according to Q13 and KING 5, which cited information from Thurston County Animal Services.

The Olympian could not reach Animal Services Officer Erika Johnson on Tuesday.

Q13 reports that an 11-year-old cat named Midnight went missing on Sunday and the owners found the cat Monday. A Thurston County dispatcher told The Olympian the cat was found just before 5 p.m. Monday in the 600 block of of Lilly Road Southeast in Olympia.

The cat had been beaten and cut open and several internal organs removed, according to Q13. A necropsy was reportedly underway Tuesday afternoon.

Olympia police Lt. Sam Costello told The Olympian it was unclear whether the ninth cat is connected to a series of other cat mutilations and deaths, although police and Animal Services are investigating.

An eighth kitten was recently found beheaded, but it’s also unclear whether its death was linked to the other seven. With the first seven, the killer removed the cats’ spines and left the cats’ bodies on public display in parks or front yards.

“As far as the numbers, it’s probably the worst I’ve seen in my career,” Johnson told KING 5.

Cats have been found in Tumwater, Lacey and Olympia. Johnson said the crimes seem to be happening overnight, between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Anyone with information about the cat deaths is asked to call Thurston County Animal Services at 360-352-2510. A combined reward of $21,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the killer or killers.

This story was originally published August 21, 2018 at 5:39 PM.