Pet owners are being warned to be vigilant after three cats were found dead and mutilated in Chatham and Rochester.

Animals Lost and Found in Kent say they were alerted to two dead cats in Chatham last week followed by another found in Rochester on Sunday morning – and that in each case the animals had been cut several times with a sharp blade.

The injuries are thought to be similar those suffered by other animals attacked by the so-called M25 cat killer, who is believed to have struck hundreds of times over the last two years, mostly in London and Kent.

The latest incident involved an 18-year-old family pet called Tango who was found dumped near a doorstep in his home street of Summerson Close, Rochester, on Sunday morning, an act which had left his owner distraught.

Family friend Sean Wareham said police needed to take the incident and other recent killings seriously.

The former detective, of Cecil Road, Rochester, said: “We’re looking at appealing for witnesses because we think it might have happened in the day time.”

Mr Wareham believes the killing bears the hallmarks of the so-called M25 cat killer, adding: “The cats tend to be mutilated in a certain way and then displayed by being left outside the owner’s house.”

Although Tango didn’t have a collar identifying his address, he had been left on the path leading up to a nearby front door.

“The act itself is barbaric enough but what could it lead to further down the line?" - Sean Wareham

“It’s very sinister,” said Mr Wareham.

“The act itself is barbaric enough but what could it lead to further down the line?

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the mutilation and display of the animals like this is behavioural traits of a serial killer in training.”

Charities Peta UK and Outpaced are offering a £10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the spate of killings reported around the country.