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Lakeland police say cats being mutilated

LAKELAND, Fla. — Lakeland police say someone is mutilating cats in a neighborhood on the city's south side.

At least two cats were mutilated and a third dead cat is could be part of the same trend, police spokesman Gary Gross told The Ledger.

Mary Spake reported the front portion of a cat was found in her yard on Easton Drive. The animal was cut behind its front two legs. Spake said five neighbors have said their cats have gone missing in the last six weeks.

The first killing was reported by David Dewitt in March when he found his cat torn in half in the front yard of his Newport Avenue residence. His other two cats remain missing.

Another cat was reportedly found with a grapefruit-sized hole in its side.