A cat has been found brutally butchered in a back garden.

The brown and white pet was discovered in Park Close, Portslade, with its head, tail and two legs removed.

The RSPCA said it was unlikely another animal could be capable of such a senseless attack and it was probably carried out by a human.

Ken Jupp said he saw the pet lying in its mutilated state on his next door neighbour's lawn yesterday morning.

He said: "It was quite upsetting.

"At first I thought it could have been attacked by a fox or badger, or even a big cat like the one spotted on the other side of the park.

"When the RSPCA said it was human I couldn't believe it. Who would do such a thing?"

Last year in West Sussex a cat killer was reported snatching pets from suburban streets, butchering them and dumping their mutilated bodies on their ownersí doorsteps.

At least ten were killed since May in Chichester, Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath in just a few months. Witnesses said a man was seen trawling estates with a net at night and some heard the cats howling as they were grabbed.

A spokeswoman from Sussex Police said there had been several spates of similarly gruesome cat murders in the past but it was unlikely this incident was linked to them.

She said: "This is an absolutely sickening seemingly motiveless attack.

"How anyone can do this to any animal - such horrific mutilation - is incomprehensible. We are keen to gain information and appeal for anyone who can help us with our investigation.

"Police take this crime very seriously and will fully investigate any reports made to us. We urge any owner whose cat dies in strange circumstances, other than road accidents, and other agencies such as animal charities, to report the matter to the police so it can be investigated."

A spokesman from the RSPCA said they had reported the incident to the police and were investigating it further. He said: "It must have been really distressing to the people who found the animal.

"It seems unlikely that another animal would have done such a thing and seems probable that it was a person "But with such little information it is hard to be sure what happened and we would ask anyone who saw or heard anything to call us."

Call 0870 5555 999 with any information.