A CAT has been found dead with a single stab wound.

Bryony October found Alan, her neighbour’s two-year-old cat, in North Gardens, Brighton, on Monday evening.

The 38-year-old, who had known the cat since he was a kitten, said: “He was lying about a metre from my front door and looked like he was asleep so I shouted his name, but as I got closer I saw the wound and realised he was dead.

“We went to the vet afterwards and an autopsy showed it was a knife wound that had punctured his lung.

“It must have happened in front of our house and he had tried to come home, but the vet said he wouldn’t have made it far.

“I just don’t know how someone could do something like this.”

In November The Argus reported that a “Brighton Cat Killer” had stabbed 14 cats within a square mile area of the city near Ditchling Rise.

Bryony said: “If someone is doing this to cats, how long is it before they start to do it to humans?”

As a result of the spate of cat killings, Alan’s owner, Kath Mattock, had been taking precautions against her cat being harmed.

Bryony said: “She was not letting him out overnight as we know of a couple of cats near us who have been stabbed.

“She let him out at about 7.10pm and I found him at 7.30pm, so he must have been killed in that time.

“It’s a busy street in the centre of Brighton, so I’m surprised no one saw it.

Bryony warned other cat-owners on social media about the attack.

She said: “There seems to be a great awareness among cat owners in Brighton that this is happening.

“The reaction to my post on Facebook was incredible with hundreds of people sharing it.”

Now, she has called for an increased effort to find and stop the cat killer.

Bryony said: “I think there needs to be needs to be a patrol in Brighton to find whoever is responsible, as well as some kind of warning to cat owners to be vigilant about the risk.”

Bryony reported the stabbing to Sussex Police.

A police spokesman said: “The informant was advised there are no further lines of enquiry, however anyone with any information about this, or similar incidents, is asked to email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or call 101 quoting Operation Diverge.

“Police are investigating a number of reports of cat deaths and injuries in Brighton, and are reviewing information gained from a number of sources.”