A serial cat killer who butchered dozens of pets has mutilated at least seven more.

The Argus reported how a string of cats had been snatched from suburban streets and butchered before their mutilated bodies were dumped on owners' doorsteps.

More owners have come forward to report similar attacks on their pets - bringing the number of missing or killed animals to more than 30.

Three cats have been slashed in Littlehampton, Rustington and Angmering.

Cats in Rustington and Haywards Heath were decapitated while another in Burgess Hill returned home with a neat strip of skin removed from its shoulder.

It is believed a man is capturing animals with a net, bundling them into vehicles and taking them away to behead and butcher them before returning them to their owners.

About two weeks ago, a teenage girl saw a man grab a cat in a Chichester road.

She confronted the man who then dropped the cat and ran off. The BBC is to feature the assaults on Crimewatch to encourage witnesses to come forward.

Programme makers contacted Sussex pet detective June Bailey, who has been logging the incidents.

Mrs Bailey is urgently appealing for the girl who may have seen the attacker to contact her and give a description of the man.

A £3,000 reward, donated by West Sussex Wildlife Protection, the RSPCA and an anonymous pensioner, could be hers if the information she gives leads to a conviction.

In the most recent incident, the cleanly cut tail of a cat was found in its owner's garden the morning after it went missing.

Owner Janet Hammond is desperate for any news that could help her find out what happened to her pet Tasha.

The cat, who is 17, went missing on September 23 from her home in Adelaide Road, Chichester.

She did not normally go out at night and when she had not returned the next day, Mrs Hammond began a search.

She did not have to look far. At the end of her garden Mrs Hammond found Tasha's tail.

She said: "I went into shock. I had read about the attacks in The Argus and the first thing I thought was, Is it the cat killer'?"

Mrs Hammond took the tail to a vet who confirmed the tail had been cleanly cut off.

She said: "It's so upsetting"

In some attacks, animals have had parts of their bodies - heads, tails or legs - cut off.

Paul Nelson's cat George, who lives in Meadow Way, Littlehampton, was one of the lucky ones.

He survived an knife attack which left him needing staples across his chest.

Mr Nelson's partner Barbara Croft said: "We just thought it was a total mystery. George came home one afternoon with this clean cut on his chest so deep you could see inside.

"I never imagined a person could do such a thing to an animal but now I know what's been happening, I'm convinced the same thing happened to George."

It has taken George three months for his wound to heal and he now refuses to leave the house during the day. Other pets could be in danger too.

Decapitated rabbits were left in carrier bags with a cat's head in Chichester and in Burgess Hill a rabbit was taken from a locked hutch in Povey's Close.

The hutch was relocked and parts of the rabbit's body left nearby.

Some owners thought a fox was responsible but experts said this was unlikely.

Sandra Baker, from Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Unit, said: "I would almost certainly rule out foxes. They do not normally attack cats and if they did it wouldn't be like this."