The deaths and mutilations of three cats in St. Albert were the work of coyotes, RCMP say.

Police made the determination following a necropsy of a cat that was found in the Oakmount area of St. Albert Sept. 3.

A veterinarian at the University of Alberta concluded the cat was killed by a coyote. The animal looked like it had been cut open.

Two cats found dead in St. Albert in late August were left in similar condition, leading police to conclude they were also killed by coyotes.

Cpl. Laurel Kading said this comes as a relief to police.

"The thought that there might have been a person doing this is deeply disturbing to the community and to the RCMP."

Coyotes target cats when training their pups to hunt. They will rip the cat open as a way to get their pups to eat prey, police said.

The cat deaths had raised concerns that someone was killing and mutilating them in St. Albert. Cpl. Laurel Kading said police had the third cat examined in order to rule out that possibility.

"The thought that there might have been a person doing this is deeply disturbing to the community and to the RCMP," she said.

Now that coyotes have been identified as the culprits, the RCMP is warning St. Albert residents to keep their cats and dogs indoors overnight.