THE heartbroken owner of a cat thought to have been butchered by a notorious pet-killer said the experience was like a “horror film”.

Ten-year-old pet Nancy, who lived with her owners in Roundhill Crescent, Brighton, is believed to be the latest victim of the M25 Cat Killer.

The black and white cat was mutilated and her back legs were found in a nearby garden.

Nancy’s owner, who did not want to be named, is so traumatised by the attack on April 5 that she can no longer return to her flat.

She said: “We have heard of these stories like these but you don’t think it’s going to happen to you.

“My boyfriend is traumatised, he can’t sleep well as he keeps having flashbacks.

“It just feels extremely unnecessary to destroy a family like that as a cat is a part of a home.

“We have been distraught for days.

“It’s like a horror film.”

The couple were woken up in the night by a loud crash in their garden.

The next morning, Nancy was missing and the pair frantically tried to find her.

They were contacted online by someone who said their neighbour had found the remains of a cat in their garden.

The owner said: “My boyfriend went round to see, but said he could not tell if it was her or not.

“He told me she wasn’t all there as everything had been chopped off.

“We could tell it was her because of the markings on her back legs.”

Nancy’s head and tail had been cut off.

Snarl is a charity set up to track down the M25 Cat Killer.

They believe the killer is responsible for this latest horror.

The group assesses each situation according to a set of criteria to determine whether the incidents are linked to its investigations, ruling out accidents and building the case through hallmarks associated with the killer.

A police investigation known as Operation Takahe was set up to capture the person to be behind the deaths of more than 400 cats.

The investigation was closed in 2018, concluding the killings were most likely down to foxes.

But the charity says it has proof that many of the killings were committed by humans.

Nancy’s heartbroken owner said: “I’ve had so many people come back to me and say it is foxes.

“But the vet and Snarl said it couldn’t have been because of the way she was found.

“If it was foxes, there would have been blood. Also, foxes do not decapitate animals.”

Snarl founder Boudicca Rising says the M25 Cat Killer should not be confused with the Brighton Cat Killer, who is believed to be targetting pets near the Ditchling Rise area.

Sussex Police are investigating the Brighton killer under Operation Diverge.