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There were no signs of blood, said Const. Andy Pattenden, and no additional damage was done to the heads. They looked like they had been placed deliberately rather than dropped accidentally, and police do not believe the incidents were acts of a predatory animal. None of the cats’ bodies has been found.

“What’s of great concern to us is the pattern of it,” said Const. Pattenden, accompanied by Ontario SPCA officer Brad Dewer. “Six incidents all similar in nature, that’s what’s alarming to us.”

Ms. Sima, retired from selling real estate, says she has never worried about much of anything, least of all her cats, since moving to this historic street 20 years ago.

“It’s absolutely atrocious, a human being who does that,” Ms. Sima says. “I don’t know where they came from but I wish they would leave.”

Police on Tuesday released a map of six locations where cat heads were found. On Aug. 12 a cat head turned up at Stouffer and Montreal streets, next to Ms. Sima’s home. Other heads appeared from Sept. 5-11, all within two kilometres of here. On Sept. 13, a woman found her own cat’s head outside her home at Stouffer and Montreal streets.

Asked Thursday why police waited three weeks between the last head discovery and alerting the community, Det. Sarah Ridell says, “The information was given to York Regional Police just recently by the town of Whitchurch-Stouffville. I am not comfortable speaking about this to the media,” she adds. “Our phones are ringing and we are trying to put everything together.”