CALGARY – Police say an arson attack and a severed cat’s head left on a doorstep to intimidate a witness are the work of a psychopath.
There are disturbing connections between a home set on fire in the 7100 block of Temple Drive N.E. on Aug. 15 and a neighbourhood cat’s head left on a witness’s doorstep Monday, Calgary police say.
"We have great concern. Anyone who would set a fire and intentionally trap people inside is a concern. It’s a trait of a psychopath," said arson Det. Scott Sampson, who discovered the decapitated head of a cat Monday as he arrived to interview a witness about the arson.
"I’ve never experienced something like this. It’s like something out of the movies."
The August arson was potentially deadly, police said. Wooden pallets were leaned against the front and back doors of the Temple home and set ablaze in the middle of the night.
The smell of smoke awoke the two people sleeping inside, who were targeted out of a jealous rage, sources said.
They managed to push the burning pallets away from the home, sparing it from becoming engulfed in flames.
"Something like this is tragic. It’s an outrageous act. I can’t believe someone would do this to send a message or intimidate someone," said Sampson.
The cat’s head was intentionally cut off and was not the act of a natural predator, police said.
A tattoo inside the cat’s ear identified the animal and her owners, who live a few blocks away.
Brothers Aleen and Naeem Abdul are still reeling after learning their pet was beheaded.
Three-year-old Bell went missing Saturday. The brothers feared she might have been hit by a car or got lost and froze to death.
The news is so much worse, they said.
"It’s disgusting, I can’t believe someone would do something like that. It’s pretty shocking," said Naeem Abdul, 28.
"I hope they catch who did it. Something’s wrong with them."
About three years ago, the brothers adopted two sister kittens from a friend.
Bell and her long-haired grey sibling, Nala, spent their last day together snuggling on their bed.
"She was a really smart cat, very affectionate," said Aleen, 24.
"She was like a part of our family," said Naeem.
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