Teenager arrested after 'horrific' cat attacks
Getty ImagesA teenager has been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty after a spate of cat deaths.
The 17-year-old boy has been held after recent reports of cat attacks in the Richmond Green and Raffles area of Carlisle, where three felines died.
Cumbria Police said it had also seized a lurcher dog in connection with the attack.
Insp Andy Leather said he attended a community meeting on Thursday to discuss the attacks and said people were concerned for the safety of their pets.
"It was very clear there's some very strong opinions in the community and quite rightly so," he said.
"The incidents themselves are horrific for pets to be targeted in this way."
He also said some people were worried about misinformation spreading on social media and whether innocent people with lurcher type dogs "would be targeted in almost a little bit of a vigilante style manner" by those thinking they are to blame.
He urged anyone with information about the attacks to report it to the police.
