Police arrest man, 31, over five gruesome pet deaths linked to the Croydon Cat Killer feared to have slayed 400 animals

COPS may have snared the elusive "Croydon cat killer" after a 31-year-old man was arrested over a number of cat deaths - in which five were mutilated and killed.

He was detained in connection with cat mutilations and arson.

The deaths were being treated as part of a Metropolitan Police probe into several killings across England, including those by the so-called Croydon cat killer.

Five cats from Northampton were all dismembered in a similar way - with their heads cut off.

The mutilated moggies were then left for the owners or members of the public to find.

The first, one-year-old Rusty, was left in a plastic bag on the owner's doorstep on August 28.

The family's 14-year-old daughter made the grim discovery.

Topsy, a 15-year-old, went missing after it was last seen on the driveway of its owner's home.

The next morning, on September 6, the cat's mutilated remains were found stuffed inside a carrier bag and left on a path outside the house.

On October 7 and 13, two unnamed cats were found in Duston before the latest discovery on November 18, which prompted Northamptonshire Police to issue advice to owners, which includes keeping all cats and rabbits indoors at night.

In the last case, a decapitated cat was discovered placed on top of a car near the owners' home without its head.

Police previously said the five deaths were being treated as part of a Metropolitan Police investigation looking into hundreds of killings across England.

The Met and animal charity SNARL (South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty) believe more than 400 animals have been killed in the same manner since 2015.

As the deaths of other animals - rabbits, foxes, deer and even a squirrel - all over the country have also been linked to the case the killer has also become known as the M25 Cat Killer and the UK Animal Killer.

The Met began investigating a series of "gruesome" killings, which initially began in the Croydon area in 2015, after SNARL raised concerns.

The force said it was "aware" of the arrest and its own investigation was ongoing.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.