The notorious Croydon cat killer, who is thought to have slaughtered two felines in Crystal Palace, is luring his victims to their death with the use of raw chicken, according to the examining vet.

A street cleaner reportedly discovered the two beheaded cats, and a dead fox, in a 200m radius of Stoney Lane in Crystal Palace last month.

The Met Police confirmed it is looking into the deaths as part of wider investigation into the so-called Croydon cat killer, who is thought to have butchered at least 10 felines so far.

The vet, who wished to remain anonymous, told the BBC he was able to link 10 of the deaths out of the 16 bodies he had examined so far.

He revealed that in the past two cases raw chicken had been found in the cats' stomachs, suggesting the killer had used the meat to lure in the animals.

The vet told the BBC: "I think they are being strangled and then taken off-site to be butchered, and then the bodies are being returned and dumped, that is why there is no blood found at the scene.

“My fear initially was the cats were being hacked to death because the cuts were really random but the incisions have become much more precise, which suggests they are being killed first.”

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South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL) believe more than 50 cats, rabbits and foxes have been killed across London over the past few years.

In a bid to catch the culprit and bring them to justice they have raised £5,000 to fund forensic analysis on the dead animal bodies.

Last week actor Martin Clunes wrote to the Met Police urging them to find and prosecute the culprit.

He wrote: "The local community is understandably distraught and frightened. No one feels safe while this sick individual is on the loose."

Anyone with information should contact the police on 101 or call Crimestopper anonymously.