The great-great-granddaughter of Michael Marks, the co-founder of Marks and Spencer, has spoken about the horror of having her cat murdered.

Samantha Glass, 44, is convinced her cat, Harley, was cruelly murdered by the ‘Croydon Cat Killer’.

“He was a cheeky cat,” Samantha told News Shopper. “He loved to bully my husband and he loved to pee on anything that was expensive for the first two years.”

Harley regularly visited the neighbour’s house in Beckenham Grove and the flats across the road.

On Wednesday (April 11) Samantha believes the Croydon Cat Killer targeted Harley.

She said: “Harley has a routine and goes for a wee around midnight. Normally I am awake and I kind of hear him come up in the bed after.

“The next morning my husband went downstairs and Harley wasn’t nagging at his heels as normal, but we didn’t clock it.”

Samantha later received a call as she was at the dentist with her 11-year-old daughter, Tabitha, and a police officer said Harley had been found dead, and that his injuries were not caused by a traffic accident.

“I was thinking no, no, no. The vet later said the injuries were the hallmark of the cat killer," she added.

“I broke down. In my head I hoped it was an accident, I didn't want him to be murdered. I am distraught.

“I couldn’t believe someone would murder him. What sick sadistic person murders pets?”

Samantha believes if the so called ‘Croydon Cat Killer’ is not caught soon – humans will be the next target.

She said: “Whose teenage daughter is going to be the next victim? This is a serial killer. Someone is crawling the streets murdering pets.

“What’s next?”

Samantha is currently in talks with South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL) to hold a vigil for Harley and murdered cats.