An animal welfare group have claimed that a "bladed instrument" was used to decapitate a cat which was left outside a Dartford home.

Volunteers from the South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty group have been investigating the incident which occurred on August 8 and have since released a statement regarding the cat's head which was found in the Willow Road area.

Yesterday, they wrote: "On Thursday, we were informed that the head of a British Blue cat had been found in a back garden.

"One of our volunteers collected the body part this morning and took to a vets for examination.

"We were then informed that the headless body of a British Blue cat had been found in a front garden nearby so our volunteer returned and took the cat to vets.

"The cat’s tail had also been removed.

"A veterinary examination confirmed that his injuries had been caused by a bladed instrument and were not caused by an animal.

"It is suspected that the cat’s head had been moved by a fox, although there was no obvious predation."

SNARL has also thanked those who safeguarded the cat until members of their organisation arrived and are now appealing for witnesses or those with nearby CCTV cameras.

A statement from the owners of the deceased cat, named Oscar, was also shared on SNARL's Facebook page which read: "Oscar, you have left our lives without our permission, but you will never leave our hearts and nobody can change that!"

It's understood that Kent Police have been made aware of the incident and they have been approached for a comment.

SNARL have been privately investigating the so-called "UK Cat Killer" in recent years since the case was closed by the Met late last year.