Three cats and a rabbit have died and two of the deaths are being linked to a charity's animal killer investigation.

Animal charity SNARL (South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty) believes many of these deaths - which happened in and around Watford, Harrow and Barnet - could have been inflicted by humans.

Most recently, a black and white cat was reportedly shot dead with an air rifle in Bushey - according to a post on Bushey Residents Facebook group. Its body was found in a garden on Monday.

The mutilated body of another black and white cat was found in Edgware last Thursday (November 7), SNARL said. The cat was found without a head on Exeter Road, and SNARL believes a knife was used to cut the head off.

The charity said a vet also believes the injuries were likely to have been carried out by a person.

After the Edgware incident, SNARL wrote on its Facebook page: “Two members of the team spent over seven hours in the area on the investigation, visiting vets, the family, leafleting, looking for CCTV and making enquiries.

“The team is committed to hunting down the psychopath(s) responsible and we are very grateful to the public for their vigilance and support.

"Our advice remains to keep cats in at night if possible and ensure secure padlocks are used on the hutches of outdoor pets.

”RIP little one and our heartfelt condolences to his family.”

Last month, on October 29, Hertfordshire Constabulary received a report of a mutilated rabbit in a back garden in Watford.

A vet has assessed the rabbit’s injuries and suggested there may have been some suspicious behaviour relating to the animal’s death, but police and SNARL are not ruling out that cats or foxes were involved.

Another cat was found without a head in Arkley in Barnet in the middle of October, according SNARL.

Earlier this year in April, a cat was found mutilated in Oxhey - which SNARL said was also human-related.

A Metropolitan Police investigation last year concluded it was most likely foxes that were responsible for a series of animals deaths.