Around 25 dead cats were found hanging in bags from tree branches in Yonkers on Thursday morning, ABC News reported.
According to authorities, sanitation workers were cleaning up garbage in the suburban New York City town when they made the gruesome discovery around 9 a.m.
The animals were found in various stages of decomposition and necropsies will be performed.
Ernest Lungaro, director of the SPCA of Westchester's Humane Law Enforcement Division, told The Journal News that he believes the cats were likely dead before being placed in the bags since any cat could claw it's way out.
"It was very disturbing and it was very unusual," Lungaro said. "There are a lot of questions and we are following up a lot of leads because we don't know if the person who killed the cats is the same person who tied up the bags."
Additionally, investigators said it is too early to tell if someone killed the cats or if they were disposed of after dying of other causes.
"It's something very odd," Lungaro told The Journal News. "It's a lot of cats to be disposed of in a year."
Guy John, who lives near the wooded area where the cats were discovered, told the local paper he wasn't suprised at the findings.
"That place is always dirty so when you see a bag there, it's nothing new," said John. "You see rats running out of there. It looks like a race... Sometimes you confuse the rats for the cats."
Police in Yonkers are working on the case with the SPCA. Anyone with information on the investigation is asked to call detectives at (914) 377-7724 or the SPCA's Animal Cruelty Hotline at (914) 941-7797.
