$500 reward offered to find cat killer

Paco the cat - a rare breed from the United States. Photo / Supplied

A Helensville man is offering a $500 reward to anyone who can identify the person who killed his "soulmate" - a chocolate ocicat cat.

Jim Wolfson was left distraught after the death of his 13-year-old cat and is determined to find the person who ran him over.

Wolfson discovered his rare chocolate ocicat dubbed Paco planted dead up a tree outside his Helensville property, north of Auckland, on February 21.

"I was devastated. A woman knocked on my door at about 7.30am that day to bring me the news and I just couldn't believe it," Wolfson said.

"He was the center of my existence. Everyone who met him whether human or feline instantly fell in love with him.

"He was my soulmate."

After being inspected by the vet, it was confirmed Paco had been hit by a car.

"The vet said it was a low-speed killing because they could tell by the shape of his claws.

"So someone had hit my cat and thrown him up a tree. What kind of person does that," Wolfson said.

"After my wife died that cat was the closest thing to me. If it was a person who was hit there would have been a prosecution."

Wolfson said he had no choice but to put out a reward to get answers.

"It started with $50 then my neighbour offered to put in another $50 ... Paco was well known in the area ... and now I'm offering $500 ... I just want answers."

Paco was from Colorado Springs and Wolfson said he had more than $5000 invested in him.

The response he's had from Facebook has been mostly sympathetic posts but "still no answers".

Ocicats have been described as having the temperament of a "dog in a cat's body". Cats from the rare breed have been trained to fetch, walk on a leash and harness, come when called, speak, sit, lie down on command and other canine-style tricks.

Ocicats, which were bred from Siamese to Abyssinians in the United States in the 1960s, require closer attention from their owners than most other cat breeds.