KEY POINTS:
A mutilated cat found hanging from a street sign is believed to have been tortured by a teenage boy - hours after he saw his father attacking a girlfriend.
The dead tabby had a nail rammed through its head. Its tail and three paws had been severed - injuries which are believed to have been inflicted while it was still alive - and the fourth paw was hanging by a thread of skin.
A jogger found the cat tied to a Tauranga street sign by a piece of red string which was attached to its neck.
The case has shocked police and SPCA officials who are now worried about what else the culprit or culprits may be capable of doing.
"That was right at the top of the scale," said Tauranga SPCA manager John Esdaile.
"If they do that they are heading down that slippery slope - there is definitely a link between animal and human violence.
"This guy that's done this is psychotic. He needs some serious help ... "
Mr Esdaile, a former police inspector, made inquiries which have now led him to the person he believes was responsible for the torture.
"The reality is that this little thing [the teen] saw his father beating his girlfriend up only hours beforehand.
"It was a pretty serious assault from all accounts and he decided, 'Oh that's all right, I'll go out and do this to the cat'."
Mr Esdaile said a second teenager, aged about 18, is also believed to have been involved.
Last week, the SPCA went to two Otumoetai schools in a bid to obtain more information.
Armed with graphic pictures of the cat, they appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
The move - which brought complaints from some parents - paid off, as leads flowed in about the two teenagers.
Mr Esdaile said information had now been passed to the police, who say they are following strong lines of inquiry and are expecting a "successful resolution".
Authorities believe the cat may have been owned by the teenagers who tortured it.
The Tauranga SPCA, in conjunction with St Mary's Anglican Church, plans to hold a memorial service on Tuesday night.
The service will highlight the relationships between pets and people and the connection between animal and human violence.
News of the shocking case of abuse comes a week after a 5-month-old German Shepherd was found hogtied with a badly broken leg in an empty Auckland garage.
At the weekend, three dead puppies were found in a plastic bag that washed up on a beach in Mt Maunganui.
