MELAKA: A couple from Jalan Bendahara here has been left heartbroken after discovering their pet cat’s legs had been cruelly cut off.

       Christian Bernard De Mello said the carcass of their cat was found in the back alley of his home at 7.15pm on Thursday. His wife, Danielle Victoria Ryles, found the dead animal while on her evening stroll.

       “All four legs were chopped off as if someone wanted to have the cat as a meal,” he said yesterday.

       De Mello, 40, said he adopted the male feline whom he named “Blackie” after a feral cat gave birth to four kittens in his kitchen in October 2019.

       “Blackie has since lived with us until he went missing four days ago,” he said, adding that Blackie was part of his family as he and his wife had raised the cat since it was a kitten. De Mello said he alerted the local councillor from Melaka Historic City Council to Blackie’s fate.

       “Hopefully, other cats are not killed in such a manner,” he added.

       The couple manages a botanical gallery at Jalan Bendahara here.