Missing cat’s severed tail is posted through owner’s letterbox

| Live News Reporter Published September 24, 2026 3:43pm Updated September 24, 2026 3:43pm Max’s distinctive tail was placed in his owner’s mail slot (Picture: SWNS) A heartbroken couple fear their beloved cat was ‘murdered’ after it vanished and had its severed tail posted through their letterbox. Police are investigating after eight-year-old tabby Max vanished from his home in Hull, East Yorkshire, last Monday. Owners Louise, 45, and Lisa, 47, found his distinctive white-tipped tail chopped off and posted through their letterbox just five days later. The animal lovers now claim the beloved cat was killed intentionally in a ‘targeted attack’ against them. Louise said: ‘We are devastated and heartbroken – who could do such a thing to an animal. He was murdered for no reason at all. Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. ‘It’s not normal for him to go missing, so we knew something was wrong. He’d only go as far as the front or back garden; he was really happy at home.’ Max loved to sit in the sunny front garden (Picture: SWNS) Louise had let Max into the front garden to play before leaving for a while. When she came back, he was gone. The couple put up missing posters and started a social media appeal after becoming convinced something bad had happened to him. On Saturday morning, Lisa went to collect their mail from the shared post area at their block of flats – but she made the horrific discovery. Louise said: ‘I just heard Lisa screaming and crying. That is something I will never forget. She was calling for me to ring the police. I started crying and screaming. I just broke down. ‘I thought Lisa must have found him collapsed on the floor – but when I got there I realised it was not his whole body; it was just his tail. It’s definitely his – he’s a tabby cat with a white tip on the tail. It looks like a paintbrush.’ She then reported it to Humberside Police. Max’s tail has been sent to a specialist vet in Liverpool to look for DNA, which could potentially identify whoever handled it. Forensics have also checked the letterbox for any other clues. Louise and Lisa are absolutely devastated (Picture: SWNS) Louise said: ‘I’ve got horrible images in my head that the tail was taken off while he was alive.’ “I go through phases of not feeling anything, like a zombie, and then all of a sudden I get waves of emotion. It’s awful not knowing where the rest of his body is.’ She described Max as ‘full of character’ and a ‘huge part of her family’. Louise said he spent most of his time sleeping on his bed. He was also a ‘patient big brother’ to the couple’s other cat, three-year-old Maple. Maple has been sent to stay with a friend because the couple no longer feel safe keeping her at the flat. The ordeal has also devastated plans for Louise and Lisa’s wedding after nine years together. They are still going ahead with the ceremony but have cancelled the celebration they had planned afterwards. Louise said: ‘It has put a massive shadow over it. We’ve told all of our guests that we aren’t doing anything afterwards now; we’re just going to the registry office and then for one drink. ‘We were originally going to go to a pub in Hull to have a buffet. We still want to get married, we just can’t bear the thought of celebrating.’ Humberside Police said officers were called at around 12.30pm on September 19 after a cat’s tail was pushed through the letterbox of an address on Appleton Road. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Three animal rights activists guilty of stealing lambs from King’s estate Arrow MORE: Red panda manages to make tooth removal look adorable Arrow MORE: Woman dies after monkey launches flying kick at her outside her home News Updates Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.