By: Xavier E. Martinez, xmartinez@onlyforpetlovers.com

Imagine waking up one morning, opening your front door and stepping out to see your family’s cat lying prone in the garden with its skin peeled off and its belly sliced open. This week, some Miami-Dade residents were awakening to that sickening reality in their own front yards.

An atrocious cat killer is on the loose in the quiet neighborhoods of Cutler Bay and Palmetto Bay Village. In total, police officials are saying 15 to 20 cats have been found mutilated and abandoned between the two suburban cities.

Many cats are being taken from homes, tortured and then left within the same block they were stolen. Miami Dade Police Department said this is a first of its kind case in the area.

“This being South Florida we see people dealing with roosters in ritualistic killings for religious reasons,” said Detective Robert Williams, MDPD media relation’s bureau. “But as far as this number of cats that have been mutilated in such a manner as were seeing now, I don’t believe we’ve ever seen this before.”

The killings began last week and spilled over onto Monday. No arrests are yet to be made, but police officers from both cities are working hard to crack the case.

“The way that these animals were killed was very graphic and troubling. I can say they were badly mutilated and killed,” Williams said.

Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn has issued a warning to keep cats in doors.

It reads: Mayor Eugene Flinn advises that residents should keep their cats inside their homes until it has been determined who or what has caused these deaths and there is no longer a threat to the feline population of the Village.

According to the city’s website, the murders mainly seem to be occurring in the southern sections of Palmetto Bay.

“Keep an eye on your animals. Be aware of your surroundings such as individuals in your area, who may be lurking around that you don’t recognize. If you see someone who is not from your area, acting suspiciously, call the police and have us go and check them out. That might be the missing link we are looking for,” Williams said.

The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Onlyfotpetlovers.com is also planning to donate $500 on top of that reward.

“This is particularly gruesome and egregious,'' told Jennifer Hobgood, director of Florida operations for the Humane Society, to the Miami Herald. “If you speak to the investigator, the phrase he used is that the cats are being left like little trophies.”

Almost all serial killers have a history of torturing and maiming small animals. This could be a warning sign of worse things to come.

Anyone with viable information should contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.