Beast of Billionaire’s Row ‘eating rich people’s pets for eight months’

  • london
  • May 28, 2020
  • Comments Off on Beast of Billionaire’s Row ‘eating rich people’s pets for eight months’
Beast of Billionaire’s Row ‘eating rich people’s pets for eight months’ thumbnail

A big cat dubbed the ‘Beast of Billionaire’s Row’ has allegedly savaged a kitten and could be staying alive by feeding on rich people’s pets.

Earlier this week, police deployed armed officers and a helicopter to track down the cat, but officers have since scaled down their search, saying it poses ‘no danger’ to the public.

But a local animal lover claims the extremely rare Savannah hybrid cat has been terrorising a wealthy north London neighbourhood for eight months, and is probably living in an empty mansion.

Kate Blackmore suspects the cat is a stray that probably exhausted the owner with its ‘hyperactive’ personality.

The personal assistant, who lives in nearby Highgate and owns two Bengal cats, says it’s likely staying in one of the derelict mansions on Bishops Avenue – known as ‘billionaire’s row’.

Ms Blackmore, 35, says she is ‘1,000% convinced’ it is the same big cat that made headlines last September for ‘terrorising’ a Hampstead mum.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video

And she is certain the Savannah killed her kitten as well as three pigeons in her garden.

Extremely rare first generation Savannah hybrids – known as ‘F1s’ – can sell for £5,000 and require a special licence.

Second and third generations, while still extremely pricey and costing thousands, do not require a licence and have gained popularity on Instagram and Facebook.

Savannah cats are characterised by their large bodies, long necks, triangular heads, and wide ears.

A first generation is a crossbreed with a domestic cat and an African Serval, and in each following generation the Serval is reduced.

Police say the search was called off after making a ‘visual assessment’, saying it is not dangerous and not a threat to the public.

The cat’s owner has not yet stepped forward.

But Ms Blackmore said: ‘This Savannah cat has been missing since September. Anyone saying it’s a recent escape is talking absolute rubbish.

‘We have had 10 visits from the Savannah cat. It scared one of my kittens away. That was three months ago, and the kitten didn’t come back.

‘Eight weeks later the kitten was found dead on the road. I have been looking for the Savannah cat for months now. It’s terrorising the neighbourhood.

‘I put up 1,500 posters in the area looking for my kitten and knocked on every single door in Hampstead and Highgate.’

She added: ‘I gave up on it, but then at 10pm on Monday night a helicopter was hovering overhead.

‘I thought it was a burglary. We tend to have them a lot round here because of all of the mansions.

‘I am a cat lover and I just want it to be safe. It’s not dangerous but it’s terrorising the local pets.

‘Because of the Covid, everyone’s been so busy in their lives so they’re not noticed it.

‘Now it’s actually in their gardens, I’m not surprised it’s been spotted. I work from home so I’ve seen it a few times.’



Have you seen the Beast of Billionaire’s Row?

If you believe you’ve seen the big cat dubbed ‘Beast of Billionaire’s Row’, send pictures and footage to our reporter Joe Roberts on [email protected]

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.