Seminar to probe motives behind cat killings

The latest occurred in Adelaide yesterday in which a cat was reportedly dragged behind a car in the southern suburbs.

Police say they have good information on the type of car used but no one has been charged as yet.

Several witnesses reported seeing the cat being dragged for up to an hour by a white Tarago yesterday afternoon.

Police senior Constable Mick Abbott says investigators have a registration number for the vehicle suspected to be involved and the driver will face charges regardless.

RSPCA spokeswoman Emily Vatkovich says it will be impossible to do an autopsy on the cat and the society is now assuming the cat was dead before it was dragged behind the car.

But she says it is still a shocking act nevertheless.

"Regardless of whether this cat was alive or dead when it was dragged along by the car, I think we should all be extremely concerned that people are going to these lengths to inflict such injuries on an animal and it is just an extremely brutal act of cruelty," she said.

Ms Vatkovich says the society will use a seminar next month to examine the type of person who commits such an act.

"The main cause of the seminar is actually to look into people that abuse animals and then actually go on to act violently towards humans," she said.

"So I think it's a really important issue that needs more research done into it."