A warning issued this morning by Hackney Council about a cat found “completely skinned” in Millfields Park has turned out to be a false alarm.

Hackney Council announced a second slaughtered animal had been found yesterday, which was believed to have had all its fur stripped off.

Less than three weeks ago on December 23 a kitten was found decapitated and without a tail in Rossington Street, Upper Clapton.

There were fears the so-called “M25 cat killer” could have been responsible. Post-mortems carried out on scores of dead cats in the past year have shown the same weapon has been used to kill them all, and the serial killer is believed to have been responsible for nearly 100 cat deaths.

The council issued advice to pet owners following the two “cat killing incidents” in Hackney, advising them to keep cats in between dusk and dawn and to get them micro-chipped.

A spokesman said: “This latest incident has been reported as a crime. The police are investigating the incidents and residents should be reassured that they are being taken very seriously.”

But this afternoon the council announced its vet had completed a post-mortem of the cat’s body and “concluded that there was no foul play involved”.

A spokesman told the Gazette: “Without being too gory, the hair and skin of the cat had decomposed, giving the appearance of a cat that had been skinned recently.”